SORRY! Dx I know, it's been like, FOREVER. It's totes my fault! I'm actually caring about school and flipping out and AUGH MESSSSSSSSSS. BUT BUT! We're finally done with this chapter! =D LOVE US! And it's long too! So you can't accuse us of doing NOTHING these past ;ga;rjkyhkjdhy TWO MONTHS? AAAAh. I broke my promise to not do that again! SORRRYYYYYYYYYYY. And we never reply to reviews anymore. We're shit. Well I'm shit. My lovely partner in crime is too gorgeous to be shit *heartheart* BUT WE STILL LOVE YOU! I'll shut up now! Damn so many caps! AAH! ENJOY!
Chapter Eighteen: Military Records
August was one of the warmer months in Moravia, but with these higher temperatures came a tendency for rain and storms. September was on its way, the month in which Fall began. A group of men on horseback were coming down along a road overlooked by two separate hills, this group led by an albino casting his red eyes about. The entourage was a party accompanying Prussia on his way to Vienna for the upcoming congress that would take place there.
Following a period of war and strife this meeting of major European powers had been long overdue. The Revolution in France, the Napoleonic wars, the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, so much had happened and been left to fester. These wounds on the face of Europe had to be mended to heal and fast. It had already been eight years since the last Holy Roman Emperor resigned, the Empire having already been in a downward decline due to the wars of Napoleon. The Prussian himself had only just gotten his freedom from France the year before. Following the disintegration of the Empire he had been more than unsettled by the continued occupation of French troops and demanded they leave. When refused, a war began between them, ending in his losing a little under half of land. Reforms had to be started to bring his people back from the shock, and finally in 1813 he and the other Germanics beat the French after Russia had destroyed his army.
And now here he was, picking his way through a battlefield of French victory to attend a long series of meetings that would put everything back in order. At least, that's what they were meant to do, and hopefully they would.
They were on the road that connected the towns of Olomuoc and Brno, a point in the hilly terrain on which the Battle of Austerlitz had occurred. It was often regarded as one of Napoleon's best feats, having beaten a combined Russian and Austrian force that outnumbered his own, leaving Austria forced to sign a peace treaty later that month. In that following year is when Francis II dissolved his Empire due to that very battle.
It was beginning to become dark, earlier than normal due to the impending storm clouds. They were to be heading to the town of Austerlitz, some kilometers west of where they stood, to stay for the night.
While his men were alert and ready for ambushes of any kind, their nation slouched in his saddle and fiddled with his reins in boredom. They really needed a faster means of transportation. Horses were cute and all, but dammit this took too long! He just wanted a hot bath, warm food, and a comfy bed. Maybe a cute chick to share his bed with. Yeah that'd be awesome... "Hey Adler," Prussia called to his general, bending his head backwards to stare at him upside down. "How much longer do we have?"
The older man, appearance and mentally wise at least, sighed and nodded towards the hill on their right. "We have a least five kilometers until we reach town. We'll be there soon enough."
"That's too long!" The albino sighed, turning his head upright again to look around for something to entertain him. A caw from above made him look up and smile at a large hawk circling over head. What was it hunting? All of a sudden, a little tan rabbit ran across the path in front of them, making Prussia's horse spook and back up into the group. The hawk instantly dove out of its circle and dove for the rabbit.
"Hey don't eat the bunny!" Prussia yelled, leaping off his hose and ignoring the yells of protest from his general to run after the rabbit. Like hell he was going to let a bunny die on his watch! But as he ran through the trees, he had a feeling that he lost the rabbit and failed his mission. So unawesome... Then there was a flash of tan and another caw. He burst into a little clearing to find a blond boy in tattered clothes sprawled across the grass, the rabbit huddling into his body.
Eyes wide in shock, Prussia cautiously approached the boy, his sword ready to draw. He wouldn't put it past road bandits to beat up a kid and use him as bait. Keeping his gaze trained on the surrounding brush, Prussia crouched down next to the kid and nudged his shoulder. "Hey. Kid. You okay?"
There was a scabbard at his side for a sword, but the weapon itself was absent, likely taken. All the boy had was a deck brush, which he clung to him with what little strength his motionless body had. Blood from a gash in his forehead had long past dried in a thick river down his face, leaving him able to open only the opposite eye. When he did so, the blue orb was blank, dead. What emotion was present in that icy sphere was fear, though it be a tired one, for he could not possibly fend for himself in this state. Just as slowly and painfully as it had opened the eye closed. Another shaky breath. The closed lids squeezed tighter and his body shifted, tensing for action. He opened his lips but the only sound that came out was a small dry moan. His throat hurt, speaking was useless.
Well shit. He was a heartless and crazy bastard on the battle field, but even he didn't beat up little kids! In fact, it rather downright pissed him off! Who would beat up such a cute little thing. Pulling his sword out and setting it next to him for easy access, Prussia sat down and gently shifted the kid into his lap, resting his back against his chest. "Hey I got some water for you, you look pretty fucking thirsty," he said quietly, pulling his canteen off his belt loop to hold it to the boy's lips.
First the child winced at the foreign object pressed into his face, but once its nature was understood he parted his lips to allow some of the liquid into his mouth. Had he the strength he would have gulped it down greedily, but as it was he did not, and could only give it passage down his dry as desert throat. He swallowed, coughed a little. "Danke," he whispered, voice still hoarse and quiet.
"Bitte!" Prussia chuckled, shaking the water a bit. "Drink up, I have plenty! Where's your parents? You alone?"
The blonds drink stopped at the questions. Parents? He thought, and nothing came up in correlation to that word. In fact, he couldn't even truthfully think. Thought required a database of information. He had none. His mind was completely empty. Unsure of how to answer, there was a long pause before he finally gave a minute nod.
"Well! In that case-" Prussia swiftly got to his feet, gently shifting the boy into his arm simultaneously to hold him against his torso. He nudged his sword with his toe and kicked it into his free hand. He sheathed it then shifted the boy again the hold him bridal style. "Let's get you fixed up! The town is just a few kilometers away! Kese! What's your name?"
Once he had finished holding back both a gasp and a whine in his being moved another long pause ensued. The single eye opened, looking at nothing in particular, but in a very sad sort of expression. He would cry if he had the energy. Instead he simply shook his head. No parents, no name, nothing. The overpowering fact of is amnesia was too much. With a small noise and shutting of his eye he was out.
Prussia's heart just about melted then and there. Being alone was awesome when it was a choice! But this poor kid? He didn't have parents and didn't even have a name? He was obviously all alone in the world and was suffering from it! A giant grin filled the albino's face as he started picking his way back to the trail. Well this cutie wasn't going to be alone anymore! "I've always wanted a pet~" Prussia cooed, nuzzling the passed out child.
"Gilbert!"
Looking up from the kid, Prussia grinned to see Adler finally caught up. Jeez, he usually ran after him much fast! "Hey Adler! Look at what I found! Let's hurry up and get to town! This little guy needs to get cleaned up!"
The graying man stared at the boy, then back to the childish kingdom he fought for. Although none of the other men followed him after Prussia, he still lowered his voice as he said, "Is it really wise for you to distract yourself with an abandoned kid when we have more important things to focus on, Preußen?"
Prussia laughed and brushed past his general. "Oh come on Adler, we both know my presence at this stuffy meeting is just a formality. It's not like Freddy Three is going to let me make any diplomatic decisions. For some reason they don't approve of my theory we tell everyone to fuck themselves and take over their lands..."
"I wonder why," Adler mumbled, rolling his eyes. "You can nurse his wounds, but we can't have a child with us at the congress."
Prussia burst into laughter as he stuck his tongue out at the man. "Kesese! As if you can tell me what to do, you old fart!" He skipped off, careful to not jostle his little charge too much, to the horses and refusing help, he climbed back onto his horse, the child nestled in the saddle in front of him. Not waiting for Adler to catch up, Prussia squeezed his legs and got his horse trotting lightly down the path, determined to reach the town as soon as possible.
Sleep was always the best way to escape everything. No matter how much sleep he got he could always use more, for surely he had been sleeping a long time before. And now here he was, waking up from sleep again, though this time he could recall what he had been doing when he passed out. Where he had last been. In a clearing surrounded by trees, outside as the sun quickly descended the horizon. With that man…
Why was he warm? On a soft surface? It had been getting chilly in the overcast and the ground had been hard. There wasn't that disgusting feeling of blood and dirt coating his body either.
Tentatively the boy opened his eyes. He was staring at a ceiling of wood. The blond head turned. He was on a bed with clean white sheets, tucked tightly around him. Someone had moved him to a house and cleaned his wounds, dressed them even? A deep frown formed on his face. How long had he been asleep?
Soft breathing reached his ears, making him shift his body so he could turn his head and halfway face the direction of the sound. Ah, that would explain why he couldn't move his legs. Down he looked at a man lying across his legs, leaning to do so from his point in a chair beside the bed the child occupied. That pale hair… It was the man from before? He had brought him here? But why? He nuzzled under the covers, his mouth hidden as he continued to stare down at the albino. Was… Was he supposed to wake him? He didn't know what to do.
Feeling his bed move, even in the slightest, brought a groan of protest from Prussia as he wrapped his arms around the boy's little legs. A small smile graced his sleeping visage as he nuzzled his armful, muttering under his breath about friends of long past.
Immediately there was a squeak in surprise in response. He was cut everywhere, even on the legs, he closed his eyes and tried to will away the pain upon realizing any attempts at wiggling his legs from the grasp birthed even more.
Although normally a deep sleeper, the Prussian was still a warrior. When traveling he was able to forgo his deep sleep for a sleep that could save his life. High pitched squeaks from little boys were not a common noise and instantly registered as a danger noise. Prussia immediately sat up, looking around with crazed eyes before realizing he was in the hotel. A grin spread across his face at the sight of the boy, now awake. "Hey sleepy! How you feeling?"
Still hiding a majority of himself beneath the covers and watching his savior – kidnapper? – the boy nodded slowly in reply.
Prussia stared at the boy, waiting for more of an answer for quite a bit before realizing that was all the answer he was going to get. He smirked and crawled over the kid to lie down next to him on the bed. "I didn't ask a yes or no question, kiddo."
Initially having shut his eyes, unsure of what the man was doing, the blue circles became visible after a moment to stare blankly at the strange male. How was one supposed to react in a situation such as this? "B-Besser, danke," he blinked at him.
"Gut! Need anything?" Prussia asked, dying to do anything to help his new little charge. "What should I call you anyways?"
The crystal tinted gaze averted itself downward at that. "Ich weiß nicht… Ich erinnere mich nicht…"
Red eyes blinked and he moved closer to stare at the blond's head. "You remember anything?"
He wasn't as tired now. There was some power in him, some fuel for action and emotion. It was used in answering this question, a slow, though jerky, tearful shake of his head.
Once more, Prussia's heart melted as he wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders and hugged him close. "Oh don't cry kiddo! I'm not gonna drop you off somewhere in the middle of nowhere once you're all better! Swear! You're my new baby brother, don't you know?"
No, he did not know, obviously. Blinking a few times into the shirt in his face before a muffled, "was?"
"Well I don't have any family, you can't remember your family, so why not be family?" Prussia's logic made total sense to him, so surely it would sense to his new brother, right? "I've always wanted a cute brother~"
What was going through this man's head? Taking in some random kid he'd found in the middle of nowhere? It was insanity! This man was crazy! Didn't it cost money to raise a child? Who would do that? Take on unneeded responsibility for someone you don't even know.
The tears were still flowing lightly, but beneath them was a tiny smile. The boy still had the naivety of a child and couldn't imagine this to be a lie. In his tiny little world there was something known, something solid, something warm. Hesitantly he nuzzled the chest he was being pressed into. "Ich bin nicht suß…"
"What are you talking about?" Grinning from ear to ear, Prussia nuzzled blond locks. This kiddy put Spain's brat to shame! "You're adorable! The adorablest! Oh... On our way west we found the adorablest little kiddy ever... What do you think of West as a name? I think it's cute!"
With the elation he felt in his chest at receiving a name, something wholly him that he owned and identified him, all the boy, West, could do was nod. "West…"
"Oh! I'm Gilbert! I'm your Bruder, got it?" The albino nuzzled his West even more and would have continued to do so if his stomach didn't suddenly growl loudly. "Mmm I'm hungry... I bet you are too, West. You've been asleep for like, two days! I made the men go ahead of me to the congress so we didn't have to move you! Adler was annoyed with me, but whatever! I didn't make him stay!"
West felt his heart stop and his breath catch in the back of his throat. Congress? That was something important wasn't it? And this man – Gilbert, his Bruder – had forestalled going because of him? What smile he had held faltered at the speed of light. "E-Es tut mir leid!" A more conversational volume, the loudest he had spoken yet.
"Was?" Prussia looked around in confusion, trying to find something West may have done wrong. Upon finding nothing, be looked back to the blond. "What are you apologizing for?"
And he was back to whispering, "for… being trouble…"
Being trouble? How could he be in trouble when he just woke up? That made no sense- oooh! Did West feel bad for being the reason he was late for the congress? Jeez what a weird memory-less kid! Chuckling, Prussia nuzzled West again. "You aren't trouble at all! I didn't want to go to the stuffy congress anyways! There's a bunch of lame-ass jerks there and I don't like bothering with them. Not to mention it's boring!"
"If you say so…"
"Oh. I do say so." With West still in his arms, Prussia slid off the bed and got to his feet. "Now I have no doubt you're starving. What do you want to eat? Or can you not remember what food is?"
Still clinging to him as he had done in being moved so suddenly, West paused, his eyes returning to their normal size after widening. "Ich erinnere mich…"
"Oh good! Kesese, it'd suck to have to teach you about food!" Completely ignorant of how amnesia worked, Prussia carried West out of the room and down to the tavern that occupied the inn's lower level, his mind racing through all the things West might not know. "Oh shit, you know how to piss, right?"
"Ja!" West exclaimed, thoroughly mortified that he would even ask that. Then, realizing his blunder, he flushed and nodded. How dare he talk back to the one that was taking him in! "Ja..."
Why was he being lugged around anyway? Was he seriously going to trouble him so much? "I... Can walk."
"Oh good," Prussia sighed in relief, setting West down in a chair at an empty table. If teaching him about food would have been a pain, Prussia could barely begin to fathom how annoying it would be to teach him how to piss! "And you're injured! Besides, you're so light and adorable, I want to carry you! Now what would you like for lunch?"
In his seat West squirmed, feeling suddenly awkward out of the secluded room they had been in to now be among even more people. Not to mention he'd been asked to choose something, I hard task when one doesn't know their own tastes. "Ich weiß nicht..."
"Okay!" Prussia laughed and ruffled West's hair. "I'll just order us wurst and potatoes enough for two! Oh and beer! Kesese!" Before West could say anything, the albino was off to ask a barmaid for their order. Soon enough he was back at their table, mugs in one hand and two pitches in the other, one of beer and another of water. His lips were pursed in a pout as he sat and poured West the water. "She said you need to get hydrated and beer won't help. I personally would prefer beer, but I guess she has a point."
"If she says so," the boy mumbled. Hydrated, the difference between beer and water, those sorts of things were alien to him. All he could do was nod and take what had been offered to him, sipping from the cup in a slow manner, appreciating having something to drink after his throat had been so painfully dry.
"So you don't remember anything about what happened to you?" Prussia asked after a long gulp of his beer.
West clasped his mug, staring at it. He shook his head.
"Haha don't fret about it! I'm sure you'll remember eventually! If you don't, well that doesn't matter either. You're my baby West now~" Smiling like the fool he was, Prussia leaned over the table to ruffle West's hair again. He couldn't get over how awesome this was! He couldn't wait to show off West to Spain and France. Ha and Austria and Hungary too! He would prove them wrong, he could too raise a kid! "You'll like my -well our- house! It's so big and awesome! I'm sure you'll have fun exploring it! The gardens are really fun too! And the Prussian army is awesome. Once you're older, you'll have fun learning how to kick ass like the awesome me! Because kicking ass is so much fun."
West smiled a little over his mug, taking another sip before he paused then quietly asked, "Prussian?"
"Pft, fuck yeah! The best kingdom out there! You should be happy I found you and not someone like that pansy Austria! You're now totally awesome!"
A few blinks of cerulean eyes, "Austria?"
"Yeah! He's such a failure of a kingd-" Realizing his slip, Prussia laughed and quickly downed some beer before talking again. "Roderich is his name, you see. He's Austrian and is a total pansy!"
Prussia, awesome. Austria, Roderich, pansy. West nodded and cataloged these away, taking in any and all information greedily to fill the space between his ears.
Pleased that West was nodding, in what he assumed was agreement, Prussia cackled and poured himself more beer. "Feel free to ask me anything West! I'm sure you want to know more about your Bruder."
What was there to know? There was no known geography for him to ask where Gilbert lived in correlation to here, nor where here even was. "... What year is it?" West asked in a small voice.
What a disappointing question! Prussia sighed and ticked off the years on his fingers before saying, "1814!"
Sensing his brothers dislike West stopped to conjure up a better question for him. Shyly his eyes went back to Gilbert's face. Far be it from him to know what normal was, but he was sure the mans coloring was strange. "Does everyone from Prussia... Look like you?"
"Kesese! I wish! Actually, no it's awesomer that I'm the only one awesome like this!" He leaned over the table and pulled his eye open, staring at West excitedly. "Aren't they awesome?"
In the closeness West hid part of his face behind his mug, looking up at the startling red eyes through his cornstalk blue eyes. Silently he nodded, again finding himself unsure of what to do. Suddenly he realized he didn't even know what he looked like. But he wasn't about to ask about himself. He just closed his eyes and took another sip from his mug.
Before Prussia could continue to coerce questions out of the boy, the barmaid came with their food. She set it on the table and smiled to West. "Just give me a shout when you're out of drink."
"Will do babe," Prussia replied with a wink, already diving for a mouthful of meat while the child with amnesia had the manners to wait a moment before timidly sticking his given fork into the potatoes and bringing a small bit to his mouth.
Eyes widened, before they looked down in the food in partial awe. This was... Actually pretty good. From its appearance West would have thought the food was going to be bland, but it wasn't. Still cautious, he took some more, a little quicker this time.
"Kesese, good isn't it?" The albino snickered and stuffed some potatoes in his mouth as well.
With his aghast eyes West tried the tube of meat, reacting the same way. He turned his eyes up to Gilbert, struck with awe at the taste of everything. "What are these?"
"Wurst!" He grinned and ruffled West's hair. "So cute~"
"Ich bin nicht suß." Despite his saying this though West hungrily nibbled on his food.
"You eat like a little bunny!" Prussia all but squealed, finally giving up and just moving to a seat next to West to hug him.
"Ich mache das nicht," the boy mumbled, continuing to eat and subconciously leaning into the embrace.
"Oh, feeling better?" Standing behind the new brothers was Adler, finding this affection side of his nation quite amusing. "I hope you didn't give him beer, Gilbert."
"I didn't!"
The boy jumped in fright at the sudden voice, shakily turning his head to see the tall man behind them that made him shrink into Gilbert. "A-Allo..."
"Kesese! Your face is scaring him Adler!" Prussia hugged West closer and stuck his tongue out at the man. "Don't worry West, Bruder won't let the old man eat you!"
Adler rolled his eyes and sat in the seat Prussia abandoned. "West?
West turned his head as while pressed into Gilbert with a hint of a blush at the intimacy plus being forced to converse with another person besides his brother. "Ich habe keinen Namen," he responded slowly. "Oder, ich hatte," he corrected himself soon after with a hint of giddiness.
"West is your name then?"
Blond head fell and rose in a tiny nod, cheek pushed into Gilberts chest.
Adler sighed and poured himself some beer. "You couldn't have come up with a more normal name?"
"Hey! It has meaning!"
"If you say so... Can we leave for the congress soon?"
Prussia huffed and nuzzled West even more. "Absolutely not! He's not to full strength yet!"
"If you need to go I'll be fine," mumbled West.
"But I don't want to go!" The albino whined, nuzzling his captive.
"Don't use the poor child as an excuse to get out of your responsibilities," Adler scolded. "If he says he's fine, we're leaving tonight."
"You have to do your job," he said, trying not to sound reprimanding in the statement. What right had he to boss Gilbert around?
"But it's so boring!"
Adler sighed and finished off his beer. "You should take a page from West's book and grow up."
"... Book?"
"It's an expression, meaning he should learn from you."
"Oh... But he's older... And doesn't have amnesia... So shouldn't I take from his book?"
"Absolutely!"
"Not." Adler shook his head and stared at Prussia in disapproval. "He is childish, selfish, and completely self centered."
"Well I am awesome!"
"But..." His eyes became downcast. West wanted to defend Gilbert, the one that was sticking his neck out for him, but that was hard when he hadn't known him a full day.
"You can like him, West," Adler said with a small smile. "Just don't look up to him as an example."
The faint smile was returned as West nodded.
True to his word, Adler got them packed and leaving before dinner. The several day trip took longer than it should for two men, for Prussia insisted on frequent breaks for his adorable little brother. It was hard for the general to deny the kingdom's requests when he was so happy, the happiest Adler had ever seen him. Sure, the albino was treating West like a pet puppy rather than a child, but there was the possibility he could actually learn to become more responsible taking care of the child. A slim possibility.
It came as no surprise when they arrived a good week and a half late that Austria was there the greet -scold- them as they rode up to the stables.
"And where have you been these past two weeks?" Chided the brown haired man, watching as the group dismounted. His brows were furrowed above his glasses, though the tension lessened a hint for a moment upon his seeing the small blond among them. "You brought a child?"
"I found him on the way here!" Prussia exclaimed giddily, handing his horse to a stable hand to hug West. "His name is West~"
And now Austria turned to Adler, brow raised skeptically at what he thought was supposed to be the mature, responsible one of the group. "You let him bring a stray? Is this what kept you?" He said as the 'this' frowned guiltily, slowly looking downward.
"There was no arguing with him, sir." Adler said with a cold smile. He had to respect the stuffy nation, but that did not mean he liked him or enjoyed resisting the urge to punch him. Sure, he had criticized Prussia for taking the child in, but not for that stuck up aristocratic reason. So angered was the originally 'stray' general, he made no attempt stop his kingdom.
"Stray? This?" Prussia yelled, pulling away from West to punch Austria, in the face, hard, sending him to the ground. "Don't fucking talk like you're better than him and he's trash!"
Ruffled, the Austrian sat up and replaced his strewn spectacles. And then he stood, fixing his clothes. He would not fight, he would not shout, he was above such things. With a short shake he opened his eyes again to return the heated glare. "If you're that energetic, be ready for the meeting in half an hour." Then, turning on his heel, the aggitant left.
From beneath pale gold eyelashes West watched Roderich leave, head downturned since the moment they arrived. For now he withheld apologizing for existing despite wanting to very much. His eyes turned into a sideglance. Maybe he could just hide away in some curtains of this large place and go unnoticed.
Prussia glared after Austria and would have run after him to make him fight, the pansy, but Adler cleared his throat and brought his attention back to his companions. The look on West's face made his heart break. He knew the abandoned and lonely feeling reflected in the boy's eyes. He knew how heavy it made his heart those many years ago. He never knew what it was like for someone to comfort him...
"West!" He cried, falling to his knees and hugging the boy close. "Don't listen to that bastard!"
Weren't hugs supposed to make people feel better? West had come to assume that was their purpose over his time with Gilbert, always pulled into the mans arms when he was upset or 'acted adorable.' But they didn't work that way now. This hug broke West's determination, the affection pried it open. "E-Es tut mir leid," he mumbled smally.
"No. Don't apologize!" Blond locks were nuzzled vigorously as Prussia tried to find the right words. "I don't think you're a nuisance or anything like that. I want you here! Why else would I have taken you with me? I'm your Bruder now, remember?"
His movements were light, trying to go unnoticed, but at that point West returned the hug as he nodded into the larger body which he snuggled into for a moment, making himself be enveloped in it's warmth and kindness and effectively fend off any remaining negative thoughts. "Ja... Ich erinnere mich."
"Not to interrupt, but you should get cleaned up and get ready for the meeting, Gilbert."
Prussia scoffed and picked West up to hug him while standing. "No way. Austria is a big and I am not going to his damn meeting because he told me to!"
"Nein!" Exclaimed West, looking back to the ground as if to will himself onto it. "You're already in trouble."
"Ha I'm not in trouble! That pansy has no control over me!"
"But your government does, Gilbert. They will not be pleased if you continue to miss these meetings," Adler sighed.
Prussia pouted and nuzzled West's cheek. "I'll only go if West keeps me company~"
"They won't want me there..."
"Ha! As if I care! I'll just be sleeping without you. Come on~ help me stay awake and me a good kingd- uh- knight..." Prussia laughed at his blunder and continued nuzzling West.
Well if he insisted... West smiled a little then, almost silently, gave a tiny giggle under the nuzzling. "Okay."
Thanks to West, the impossible happened. Prussia made it to the meeting, not even on time, but early. He sat in his seat with West in his lap, a giant smile plastered on his face as people started slowly filing in.
This was not what he had been banking on when he agreed to this. In his lap? West had thought he could hide under his chair or something. Now he was in plain sight to receive all the questioning glances from the incoming people, which soon included the Austrian from before that made West immediately hide his gaze in a downward glance.
The protective hold on the blond tightened as Prussia glared at Austria, following his every move. When their eyes met, he stuck his tongue out, getting him a roll of the eyes.
"Your immaturity never ceases to amaze me."
"It is more enjoyable to have different kinds, da?" Cooed a deeply accented voice soon followed by the large Russian male as he entered.
"But your kinds aren't that enjoyable," Prussia snapped, sticking his tongue out at the Russian as well.
"Mon Dieu! Gilbert, you actually showed up!" France joined the room, but halted at the sight of the child in Prussia's lap. "Since when did you decide to go down Antonio's path?"
Prussia scowled and nuzzled West. "You pervert, this is my new brother, West!"
"West? This is a strange name," stated the tower with pale hair and wine colored eyes with a tilt of his head.
"What would you expect of Preußen?" Sighed Austria.
"How do you get a brother?" France asked, smiling to the child as he sat in his chair.
Prussia grinned haughtily, ignoring the statements from the people he didn't like, and said, " I saved him!"
The saved remained silent, eyes going over the various males in a subdued, questioning glance. Another was added to the list when a thick browed man entered.
"It's not worth asking," Austria intercepted when England quirked a brow, "he'll be explaining for hours should you give him the chance."
As the meeting began and the different countries' diplomats began exchanging ideas and opinions, there was a set unease in the air. The men unused to Prussia and his oddities were unsettled enough by the striking red eyes, but to have a child in the room was equally off putting. It didn't help either when Prussia got bored of playing with and petting West's hair and started whispering to him, explaining about each of the nations and what made them so very unawesome.
Together Austria and England were internally fuming at the severe lack of attention Prussia was applying. But they were gentlemen, they would not interrupt the talks to inform him of his utter stupidity and lack of maturity. At least, not until the break came up. By then though Austria had come across something he deemed far more important.
"Where did you come from, West?" The aristocrat asked the moment the meeting had let out for a recess. The question ellicited an immediate reaction from the boy.
West glanced away in Gilbert's lap, shoulders folding forward as if trying to curl into himself and out of his gaze. "Ich erinnere mich nicht..."
"Fuck Roderich!" Prussia hugged West tight and glared at the pianist. "He can't remember anything! You're so fucking insensitive!"
"I'm asking," grated out Austria, eyes narrowing only a tad for he was looking at only West, "because there's something about him that makes me believe it is fortuitous you found him."
"What are you thinking?" England wondered aloud, interested.
"What's fortuitous?" Prussia pondered instead. As if he gave a fuck about what Austria thought.
France sighed and rolled his eyes, having stayed behind to see what would happen. "It means you're a dumbass."
"Why are you saying this?" Russia tilted his head, also curious.
"He's a nation."
Boy in question blinked a number of times... What?
"Wow! No way! West! Why didn't you tell me you're a nation!" Prussia burst into laughter and nuzzled the confused child.
Brows raised, France inspected the blond again. "He does seem... Different than other humans. But Roderich, who is he?"
"You know why we're here," Austria looked to France in a sideglance, tone turning a tad solemn with the subject, "and part of it is to determine our course of action following the fall of Holy Roman Empire." In saying the name his eyes flicked to West for a moment as if in knowing, realizing suddenly, before again they were back on the others. "We are here to form the lands left behind. At this point it appears as if his being found is directly connected with that."
Surprised Austria actually did as demanded, Prussia grinned like a madman and yelled, "Tell me I'm awesome for finding him, too! And I'm better than you! And that you're a pansy!"
Before the brow twitching Austrian and insane Prussian could begin fighting England stepped into the conversation. "Instead, let us take time to explain to the poor lad."
"West, I'm the awesome kingdom of Prussia!" The albino exclaimed, hugging West tight as ever. "Everyone else is a stupid country."
As the rest introduced themselves the child cataloged all of the names away despite his continued puzzlement. So everyone around him were countries? Countries? It was a strange concept, only made worse by the proposition that he was one. A part of him accepted the idea with a quick readiness that made him question it, but first he asked the inquiry that bothered him by the feeling of melancholy that it birthed upon his first thinking it. "What does it mean to be a nation?"
"You have to attend these stupid meetings and put up with these stupid people," was Prussia's immediate response.
"You hurt me mon Prusse!" France gasped dramatically before giving West a wink. "But the true existence as a nation is to find l'amour!"
"To fight off others when they step on your toes," growled England, eyes on France as he spoke.
"A nation experiences the changes in their land and people, da?" Smiled the present Russian.
"Essentially, they represent a country through time," finished bespectacled Austria.
Through time? West rose his eyes to the speaker when he heard this. Out of all the answers this one made him stop and mull the most. Not unexpected, considering the others, but all the same.
"Kesese, like that idea, West?" His brother nuzzled his cheek and cooed, "You can be with your Bruder forever!"
"Ja, das ist wahr," gave the blushing new nation, fighting his laughter to a faint giggle and smile.
This adorable confirmation was met with a squeal, manly mind you, from Prussia as he rocked back and forth as he hugged West tight. "Du bist so süß süß süß!"
"You make Antonio look subdued, Gilbert," France snickered.
And as the reaction was so much it broke the comfort line with West as he frowned and tried to wiggle away. "Haaalt."
"Nein! Never!" Prussia cackled and held on even tighter.
"If you don't you're going to have to leave, Gilbert," breathed Austria, shaking his head at Prussia's antics. "We have only a few more minutes until the meeting starts up again."
"I can leave?" He asked, instantly stopping to stare at Austria with wide, hopeful eyes.
"If all you're going to do is sit with West." Besides, now that they were speaking on said blond being a nation, he didn't want Prussia there putting in his opinion.
"Ack!" Prussia made a gagging face and shook his head. "Don't call him that! His name totally loses the awesome factor when you use it! West! We need a different name for other people to use! Only I can call you West!"
"Aber ich mag meinen Namen," in a pouting mumble from West. "But if it's easiar for everyone else..."
"I like your name too West, but it's too special for pansies like Austria to use!" Prussia pout right back. "Your name is like a special Bruder thing! They need some not so special lame other person thing."
"Okay..."
"Can you decide this at another juncture?" Said an exasperated Austria. "After you've left?"
With a nod the single present child slid from his brothers lap. "Es tut mir leid, Österreich."
"Don't apologize West! It's a sign of weakness! Especially when you're apologizing to piano pansies!" He got to his feet as well and took West's hand in his own. "See you suckers later!" The man chided as he pulled the boy out of the room, already rattling off possible names for 'losers' to call him.
The departure of Prussia left the meeting to continue in peace until dark, Austria surprisingly quiet as it went on. The finding of a new nation provided a thought turning day for him, anyone really, though him in this case especially since the new nation was in his neck of the woods. New nation... No, that wasn't quite right, was it? However, he appeared to be the only that knew, that or the others were not letting it on for the sake of the child and his incredibly dense brother that received a visit from Austria himself that night.
Unsurprisingly, the lazy ass albino was already in bed and cuddled up next to his brother. He was so close to falling completely asleep when he heard the knock. Determined to ignore it, Prussia just nuzzled his face into West's hair, who was already dead asleep. But as the knocks continued, Prussia finally begrudgingly got out of bed, careful not to disturb West. If that jackass didn't stop that soon, he was going to wake up the kid. Clad in some thin pants (West was still embarrassed to sleep with him if he didn't have any clothes on, which Prussia just didn't get. Weren't they brothers now? It was no big deal!) and a scowl on his face, he flung the door open and surprise, surprise! It was Austria.
"What the fuck do you want?" Prussia growled as he stepped into the hall and closed the door behind him. "West is still recovering dammit and needs his sleep!"
Just hearing his voice made Austria feel the need to rid himself of Prussia's existence by leaving. But he was here for a purpose, so for the time being he brought one hand to his temple to rub the skin there, a sigh leaving his body. Once calmed, he opened his eyes to quirk a brow at the cause of his annoyance. "Wouldn't you like to know from what he's recovering?"
"Amnesia, duh. He got beat up and obviously got his memories kicked out of him!" Prussia paused then gasped, "Or maybe he really doesn't have any since he's a new nation! Oh wait how'd he get beat up... Aw poor West!"
That needling regret felt towards his coming to see him of his own accord was growing. Someone remind him why he needed to associate with such an idiot... Oh, yeah, because it was his job. "He's fairly old to just suddenly form as a nation, don't you think? And in Europe none of us can go unnoticed for long. The only obvious explanation is that he existed before."
Prussia's lips pressed into a firm line and his expression grew solemn. He didn't like where this was going. "How is that possible? He doesn't remember anything, just let him be, Roderich."
"Gilbert, look at him," he persisted down the unwanted path. It wasn't one he much liked either, since he was directly involved in the failures of the past, but it was the one that needed addressing. "You know who he is, we all do."
"No! I have no idea what you're talking about!" Much like a child in denial, Prussia crossed his arms and glared at Austria. "West has no memories and is going to grow up with a brother and whatever he wants. He won't grow up covered in blood. He never has. Stop trying to ease your guilt for his death by making West suffer!"
"This is not about my guilt!" Before his pitch could raise Austria stopped himself for a second then continued, "this is about you not admitting what's right in front of you. You cannot take an enfeebled Holy Roman Empire to make him your project and completely ignore who he is. You don't take someone after they've lost their memories and not tell them who they were before, especially when they are one of us."
"Yeah well what if he isn't that kid, all right? What then? Well, what then?" Pale cheeks spotted with red as Prussia's anger rose. "What will you do when you ruin West's image of himself? Grows up thinking he did all those things, but can never remember them? Can never understand his thoughts behind all those actions! Do you really think you could defend some of your past actions if you had no memory of why you did them? Fuck off Roderich!"
"I will not!" Right alongside him Austria was transforming physically in his anger, eyes narrowing, though his was a more quiet rage. "You are not the almighty God determining what he can and cannot know. Refrain from telling him now, and he will find out himself later and hate you for it."
Rage filled Prussia's eyes as he slammed Austria against the wall. Their faces inches from each other, he grimaced and flashed his pointed teeth, making his red gaze appear ever colder. "He is not the Holy Roman Empire," Prussia growled, emphasizing each word with increasing pressure against the Austrian.
The tension was thick, too thick to cut with a knife. Perhaps a sharpened sword, not a knife, for these were fighting men we were talking about. Pansy or not Austria had attended battlefields just as Prussia had, and did not appreciate being pushed around. Thar said, he was going to make no progress and it showed.
"He will hate you for not telling him."
After repeating this phrase he pulled himself from Prussia's grasp, bid him an emotionless goodnight, and left down the long corridor.
"He won't," Prussia whispered pitifully. "He won't hate me... He can't..."
The albino floated back inside their room and slowly climbed back into bed to pull West into his arms. This timid and adorable child shouldn't be burdened with the responsibility of the Holy Roman Empire. This adorable child wasn't the former empire, it was impossible. The Holy Roman Empire was dead.
The warmth of the body he'd been sleeping with since he could remember had left him. In sleep we lose all inhibitions, such were the actions of this boy called West. Immediately upon his sensing the return of warmth he whined softly and snuggled deeply into it, holding onto it with all his sleepy power. "Bruder," he breathed in his sleep, calming from the fitful sleep he'd had since Prussia left him.
Prussia's heart swelled and his resolve strengthened. He nuzzled West back with a peaceful smile. This couldn't be the Holy Roman Empire because West was his brother.
The talks lengthened and persisted tirelessly until June of the following year, leaving them all to stay in Vienna for about 8 months total. In that time the new nation West was officially named Deutscher Bund. In addition to this his human name for 'losers' was to be Ludwig. Prussia stated it was because the name befit his 'awesome' brother as it meant famous warrior, others attributed it to the higher chance of finding the boy sitting outside the door reading whenever Austria played one of Beethovens works. Whatever the reason he had three more names, for immediately he also received his brothers family name of Beilschmidt, to answer to. He had an identity, or a forming one. For a bit he giddily introduced himself to strangers, absolutely elated to have a name whether it be West or Ludwig Beilschmidt or Deutscher Bund.
Slowly he formed a personality and set of likes and dislikes. He grew attached to Adler on top of his always being attached to Prussia's hip sort of affection. He found his love for reading and learning in the expansive libraries of Vienna. Present countries received his judgment quickly, for example his keeping especially close to his brother each time France came near. A sort of comfort zone was formed as he established a known and stable world. In time he learned to be able to stray from Prussia's side and live with it. This was dashed and halfway reproduced the anxious boy when he finally left for his and his brothers home. Finally he had been alright with sleeping on his own, now it was back to downright requiring Prussia's presence lest he go without sleep. Not that his brother minded or anything. Prussia felt guilty for being so elated that West couldn't sleep by himself, but he loved snuggling with the child.
Their journey to his manor passed without finding any more child-nations, so Adler was pleased. As the rode up the path to the elaborate living quarters, the general spoke up to the blond in Prussia's lap. "Believe it or not, there is a rather large library inside. It's not as good as Vienna, but it's decent."
Instantaneously West brightened, straightening to stare at Adler in awe. "Wirklich?"
"Ugh yes, but books are boring. What's really awesome are all the places to explore! I still haven't found all the secret passages!" Prussia ruffled West's hair as he brought their horse to a halt.
Adler sighed and dismounted, reaching up to assist West down before Prussia jumped off. "Just because you don't appreciate an education, Gilbert, doesn't mean West agrees."
"Es ist gut zu lesen... Und es macht spaß," West told himself mostly, knowing Prussia would not share his opinion. "Danke," he thanked Adler, glancing around at everything whence his feet touched earth. Subconciously he clutched the front of his shirt at all of the new sights, sounds, smells.
"Isn't my house awesome?" The cocky albino picked West up off the ground again in a hug. "Where do you wanna go first?"
No thought need be applied before he answered hopefully, "library?"
At first he was going to sigh and try to convince him to go somewhere else, but then he brightened. "Oh yes! Kesese! I can show you my journals of awesome!"
"But you cannot spell very well..."
"So? I still have an awesome life," the albino led them down to the library as Adler took care of the horses. "It's a great read!"
But now West was not in a position to respond. Now he was turning his head every which way, beginning a map in his minds eye already. He'd learned this trait after a particularly bad case in which he got lost at the Congress when he'd only just been able to leave Prussia.
"Taadaa!" He sang proudly as he kicked the door open to reveal the bookshelves taller than Prussia himself. "The best part is over here with my journals!"
The childish blue eyes widened a tad. "You've written... This much and you still cannot spell?"
"Well I don't get how you haven't written this much and can spell!" Prussia snapped back playfully as he set West down. My stuff are these bookshelves," he gestured to two bookshelves full of ragged looking books. "The rest is whatever people put in here."
Naturally, this meant West took one look at the two shelves then went to scour through the others.
"We-West!" Red eyes widened in shock and a pale lip stuck out on a pout. "You don't want to read about the awesome me?"
"You've already told my a large majority of who you are, ja?" Reasoned the boy, already gently pulling a book from its niche to inspect the cover and contents.
"Fine, be that way," Prussia huffed as he crossed the room to a plush couch and flopped onto it. Out of nowhere came a little journal and he began scribbling in it.
Although he did not react in an obvious manner this did not go unnoticed by West. He watched Prussia subtly. When he sat West took a sideglance and stood in thought for a moment, blushing in his lingering guilt. As he had been trying to do for a month now he tried to move without his constant shyness, just going about his life with the same sort of self-assurance as the adults around him. He had yet to succeed. The best he could do was the getting to the sofa Prussia occupied before he sat and bashfully shifted to halfway lean on him.
No reaction could be as instantaneous. A giant smile spread across the Prussia's face as he wrapped his arm around West and pulled him closer, still writing on his lap with his free hand. He said nothing and did nothing else rather than nuzzle his cheek against blond locks.
And so with smile painted pink the two brothers sat in this way, one writing in his journal, cheek to the youngers head, while that one curled into him steathily to read his book without feeling too embarrassed.
Later Prussia continued to tour the structure, giving his little follower a chance to find the perfect windowseats to read in or the most shading tree to rest under outside, a variety of things that made the child feel more at ease in his new enviroment. Because of this it should come at no surprise that by the end of the week the intelligent little kid had the entire place memorized for the most part, thus leaving the days to then be filled up with reading or training.
What to read was the question. Prussia's suggestion to read his journals was not forgotten. West had heard and intended to do so, but he knew if it was done in the albinos knowledge he would not let him be. For this reason a blond could at times be found reading in particularly private places and, should one look closely, with one book placed atop another to hide the works true nature.
"West!" The call echoed through the house as Prussia paraded through the house with ragged clothing and wooden swords, the servants so used to their master's antics they didn't even look up from their look as he passed. "Oi West! Where are you?"
If he was coming down the east wing there would be no chance of getting passed him to replace the contraband book. In that head of cornstalk hair he made it a maze, the floorplan of the level he was currently on, and found no way to reach the destination. The German sighed. He slipped the smaller bound item behind the pillow he'd been leaning on and moved away from his seat with the cover encyclopedia in hand. Only after he had left the room did he return the call, "hier."
Prussia ran to the sound of West's voice and grinned. "Quit filling your brain with pointless stuff and come spar with me!" He paused and stared at the book in the boy's hands. "An encyclopedia? Really?"
"Is hardly pointless," West stated, reaching for one of the wooden swords to move this whole thing along at a fast pace.
"Why did you meet me out here anyways?" The albino eyed his brother suspiciously. "Are you hiding something West?"
This made the accused pout and look away. "Nein."
"Oh?" A devilish smirk upturned Prussian lips as he nonchalantly stepped past West and towards the room he had left. "There's nothing in here you don't want me to find?"
"What would I have?" It was trying, withholding from making a fuss over it and revealing himself.
"Something embarrassing! Oh maybe you were with a servant girl, hm? You need a better cover up than an encyclopedia!" The albino sauntered into the room and looked around, determined to find something out of place. He spent several minutes looking under furniture and going through cabinets before flopping onto the couch West had been reading on. "Okay maybe you aren't hiding anything, but I don't feel like doing anything anymore... Wanna take a nap-" he paused and wiggled his back with a contemplative expression. Slowly, he reached behind the pillows and pulled out his journal. "Was? When did I bring this up here?"
"Reading it earlier and forgot?" West suggested, still not looking at Prussia. He walked over to him and held out his hand for the book. "I can find someone else to train with me. I'll put it back on the way."
Red eyes stared up at the boy blankly, creating a long silence. Finally a mischief glint sparked in his eyes as he grabbed West's hand and pulled him into his lap to snuggle. "You were reading it, weren't you West! Aw so cute! You were embarrassed! How long have you been reading them? You do love me!"
"I was not!" Insisted the wriggling in attempted escape boy, flushing. He had to catch himself though, still young and painfully honest. "... For too long!"
"Kesese! Lies!" Wrapping his legs around the child so he couldn't run away, Prussia opened the cover to point to a sloppy '15' on the inside. "I know you! You obviously would have started from the beginning and now you're on number 15!"
"They're quick reads!" West whined, ceasing from his movements in favor of a pout.
"Are you enjoying my awesome adventures as a Teutonic knight?" He inquired, practically glowing he was so happy.
"They're... Informative."
"Well what do you like the most so far?"
"I don't know if there's a specific aspect..."
The shining light of Prussia's joy slowly dimmed as he stared at the blond. "Nothing you really admire about your Bruder?"
The sigh that left West through his nostrils was hardly audible. "... I like when you talk about exploring, going places you hadn't been before. All the fun you had."
"Kesese! We can go adventuring some time if you want!" The shining was back again as Prussia brought them to their feet. "But you gotta get strong first! Come on let's spar!"
"Can we please not do it where we did last? I don't like getting covered in mud if it's just practice," said the forming neatfreak.
Prussia laughed and tossed their books on the couch. "Come on West! If you want to be a man, you gotta get dirty! And you need practice fighting in every condition possible!"
"But it takes so long to wash," in West's mumbling he picked the books back up, wanting to put them back on the way.
"Oh boo hoo! Suck it up, you sound like that piano pansy!" Prussia grabbed the books to dump then back on the couch. "Now come on!" He grabbed their swords with one hand and West's with the other to drag him outside.
'It's because I know you will make me bathe with you afterward,' he sighed internally. No matter how the amount of enjoyment he got snuggling or being affectionate with Prussia it still left him highly embarassed to wash alongside him. But of course the albino never understood when he tried to explain the truth. Other excuses were proving ineffective.
"So where do you want to practice today, your royal cleanliness?"
West refrained from voicing his dislike of such teasing. "... The woods?"
"Oh! A good terrain to practice on! Remember West, you need to use your environment to your advantage," the Prussian continued talking about battle tactics as they made their way to the trees. Stupid he may be in the arts, but the kingdom knew his battle tactics.
Wouldn't you know, the woods found a way to dirty West by the end of their lesson just the same. Mud was there as well to invade his body slowly, first along the hem of his pant legs from the movement then higher when it splashed in his movement.
By the time the boys were done sparring, they were covered from head to toe in mud, leaves, and grime. Despite being in such a messy state, Prussia was grinning like a fool as he dropped to the ground and grabbed their canteen, holding it up to West when he had his share.
There was little he could do in the way of wiping his mouth but West could try! He folded the sleeve of his shirt back to reveal somewhat clean fabric on the inside to wipe mud from around his lips before drink from it as well.
"I'm going to get dirty no matter what I do," he admitted, mainly to himself, while passing it back to Prussia.
"That's life!" The albino chuckled and got to his feet. "Let's go take a bath, West!"
Was there even any point in resisting? None that he could see. The childs small chest extended at the passing of a sigh. With each day he better understood and agreed with Adlers description of Prussia on that first day. West nodded. Maybe this bath would be uneventful.
His wishes seemed to be coming true as Prussia got the servants to heat a bath and then dragged in with him. He sighed contently as the warm water surrounded his limbs. "Baths are the best."
There was no agreeing or disagreeing from West, who simply began cleaning himself almost immediately. He was still finding things in his hair...
"Jeez West, just ask for help," Prussia laughed after watching the kid struggle for several minutes. He pulled West closer and started picking through his hair.
Eyes were shut tightly and lips pressed into a firm thin line, West tensing his body as he felt leaves and mud leaving his hair that was slowly returning to it's blond state. He'd tripped and fallen a lot, unused to trees at all. They made him remember lying in pain and exhaustion where Prussia had found him... He was more clumsy in those kinds of surroundings.
"I almost had it," West mumbled.
"Oh don't complain, I like taking care of you!" With his job finished, Prussia pulled West into a hug. "You know you like being pampered by your Bruder."
"Not when we aren't wearing any clothes," whined the wiggling child, already flushing.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"It makes it weird..."
"No it doesn't, we're two brothers taking a bath!" With a chuckle, Prussia grabbed the soap and started working on getting grime off the boy.
"Neein, I can do it myself!" The whine broke into a giggle for a short second before West clamped his mouth shut, though he blushed in his refraining from laughing at the tickling sensation whenever the soap may go across his side.
"Kese but you're so cute West!" The soapy attack ended so the boy could be snuggled tightly.
Acceptance of the hug came with a roll of the eyes and cheek puffed pout. Then, a question, from feeling Prussia's legs. "That can't be right," West mumbled, brows knitting together in thought.
"What's not right, West?" Prussia asked nonchalantly.
"You being 5 meters. I've heard you say that multiple times, but it can't possibly be right. Then," Gott why was he talking about something like this? It was only later that he could feel the humiliation. "Then you'd have a third leg longer than the others."
Silence and stillness followed the statement. Red eyes stared at blond hair in disbelief. Was he really? He was. Dammit... A smile spread across his visage as he jumped to his feet and ran out of the room. He returned seconds later with a measuring stick, the end blatantly crossed out to say, "5 meters."
Prussia dashed back to the tub and held the stick next to his penis. "See! Five meters baby!"
Said forgery received scrupulous eyeing from the young German, eyes narrowing. At a point West looked away stubbornly. "Du hast recht... Vielleicht."
"I'm always right, West," Prussia explain as he climbed back into the tub. "Be sure to never forget it!"
A little over 30 years came and went over the world, earth witnessing it's fair share of squabbling amongst her children. Nations never could stay good and quiet for long. Of course, this was usually called by their people and they simply acted upon the emotions unrest could dig up.
Not half a decade after his beginning a life with his brother West found his lands beginning to change, his people. Controlled by another or not, he could feel the distress within the citizens of the German Confederation. After a particularly bad murder case involving a university student sharing his name Austria and Prussia met and made a series of decrees against freedom of speech to silence the liberals among the schooled elite. Others were prosecuted to squash anything that appeared revolutionary in nature.
Then, in 1834, Prussia took the first step in making it a Prussian-dominated Germany by branching out the small Zollverein customs union into a trading system that spanned to all other German states. That is, all but Austria.
Hell broke loose into a full on revolution the following decade. Democracy and human rights were the battle cries of the people, and most of all a unified German state. They cried for West. But the child did not answer, could not, for in the end the assembly that stopped the rebellions did nothing. In the end, he remained a young child that hardly left the house in such times. That said, even countries cannot stay youth forever.
On the eve of a major shift did the change in West come along. It was 1864 now. The provinces of Schleswig and Holstein had been fought over between Denmark and those fighting for their independence and joining together as a German state from the prior life as duchies. Naturally, this was backed by Prussia, who was ever on the look out for more land to gain. With the Austrian help Prussia won over Denmark, who was abandoned by Sweden and Norway. But even victories come with their fatalities.
The exhausted albino nation struggled to stay upright on his horse. He could feel the fatigue and pain of each of his men, but had to remain strong. If he collapsed before they got back, well not only would he be lame, but the soldiers would feel even warier. They were almost home, he was almost home to West. Just the thought of seeing his little brother gave some solidity to his jelly-like spine. That was right. He needed to be strong for West as well. The silly kid would freak out if he knew how fatigued and pained his invincible older brother was.
But even still, his eyelids grew heavy as they reached the castle. Servants rushed out to take the horses as the men dismounted and anxious family members ran to their respected son, husband, brother... Oh fuck the world was spinning.
"Bruder!"
Everything was steady again as lithe arms wrapped around his waist in a supportive hug. Prussia looked down to see his adorable little brother staring worriedly up at him... Yet not so much up as he had remembered. Had he really been gone that long? Or had West, Ludwig, Germany, grown that fast. He was already to Prussia's torso... "Hey West," he mumbled quietly. All cuts, bruises, and injured limbs were ignored as he knelt before the child so he could hug him tight and lean on him, he was much too weak to pick the boy up as he usually would.
The blue eyes that had widened at the changed hug narrowed in withheld tears as our blond held his brother for a moment. He turned his face into the juncture of Prussia's neck and shoulder. West disliked causing this man trouble or taking him from his job, but he hated being separated from him. For the length of his leave this child would mill about anxiously, unable to sit still long enough to get much done in the way of reading or studying, even sleeping sometimes.
For now Prussia was tired. Realizing this, West stepped back. "Bruder, come on, you need sleep."
"Mmmm West," the albino whined, pulling him back. "That requires me moving."
"But you're-" What was that on his coat? Was that-? "Hurt?" In not a seconds time he was pulled away from him again, eyes large. "Why are you still out here? Bruder!" Hurriedly West tried to stand the injured man up so he could drag him inside himself.
Reluctantly, Prussia got to his feet, heavily leaning on West. "Don't need to worry kiddo, it's not that bad. I'm just tired." Even as he said this, he cringed and stumbled as he took a step forward.
"It is bad!" It didn't work much with his height in comparison, but West had an arm around Prussia's waist while the other held his hand to assist him into the house.
Soft chuckles shook his frame as he ruffled West's hair. "No you're just a worry wart. I'm just tired is all. This is just everyone else's blood, yup. Never had time to change an' all..."
'Ich glaube dir nicht,' mumbled in the head of tussled yellow hair. He didn't say it though. He simply brought the difficult soldier in, immediately telling a servant to get a doctor on their way to Prussia's room.
He simply brought the difficult soldier in, immediately telling a servant to get a doctor on their way to Prussia's room, where he instantly collapsed into his bed.
"Gott a bed, missed this." Red eyes looked to West and he grinned, painfully grabbing him and pulling him in with him. But, the pain was nothing with West in his arms. "I missed you the most kiddo."
"Ich hab dich vermisst auch," West replied once his shock at the movement had passed. Grudgingly he returned the embrace and nuzzled into him just a hint. "It really is over, right? You won't be going again?"
"Mm yeah, no more of this war." Prussia grinned and slowly moved West's head to nuzzle somewhere else. His shoulder was tender...
For the third time he tugged away, falling back into a frenzy of worry. "Es tut mir leid!" West cried, breaking the hug just in time for the doctor to appear so he could scurry of the bed.
"Ah no, a doctor? I don't need a damn doctor!" Prussia glared at the man then looked to West pleadingly. "Just a bath and some brother time and I'll be fine!"
"You're lying," said West, glaring half-heartedly. "I'm going to wait outside," and he was again scurrying off to sit beside the door.
Some time had passed by the time two maids came down the hall speaking in hushed downs, completely unaware of the boy as they whispered together.
"Atlas wasn't among those that returned."
"Ja, it's terrible. I heard he died on the battlefield."
"He and his father were both such wonderful generals."
Swishing skirts continued down the hall and left a wide eyed German in their wake. Slowly the eyes squinted and began to overflow in tears, then were hidden when knees came up to be burrowed into as they are hugged to his chest. Atlas was the son of Adler, the person West had been closest to after his brother. It had been hard on him when the man died. It had been known he was on his last leg. The guy died of old age. Then there was Atlas, a child West had watched grow up while he remained unchanged. That he had played with for the short while they were the same age before Atlas left him behind. This did not change their friendship in the slightest, and now he was dead, killed in war. And Prussia was wounded.
Tighter and tighter did he cling to his legs. Why was everything so cruel? He'd been left to thrive in a sheltered existence following the rocky start of his new life born of violence. However, one cannot stay hidden away from the atrocities of life for long, countries no exception. Especially not countries. They had to understand the world better than anyone, left to watch it through eras of time. He himself had seen decades go by. Why was he unchanged, for the most part? Still such a child?
There was nothing he could do but change. It was this determination that made him furiously wipe away his tears and look up. Fine, he was essentially immortal. Fine, he witnessed the birth and death of his friends. Fine, the person closest to him got hurt. What was he doing, crying about it? Tears solved nothing. While his body may have been that of a youth his brain had run ahead of him. What solved things was action, strength. Some things that he disliked he could not change. But others, others he could. It would take a great deal of work, that was for certain, some of the things he wanted to accomplish.
West would take all of these things in stride.
"He wants you."
Gaze turning up, West nodded to the doctor. Returning it, the man left just as West stood to take his place in the room.
"Bruder?"
The wounded man in question lay in bed, covered in bandages. His expression showed no signs of his discomfort, other than an annoyed pout. He looked up to West and instantly brightened, but his smile lessened at the boy's dry, yet red eyes. "Hey you okay?"
"What did the doctor say?"
"He kept trying to tell me my hand is broken! We need a new doctor, it's just bruised! He kept fussing about infection and shit too, saying my 'cuts' were really 'deep slashes' and I needed to clean and redress them later today." He rolled his eyes and beckoned for West to come closer. "I've been fine with them for days, now what's wrong kiddo?"
The bed dipped a hint in one side when West sat on it, not meeting Prussia's gaze. "How did Atlas die?"
"Oh..." Prussia pulled himself into a sitting position, biting the inside of his lip to hold back a wince. He wrapped his arms around West and sighed, his voice level and emotionless. "He had my back as he always does in battle. Some Dutch soldiers snuck up behind our troops. They started shooting at us and he took a bullet meant for me." The old kingdom sighed and shook his head. "The dumbass. I can never get it into humans' brains that they shouldn't risk their life for me."
"But they always do." Like that he sat, a few moments of silence passing, staring at the floor with his own blankness. Then he shook his head in such a small gesture it was unnoticeable. "You should sleep now."
"Stay with me West?"
"If you'll sleep and let something be done about your bandages later.
Already half asleep and yawning, Prussia pulled West into him as he mumbled, "If I must..."
Careful of the wrappings, West hugged Prussia gently and closed his eyes, emotionally tired himself, to the point that he fell asleep almost as quickly as the battered albino.
"Preußen said to bring him his lunch in the study."
Yellow-gold hair moved with the head that rose from hovering over the book in his lap to listen.
"He's already going back to work? I suppose there's nothing that can be done."
West had found that some of the newer maids chatted so much more than their predecessors, and also that they preferred to use main halls rather than offshoots. As a way to keep in touch with happenings of the mansion he'd started reading in a room on this very path, seated near the door to catch words muttered as people moved down the hall.
Back to work? Already? West shook his head and stood. That wasn't right at all, Prussia was still recovering. Stowing his book away, West left his reading room for his brothers study.
"Didn't the doctor say not to use that hand for another week or two?" Said West while entering.
"Well he's a dumbass."
Bruises had yellowed and cleared while flesh wounds healed into simple scabs and scars. Only his hand refused to fully heal at a nation's rate, perhaps because he refused to treat it like a broken bone. It had to be his dominant hand, so he kept nullifying any progress made in healing when he sparred and even worked on paperwork. One would think he would love having a legitimate excuse to not do paperwork, but he hated feeling useless and paperwork was one of the few things that didn't hurt too much. At least at the beginning.
"The dumbass that was right when he said it would take longer to heal if you used it?" A sigh, something West had become used to using. "Bruder needs to do as he's told for once."
"Why should I listen to him?" Prussia grumbled, glaring at his hand as he yet again lost his grip on his quill. Fucking useless hand... "Hey West have any paste or something? Maybe I can stick it to my hand..."
"That's going too far." At this point West was beside Prussia's desk. "Let someone else do it for you. If you tell them what to write it should be fine, then you can rest."
"No way!" He didn't look up as he kept struggling to write. "If I don't use it, it'll get weak!"
"It's already weak because you won't let it heal."
"It is healed West, I'm a nation!"
"Nations need time for bones to mend too."
Prussia sighed and rolled his eyes, finally looking up from the papers. "Are you going to continue being my mother or can I go back to work?"
That made West recoil from his pushing a little for a second, pouting before he went on. "You're probably not even doing a good job anyway with your hand! Let me do it."
"What? No way! A kid like you can't do this work!" Smirking, he reached out and ruffled West's hair. "Just go play outside or something."
Then this only added to the fire. "I'm getting bigger! And I can at least do something by now!" Stepping back, West glowered and fixed his hair.
"You're still a little kiddy," Prussia laughed, giving said kiddy a wink as he turned his attention back to his work.
"I'll be big someday!" The kiddy said indignantly, annoyed at the path on which this conversation now trod. "By then you will have to let me do it."
"Ahha yeah sure, you can help when you're bigger. I'll let you..." He paused then shrugged. "File stuff."
"Nein!" It was plain out pissing him off now, how Prussia was not allowing him to do anything. Hadn't the Teuton already been running his kingdom by West's age? But everyone did all the things for West's lands for him, whether it be Prussia or Austria. "... Bruder, when I get bigger than you, I'll be the one doing it all."
"Haha yeah if that happens." His haughty tone leaked into his voice as he said, "I am your older brother."
"Alright, Bruder, promise then. When I get bigger than you, I do everything."
"Haha, yeah." The albino didn't even look up as he sealed his fate. "I promise."
Old Otto knew how to get things done, that was for sure. The man was a genius at setting out plans. Bismarck seemed to have a master plan, if not that a huge dosage of luck, that would force Austria and Prussia into war following the Second War of Schleswig with Denmark. Austria, with the concept of Großdeutsche Lösung, wanted to form the newly taken duchies into their own entity within the German Confederation. Prussia, a forerunner for Kleindeutsche Lösung, would rather they be plain out annexed. To the chagrin of a vast majority of people, even Prussian citizens, this quarrel broke out into the Seven Weeks War by June of 1866. This was Austria they were talking about here, the controller of Germanic land for centuries. But with Bismarck, Prussia had the upper hand. He had established a treaty with the Italians for their help should Prussia start a war with Austria within three months. It was an opportune time, after all. What ally Austria had had in Russia was lost when they fought in the Crimean War.
There was to be a meeting today between the Italian and Prussian leaders, held at the castle in which the albino and his brother resided. Naturally, this meant both Italian brothers were attending and planned to be introduced to Germany.
"Vee, what's his name again?" Asked the Northern half, standing leaning back against a wall with his hands held behind him as he yawned. It was too early for this.
"Some stupid potato name I'm sure," grumbled the Southern half. Rather than yawning like his brother, his sleepiness translated into glaring at every single person that passed. "The albino bastard calls him West or something, he never shuts up about him whenever he goes over to Antonio's, but he doesn't want anyone else calling him that. He's a dumbass."
"That's not very," wide yawn, "nice." Italy rubbed his eye once he had produced a fist from his back. "Why's it taking Mr. Prussia so long to fetch him?"
"How the fuck should I know?" Romano huffed, resisting the urge to yawn as well.
As if he knew they were talking about him, Prussia rounded the corner with a smile. "Hey Ita! Hey Antonio's brat! West got nervous and lost track of time while sparring, so he's taking a quick bath. You guys want something to eat?"
That woke an Italian up. Italy straightened with sparkling eyes. "Pasta?"
"Is that all you eat kid?" Prussia asked with a laugh as he beckoned them to follow him to the kitchens.
"Nooo," Italy giggled, taking his twin by the hand to tail their guide, "there's also pizza and ravioli and minestrone and ziti and salame and macaroni and ciabatta and-"
"Oh shut the fuck up." Romano bopped his brother on the head and rolled his eyes. "Do you even have pasta?"
Prussia smiled and comfortingly pet Italy's abused head. So cute! "Antonio made sure I was well stocked for little Ita~" He paused and glanced to Romano with a shrug. "I suppose you too because he practically forced a crate of tomatoes on me."
Red filled Romano's cheeks and he was effectively silenced with embarrassment. Stupid Spain!
"And you were so mean to him leaving too," whined Italy to Romano.
"Sh-shut up! No I wasn't!"
Prussia scoffed and asked the servants to get them some pasta, tomatoes, and beer. "He's always mean to the idiot, Antonio just doesn't even notice anymore."
"Hopefully what's-his-name is nicer than brother," of mumbled Italian.
"What's-his-name?"
"Mr. Prussia's brother!"
"Oh West? You can call him Ludwig, or Germany. He's getting called that a lot lately." A red eye winked as he ruffled Italian locks, "Just don't call him West. That's my special name."
"Sììì~" Purred Italy while nuzzling into the affectionate hand. After living with Austria, he would take any kind gesture!
"Ack you're so adorable! Almost as cute as West!" Unable to resist, Prussia pulled the little Italian into a tight hug.
Romano glared and moved to pry them apart. "No bastards on my brother dammit!"
"But brotherrr," as he pouted at him.
Down the hall West was making his way towards the kitchen, wanting to get a drink of water before he met with their allies in the Italian brothers.
"Oh you stay here and eat your tomatoes," Prussia said, holding Italy tighter as some servants came over with said fruit. "We'll go find West."
"Yeah whatever, he's definitely your brother," Romano grumbled, seating himself on the counter to bite into a tomato. Yeah these were definitely Spain's... "Making us wait and all. I don't want to go find him, I'm hungry anyways."
"Be sure to thank 'Toni!" Was the parting advice Prussia gave to a blushing tsundere as he led Italy out of the kitchen. "Let's go check his room!"
Not a moment after Italy and Prussia had left the kitchen through one door Germany entered through the other. Hadn't the maid told him she'd seen his brother go into the kitchen with twins? So where was he? A second glance over of the room proved to be enlightening. That wasn't a child of any of the servants sitting on the counter. "Italia?" He offered, unsure of which it was.
Romano looked up from his tomato to see some blond kid. He raised a brow and then scowled upon realizing who it was. "No, I'm not my dumbass brother. He just left with your dumbass brother to find you."
"Ah, es tut mir leid," a reflexive apology, "Romano, then... Do you know where they went?"
"To find you." He smirked and bit into his tomato. "Because you were making us late. I'm not surprised you're the albino bastard's little brother."
Brow twitch. Bastard albino? This nation he'd only just met was already insulting both he and his brother? West narrowed his eyes a little at this Italian in front of him. "Is there a reason you're being so hostile right off? Or are you really the brat everyone says you are?"
Romano instantly flushed and jumped off the counter, sputtering incoherently until he finally yelled, "I'm not a brat! You're the kid here! And-and besides! You're the one who showed up late anyways!" With a huff, he grabbed the crate of tomatoes and stomped out of the room.
"... I could have handled that better," Germany commented with a wince to the onlooking cook who only gave a laugh.
"West!" Prussia trotted into the kitchen and laughed. "Jeez! We were looking for you! Come on, Ita is waiting in the conference room."
"I think I'd better find the other one first..."
Prussia grinned and wrapped an arm around West's shoulders. He led him out of the kitchen snickering, "Did you piss off Romano?"
"The first things out of his mouth were insults, I couldn't help it," muttered Germany, embarrassed at his lack of control.
"Oh don't feel bad kiddo!" Snickers continued as Prussia whispered, "Nobody but idiots can stand his presence."
"I can see why... I'm surprised Spain is still sane after living with him for so long."
"He's an idiot! That's why!" Prussia kicked the door open to the conference room, only to find it empty. "What the hell? Where's Ita?"
Where indeed. After sitting around Italy had gotten hungry and left to try and find his way to the kitchen only to get lost, leaving him to whine for Prussia and Romano as he milled about.
Unsurprising, it was Romano who found his brother. A scowl still fit on his face and the crate of tomatoes almost finished, he grabbed Italy's hand. "Come on dumbass, we're leaving."
"L-Leaving?" Italy sniffed.
"Yeah. I met the albino bastard's brother. He's a bratty kid. We can go now."
"But wasn't I supposed to meet him too?"
Romano looked to his brother and rolled his eyes. "I'm enough. It doesn't matter. Let's go before we start eating potatoes."
"… You're right. Let's hurry and leave."
Gunpowder is a smell one can love or one can hate. There is no mediating emotion towards its scent. It is a particularly rough, manly smell. That, mixed with the smells of wet earth and trees, made up all that filled Germany's nose. The loud explosions of gunshots and yells rang in his ears, ever so often the whinnying of the cavalry horses in the rears of either army reaching him as well.
Today was July 3rd, 1866. The week before Moltke had ordered two armies into Austrian territory, including the one Germany and his brother were held within. And, after going days without seeing hide nor hair of them, the Austrian army had been spotted, the Battle of Königgrätz starting the next day in a failing rain and consequent mist. The center of the army, the 7th Division, was the one that Germany himself occupied. And here they were in a forest, shooting in the prone position with their new guns that were only a little shorter than the child himself. From where he was, picking off any Austrian that came within sight, he couldn't see Prussia.
Already they had taken heavy casualties on his side. When they had been attempting to advance across the river the enemy fired into them, making it even harder to move artillery across a river. Honestly they had a hard time foreseeing victory, most of the men. The leaders were biting their fingernails viciously in hopes the army of the Crown Prince would arrive soon with reinforcements. Three different armies on the Prussian side were supposed to come for this battle, but the telegraphs were failing.
By 11 it became apparent that some miracle need occur should there be any hope of a Prussian victory. The Colonel of the offending Austrians managed to drive back Germany's division into the outskirts of the forest they had prior been holding quite well in their own right. With a great charge from the infantry he and the others were sent back running in the trees. This had been a maneuver to get them in place for the Austrian center to flank them and wipe out the troublesome division.
From his point leaning back against a tree after a second full out run in retreat Germany panted heavily, clutching his weapon to his chest whilst his eyes cast about in a search for his comrades. This wasn't looking good for them, how-? No. The head of cornstalk hairs shook itself fiercely to rid itself of any thoughts. Worrying about an outcome would not help at all, it could kill him should he stand there fretting over it too long. For now all he need think on is surviving. A bullet grazed his cheek, forcing the boy to fall to his knees and out of the way of another blast, casting shards of wood all over him from a nearby tree hit. This was a battlefield. It was no place for thought when you are but a soldier. Thought was for the Generals. Instinct is what drove those among this kids ranks.
Moments later there was a single cry, which was soon followed by many. Later he would learn the initial cry was that of Pockh, the commander of the division that had been driving him back, shot down by the arriving early bits of the Prince's army. A string of hope was formed between all of the men then as they watched the Austrians, caught completely open in their attempts to take the 7th Division from behind, were battered with fire.
In the early afternoon their Crown Prince arrived with the remainder of his 100,000 men to hit the right of the Austrian army as its center was hit relentlessly in its leaving the forest. All attempts at reassembling anything that resembled an artillery line were shattered in the Prussian assault, the last true battery destroyed while the others fled. From there it was nothing but victory for the most part. The Austrians had managed to force the Prussians to backtrack, but just as they did so reinforcements arrived to make the advance of before ever more rapid. In their flight the piano pansies left the cavalry to save their butts, mere canon fodder really, for the medical personnel would not be going back to retrieve them.
With fewer casualties, the Prussian side had won. It was a victory.
"West!" Prussia yelled as he ran through the camp. Sure, they won, but he had no idea where his adorable baby brother was. They had be separated fairly early in the day, much to West's encouragement. He knew how much Prussia loved the thrill of the battle and did not want to hold him back. So Prussia ran off to join the best of the fighting, as he had always done from the beginning of his existence. But now, with the after-glow of battle and victory started to wear thin, worry filled his heart. Where the fuck was West? "WEST!"
Atop a barrel, the single child of the army raised his head to turn it about. Once it had been over and done with Germany was dragged off to be patched up, no matter how much he protested in favor of letting others go first so he could find his brother. Refusing to take no for an answer, the doctor simply sat him on the nearest seat, a barrel of food, to begin work on wrapping up his arm and cleaning the shallower wounds. And, even knowing some decorated his chest and would sting when he utilized it in calling out, he still did so. "Bruder!" Then he winced under the faintly reproachful glare from the man caring for him.
There were no words for the emotions that passed through Prussia's face as he ran to his brother. The physician was shoved aside without a care so the albino could hug West as tight as he could, also not caring about either of their injuries. "We won! Isn't it awesome? I told you, you have the best Bruder ever! And you did awesome! I heard about ya from some of the guys. You're definitely my little brother!"
"Of course I am." The sounds that our child nation produced were muffled in Prussia's damp coat as well the pain their embrace caused him. It was worsened by his returning it with a bandaged arm, but he didn't mind so much. Once he had mumbled this out he blinked. "Oi, you need to get checked too."
"Hm? Oh, kesese!" Prussia broke their hug to ruffle Germany's hair. He eyed the state of his baby brother, then shoved he physician back into place. "I just got grazed by a couple bullets or so, nothing big. You need to finish getting patched up!"
"Nein, I'm finished anyway," before the pushed around doctor could agree with this statement his patient had stepped down from his seat. "Grazes are bad too," the young blond insisted.
"Psh these are barely grazes!" Prussia laughed and was about to led Germany away when the physician grabbed his arm, effectively both stopping the albino and making him hiss in pain.
With a sigh, the reluctant doctor pulled the cursing albino over to a proper seat and forced him down. "Forgive me sir, but we were specifically told to examine you if the first to see a 'loud, red-eyed, silver-haired man with a blond younger brother' and to use force if necessary. Judging from your reaction, you have more than mere grazes. Sit still and let me treat you."
Knowing the order more than likely came from either the King or Crown Prince, Prussia gave up sullenly and let the doctor cut off his blood soaked clothing and clean his bullet hole 'grazes.' It was worth putting up with this than the bitching the Prince was more than likely to give if he showed up like this at the royal tent. But really! He had made sure to dig the bullets out and they didn't even hurt anymore!
"Just grazes," the 'blond younger brother' mumbled. It was more than aggravating to always find his brother was wounded and would not let it be properly treated. Again deeply annoyed by his careless attitude the boy halfway glared. As their doctor worked Germany kept close as if to form a barrier between the albino and his exit.
"Awww West! Don't look like that!" Prussia cooed, snickers soon following. He would have jumped up and pulled the boy over if it wasn't for the sharp sting of alcohol on his open wounds. Only the slightest twitch in his eye gave away the pain as he continued to smile at his West. "You look like you're going to curse me on the spot! These are really nothing compared to past injuries. Bullets barely hurt as much as half meter long sword gashes! Oh one time my hand was almost cut off! Kesese, that hurts like a bitch, let me tell you!"
"That does not make me feel better." And why should it? Jesus, he was just frightening him even more. Sometimes Prussia wasn't the best in the comforting department, since half the time it was cooperating with the bragging department as was now the case. Germany sighed. Why did people brag about stuff like that anyway?
"Well it should!" Laughter was cut short with a small wince, but quickly resumed. "I'm just saying that this is nothing, so you shouldn't have to worry!"
There was nothing Prussia could do to make Germany not worry, simple as that. A small huff and crossing of his arms before he slowly returned them to his side, finding such positioning painful to his bandaged portion. "Du bist komisch..."
"But awesome!"
The doctor sighed and stepped back from Prussia. "Okay you're done. I'm sure the Prince wants to see you."
"Ugh, gross." Prussia pulled West into a hug and winked. "Boring stuff."
Following the battle of Königgrätz the Austrian dominance that Germanic lands had been under was left behind. With the name of Norddeutscher Bund it was Prussia that ruled completely and wholly in the transition time of its title until 1871 at which point it had successfully united the German states excluding Austria and its Habsburgs. Naturally on paper it was meant to be an empire of equality among the states, but when the lands became known as the Deutsches Reich when Wilhelm I was crowned German Emperor. Later Prussia would say it was a way for them to not have to celebrate his birthday, since the coronation just so happened to be on January 18th. Of course, it also happened to be the month of a major victory, Paris finally surrendering after a long siege, in a way that left them 5 billion francs poorer and rather Alsace-Lorraine-less.
A serious culture shock left Germany himself rattled for the time. Before all of this life in his lands had been poor and slow. Under the rule of his brothers authorities a renewed sort of vigor and industry. Military became the main point of interest for all, to the point that you were viewed better should your gold be shown in the form of numerous metal instead of currency, leaving the nobility more than a little miffed. More power was taken from them, emperor the all supreme while on the flip side this new constitution guaranteed freedom of speech and religion to their lowers. And yet anyone that was not German was given great hostility.
Conservative Bismarck had the empire on what appeared to be the right track, but it all simply fell apart by the time Wilhelm II came into power in 1888. With great tenacity Bismarck had pursued alliances with other nations, the Dual Alliance between the empire and Austria-Hungary turned to the Triple Alliance with Italy in his time. Should Russia attack Austria Germany would assist, and in turn both Italy and Austria would help Germany in the case of an easily foreseen French attack. Getting all bases, he also signed a treaty with Russia, enemy of his ally. Smart, clever man, that was lost to a childish liberal of Wilhelm.
With a severe insecurity due to his disease withered arm Wilhelm envisioned are far more world known Germany and sought to colonize with a navy that would outrank that of the infamous British. Between these actions and not renewing the treaty with Russia, he can be directly blamed for World War I. With Ferdinand cold, Germany was out to play, and he would not be doing so under the thumb of his brother after his years of growth.
It all started near the end of October in 1918. Well aware of what would soon be occurring in his navy when they would simply refuse to set sail, the man himself was in a rebellious mood as his soldiers riled up for action. Hardly was it apparent to those that did not know him though. These years of war had hardened our blond general into what he is known as today. The slicking back of hair began there, the spurt into a tall and forming muscle tone. Expressions were definitely not as, well, expressive as they had been in his younger years. Anything that resembled a child was pounded out with harsh work ethic. Don't misunderstand me, he was still himself. The morals and inner goals of his boyhood days only gained ferocity in his aging.
"Bruder?" Knocking on the open door of the office, forever proper, the uniformed Germany glanced over to said albino at the held desk, paperwork in hand.
A heavy sigh filled the room as Prussia looked up from the mounds of paper. This was a ridiculous amount of work, but it was all better now that West was here! He smiled and waved the blond in. No one understood how he could call this mass of muscles cute, but Prussia could still see his little West in Germany. And it was ever so much fun to tease Germany and make the stick in his ass fall out. "Hey West! Come to save me?"
"Hardly," returned the mass as air left his nostrils in a what could have been a scoff at Prussia's failed hope, "here to give you more work," said papers set atop the mountain that was being scrutinized by icy eyes.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Prussia groaned. He flopped his torso atop the desk, sending many files and papers into the air. Not that he cared. All of this would burn if he had it his way. What happened to the good old days of swinging a sword around and burning stuff? The albino sighed again and looked up to his brother. "Well I think I'm due for a lunch break. Eat with me?"
"Es tut mir leid, I did earlier," feigned calm despite his flurry to catch all of the flyaway sheets, all brought together between his hands and tapped at their bottoms so as to righten their spines once he had caught them. "You can go ahead."
"Waaaaas?" The papers were in the air again as Prussia threw himself into Germany and hugged him tight. "Come on West! Keep me company! Bitte? You know you want to! I'm awesome!"
"For being so awesome you're appearing rather short these days." Germany sighed, slipping it into the conversation smoothly, as he returned the embrace somewhat by patting his brothers back.
"I blame my times! I barely got as much meat and shit as you did when you were a tyke! It's no wonder you're a freaking brick house!" Prussia stepped back to stare at the blond. Yeah he was big and thick but... Now that he pointed it out... The albino's jaw dropped as red eyes widened considerably. Fuck! When did West get bigger than him? "Oi! What's going on here?"
He dropped down to sit on his heels and examined Germany's shoes. They had no extra heel or padding to give the kid more height. Prussia shot back onto his feet and held his hands on their heads, shock growing even more as he realized just how much bigger West was. "When did this happen?"
"... Where have you been, Bruder?" Came with a quirking of his brow, although Germany was quite aware of Prussia's noticing this change not. It was because he had not Germany was forced to raise the point. He could not deny he had that small sinful pride in his gut when one proves themselves right when the other had been so adamant in their argument.
"Oh shut up."
Now on his toes, Prussia continued comparing their heights with his hands. He was in utter disbelief. How was this possible? Sure, he had been malnourished as a kid, but surely as times progressed, the food he got then made up for it! He was supposed to be the big brother! Not the older brother that was shorter than the younger one! This was so unawesome! "West. You need to shrink. I think I might still have some medieval torture devices of some sorts that compressed people. I'm sure it won't hurt."
"I'd rather not," glowered the taller German. "Honestly, I can't understand why it's so strange a concept to you."
"Because you're cute, little West!" Prussia snickered and reached up to ruffle Germany's hair out of its perfect style. "You can't be taller than me! It just isn't right!"
"Ich bin nicht suß," the cutie countered, immediately pushing gel hardened strands back into place with narrowed eyes. "I can be, as should be obvious that I am. I also said I would be, remember?"
Silence. Red eyes were glued on blue as Prussia racked through his mind for some inkling of an idea as to what Germany was talking about. Surely West wasn't a psychic, he would have predicted more than just him growing tall. And that could have just been a lucky guess anyways. Finally, as the silence started to get too heavy, Prussia shook his head in defeat. "Okay, I have no idea what you're talking about, West."
Glue become loose, then irrelevant when the blue eyes rolled. "Of course you wouldn't. I said I would eventually grow bigger than you when I was younger." Where was his memory? It was depressing. Even more so because he could use it to his advantage.
"Go eat your lunch, maybe I gain you some headway in this paperwork by the time you get back."
"Aw West that's nice of you to offer, but I can't have you be doing my job! I'm too awesome to use my lil' bro like that!" Prussia linked arms with Germany and winked. "Just come keep me company while I eat!"
Even though he felt a seems of foreboding, a warning on going further with the topic, Germany pulled his arm away without budging from his spot. "You're already late with some of these, and I haven't found another book to occupy my time so I'd like to have something productive to do with my time."
"No, West." His gaze turned cold as he crossed his arms. To say the least, he didn't like where this was going. "It's my paperwork, I'll do it."
"Bruder, I'll take less time," Germany said, still tentative.
"So?" Prussia scowled and shook his head. "It doesn't matter. They're my duty, I'll do them. Forget about it." He plopped back into his chair with a huff and picked up a random pile. "If it bugs you so much, I'll just skip lunch and keep working!"
"So it bugs me that I'm old enough, big enough, to fight but not to do office work while you having been doing both since you were half my size and maturity." In front of the desk Germany stood, voice cool but bubbling with subdued heat that his eyes portrayed. As a new nation with amnesia it made sense for him to be ordered around by his elders. Even by the time Austria was no longer in the driving seat of Germany he was still mostly accepting of it. Yet now here he was with far less say than he would like, just as the Germanic states besides Prussia felt as they were ruled by the emperor in supposed equality.
"Why the fuck do you want to do paperwork anyways? Just lay off it, West." Was he being unnecessarily cold? Perhaps, but there was no need for Germany to do Prussia's work... It wasn't as if he felt threatened or anything, how could the awesome Prussia lessen in importance? But with the lack of fighting, there really wasn't much else for him to do and feel needed. "And you've always been more mature than me, according to you, so that's a bit of a moot point."
"I want to do the work I should be doing that's been done for me for years, whether by you are Roderich." Still Germany persisted, losing his civility in offering to the brashness in insisting.
"Why should I give it to you! It's mine!"
"Why should I have work to do, you mean? Why should I have actual power?"
"Aw West, you know I don't mean it like that!" Prussia sighed and rolled his eyes. That was a ridiculous notion!
"Natürlich," breathed Germany. He was getting nowhere, not today. The man turned. "I'll have someone bring you food," and left.
The topic of height and paperwork was blatantly avoided the next few days. Prussia just assumed that West had given up and was more than happy to believe this assumption to be true. So when he found bespectacled Germany seated at his desk, with what looked like half of the paperwork done, Prussia wasn't pleased. "What the fuck are you doing? I thought I told you I was taking care of all this!"
"And look at how well you were doing so," Germany gestured across the desk without looking up.
"I was doing just fine!" He stomped over to the papers and started looking through them. "See? I pretty much started every single one of these! No wonder you think it's so easy!"
"Ja, you started them. There were errors, though, that I had to fix. Your spelling has improved at least."
It was obvious Prussia was struggling to formulate a proper response. Finally, he just glared and exclaimed, "Are you kidding me? Stop doing my job!"
"You have not been doing your job properly."
"Have too!" Prussia grabbed the files Germany was looking at. "You can't tell me what my job is!"
As if their places had been switched Germany sighed like one does when dealing with an disruptive child, and he said so. "Bruder, you are behaving like a child."
"What do you know?" The albino snapped back. This was so fucking ridiculous! "Get out of my chair and let me do my work, West."
"Your work? Your work hasn't been working out very well has it?" Composure had yet to be lost on his end, though he was beginning to become annoyed and tired. "Where is your work leading us?"
"What are you talking about? My work is obviously leading to awesome, as it always does!"
"Obviously?" Repetition brought on the falling of his calm, the tone of argument rather than conversation. "Obviously? Your obviously has people dying by the hundreds of thousands because we were unprepared for this war you were so adamant about at the beginning for our 'place under the sun.'" The quote was that of the emperor to illustrate his reason for joining the war: raising the status of his empire.
Color filled pale cheeks as red eyes glared holes into Germany. "You make it sound like the entire war is my fault! And I would be out there fighting with those men doing my REAL duty if it wasn't for this damned paperwork!"
"But you're not out there fighting and you're not even doing the paperwork properly." Germany stood. What followed didn't come out as he had planned it to, much less how he wanted deep down, but it came out all the same. There was something he wanted and now he was arguing solely to get it. "It is obvious to me that it would be better if you and your government stepped down so that I can take over."
Prussia froze. His scowl dropped and his eyes widened in shock. Maybe he had heard wrong? No. West -no- Germany had definitely just said that. He was telling Prussia, the great and awesome Prussia, to retire. To be some extension of his little brother. This was the repayment he got for being an awesome big brother? This was what he got for saving Germany from Austrian rule? This was what he got?
"Fuck you West!" The angered warrior yelled at the top of his lungs. He slammed his fists down on the desk and growled. "How dare you tell me to roll over and be some tool for you! Suggest that I follow Germania's fate!"
By pure instinct Germany stood to match his brothers anger, increasing the effect of his side in the argument by putting an emphasis on his size in comparison to the other. "You held a part in writing his fate. I am not suggesting that you disappear, or that you become a tool. Can you not stop and listen, or will your pride not allow it?" Germany jabbed.
"My pride is what my kingdom is built off of!" He didn't back down, rather, Prussia pulled up his shoulders and puffed his chest out. "My successful and awesome kingdom!"
"Control your kingdom, then, but this is the German Empire, and by you it is being run into the ground."
"You fucking brat!" Prussia spat as he jumped over the desk and moved to punch Germany.
It was not by sitting around or simple workouts that Germany had formed his physique. Combat training sculpted to body and the mind to the point he was at then when he moved to take the punch to his shoulder, opening Prussia up to be grabbed by the collar and glared down at with cold blue eyes. "Accept it. I will be taking the lead, and there is nothing you can do about it."
Prussia squirmed and tried to get loose and sucker punch Germany for real, but his baby brother held strong. His heart was breaking, but he didn't care. Glaring back at those ice cold eyes, Prussia hissed, "I hate you."
All that betrayed him was the cringing of his insides. Outwardly Germany did nothing more that give an inaudible sigh and release Prussia. "Let me work."
The sound of his heart breaking should have been possible to hear it hurt so bad. Prussia stared at Germany with a blank face, unsure what to do. He had expected the kid to apologize and beg for his forgiveness. But no. He didn't care that Prussia 'hated' him... "Fuck you," he scowled. With that said, he turned on his heels and stomped out of the room to leave destruction in his wake.
Slowly Germany returned to his seat, readjusting his reading classes and picking up the pen from its discarded place atop the papers. Gently he shrugged his shoulder to relieve the mild pain momentarily. It hurt.
'Don't say that... Please don't say that, Bruder.' The child in him whispered between withheld sobs.
'This is the right thing to do. For my people, and for you, even if you can't see it.' The man in him reasoned, bitingly bittersweet.
"You're my new baby brother, don't you know?"
"Don't fucking talk like you're better than him and he's trash!"
"Kesese! We can go adventuring some time if you want!"
"I missed you the most kiddo."
"You're definitely my little brother!"
Literally millions upon millions of memories went through his mind in wisps of passing nostalgia of the red eyed, silver haired man that had been the center of his life since his first memory. Most, all, of what he did somehow led back to his brother. Studying was not only to better himself but to also correct Prussia and in doing so better him so others would not look down upon him for his manner of speech and hopefully see him for the truly amazing man that Germany saw in him. They had to see, they just had to. Who else, a nation no less, would have taken a near dead child into their home? Raise him, give him everything he had and more? As a nation he had been saved from struggles other had in their earlier years by keeping up empires, Prussia taking all of it upon himself.
When he looked at his brother Germany saw something no one else would ever understand. He saw someone that was too good for the life of a country, too pure. He had more pride than anyone and did such incredibly stupid things, but with that a fierce loyalty to those that were close to him. Beneath his ego he was hurt easily by harsh words when they came from people he cared about.
Somewhere, he knew not where, somewhere in history Germany began to nurture an overpowering need to protect Prussia. Maybe as a means of returning the favor. No... It wasn't that, not completely. It was a selfish want for Prussia to do only what he wanted. The man deserved the ability to go about as he pleased and enjoy life without worry. And to accomplish this future Germany had to step up and take rule. If his brother hated him, fine. Let him hate in a place where he would not be harmed.
... Yet, in telling himself this, Germany's insides constricted.
"I hate you."
It was but three words, right?
The next several days were awkward in the nation household. Prussia made every attempt to avoid Germany. He couldn't stand to look at the blond without wanting to fucking cry! That wasn't right, he was a man! Men didn't cry. Especially over brats. So he stayed away from the office. He sulked and pouted everywhere, often in open areas where one could see him from a distance... Okay, yeah, maybe he wanted West to come crying for forgiveness. But after a week of it not happening, Prussia was beginning to feel a bit hopeless.
He didn't have boring paperwork. He wasn't allowed to run out and join the battles. He hated reading. He couldn't spar because that was behind the times, majorly. He couldn't complain to West. He couldn't hang on West... He couldn't love on his little West.
So his pride had to take a big blow to solve this problem. It was day 8 of nothingness and Prussia finally had enough. He sucked up his childish determination to 'win' and marched into the office. "West!" He said sternly, making the blond look up in surprise. The albino crossed his arms and stared intently at a wall "I'm sorry."
To say the least, these two words coming from Prussia's mouth in such close vicinity left Germany awestruck. Looking up from behind his desk at Prussia, he blinked, dumb. "... Was?"
"I don't hate you..." He mumbled, shyly glancing to his brother. His cheeks were red and he was struggling to continue this... Thing. Apologies were so not his thing! "So don't make me say it again.
The pause that followed was a short one. At its end the tension Germany had been living in for those 8 days fell and his shoulders relaxed. His face did as well, it relaxed into a smile that gave a chuckling laugh. So certain was he that the role of apologizer would fall upon him having it snatched away had left Germany aghast initially at best. Once the war had finished and things were calm he could go to Prussia and explain his reasoning in some manner that would sate him. But even in all of the esteem he held him in Prussia continued to amaze him.
"I didn't know that phrase was part of your repertoire."
"Shut up you brat. It isn't." Prussia finally met Germany's gaze and attempted a smug smirk. "Now why aren't you crying and giving your awesome big brother a hug?"
"There's a desk in the way."
"Did separation from me make you stupid? Walk around it! Fuck, run around it!"
"Are you in that much need of a hug?"
Prussia narrowed his eyes, then shrugged. "I just figured you were. But if you don't want one while I'm offering, well okay. Go back to your work West, I'm going to try to find something to do. Again." He sighed and turned as if to leave the office.
It was Germany's turn to blush. In a sigh he stood and shifted around the desk just quick enough to catch his brother in a tight, only slightly awkward hug. "Danke, Bruder..."
"That's all you have to say?" Prussia grumbled, turning around to hug Germany tight as could be. Fuck! How was it possible to miss this brat so much?
"Ja, ja, und es tut mir leid."
"But really." He looked up with a frown, with a hint of a pout. "Sure I don't mind not having to do paperwork... But what the fuck a I supposed to do now?"
"Read the dictionary?" Germany quipped in an offer.
"Fuck no!" Maybe West really was trying to kill him!
"I'm sure you will find something to occupy your time more entertaining than paperwork." He assured him, confident that he would. Prussia could easily find ways to keep himself occupied now that he was no longer tied to a desk.
"More worthy of my time, you mean!" Prussia stepped back and stretched his arms into the air. He had thought long and hard about this! "Paperwork is below me and my awesome, so I suppose it only makes sense for you to do it. Now if only our fucking Boss would let me on the battle field! Gott!"
"He's probably worried you'll get lost on the battlefield and he'll never see you again."
'Like I am,' Germany finished in thought.
'From there the war came to an end and Bruder found something to occupy his time: working to pay back France. I still have nightmares of cuckoo clocks...
"Weeest, make me pancakes."
Germany sighed and closed the bound item, placing it on his desk. Perhaps he had been reading his old Military Journals longer than he had calculated and it was in fact time to begin dinner. However, when he looked to the clock, he found it to be two hours too early.
"It's too early! That would throw off the schedule."
"But I'm hungryyy."
Another sigh before he stood to go into the hall to greet his love. Anything and everything for Prussia.
End of Chapter Eighteen
So... Long... *dies*
I don't even... I can't even... What to say... Ehm, well, while this is a SUPER long chapter is because Haya wanted the Koniggratz battle, or rather, a battle in general, and I hate battles then she didn't know how to respond and... Yeah. Month between replies because of that freaking thing...
Oh, and that whole thing with the Italies? That stemmed from my confusion about why in the hell in the series they make it seem like Germany and Italy had only just met in/before WWI XD They'd been allies before, so Haya said it could have been some comical thing where they always miss each other until then
Speaking of the Italies, a reader brought something up I thought would be good to address. I personally dislike it when nations that are not Asian address each other as if they were in fanfiction. Germany calling Prussia aniki, for example. I do however do so with Italy, and I will tell you why. Mussolini, leader of Italy in WWII, could speak German since he had worked in Switzerland for years before hand, so he could converse with Hitler. However, he did not speak Japanese, and I've read that it kind of irked him that he could not directly talk with the Japanese leaders, so I've always seen him as asking Italy to learn Japanese whenever he's hanging with Japan but the idiot just comes back with a bunch of stupid random things like nii-chan and what not. Spain and Prussia use them simply because they think they sound cute *shrug*
I think that's it... Um, yeah. Love you guys! Thank you for reviewing. Whenever I get to be even a little depressed I'll look at them to feel better, so don't think they aren't appreciated because they are. Hope you enjoyed this super long chapter that could be its own fic it's so long *dies*
B-Besser, danke = B-Better, thank you
Ich weiß nicht… Ich erinnere mich nicht… = I don't know... I don't remember...
Ich bin nicht suß… = I am not cute
Ich habe keinen Namen... Oder, ich hatte = I have no name... Or, I had
Ja, das ist wahr = Yes, that is true
Haaaalt = Stoooop
Österreich = Austria
Wirklich? = Really?
Es ist gut zu lesen... Und es macht spaß = It is good to read... And it's fun
Du hast recht... Vielleicht = You are right... Maybe
Ich glaube dir nicht = I don't believe you
If any German or history is wrong blame me . I know I'm dumb...