Then I was Young and Unafraid

The keyboard was a good addition, Switzerland was happy to realize. Before, Austria seemed so much more easily swayed by the child-part of him (not that it had been a bad thing, he'd liked him well enough that way too). Easily overcome with frantic boyish energy that sent him running through the house, emotional bursts that lead to either tears or laughter, the neediness of little boys that had him seeking him or Liechtenstein out at all hours for attention-be it to read to him, sit with him or simply acknowledge him.

Now, though, in the past couple days it's been easy to see that the piano was a grounding instrument. It kept his mind focused and attuned to the world around him. Story-time had come to be almost non-existent. A thing needed only to make the child sleep. It had been after breakfast on the first day when Germany remembered to give Austria his glasses that the boy seemed almost like his pretentious old self.

One would have expected him to look ridiculous wearing glasses meant for an adult face, but once the boy placed them on the bridge of his nose he'd looked older. Respectable. The question he proposed to them only had one answer:

"Do I look blöd?"

"Nein, you look very grown-up."

The child had been very pleased by this and had since worn the glasses. Part of Switzerland was stirring again. That terrifying, contemptuous part of him that said Austria was bad. Evil. A threat to him and his hard-won life. He'd gotten up in the middle of the nights to find himself staring in to the child's borrowed room wondering if it was possible to rid the world of him while he was like this. Vulnerable.

He always had a cap over it during the day, only old resentments sometimes popping up in quick flashes that died before they could bring him to any action. Switzerland really hoped he sprouted up soon. If he was older...Austria would have a chance if he found himself at the behest of ancient feelings. Pulling away from his computer with a great sigh, the blond rubbed at his forehead. Swiveling around, he jolted at who he saw standing by the door.

It was Prussia.

"I see how you look at him." The albino remarked.

Swallowing, Vash demanded; "Vhat do you mean?"

"You'll kill him."

His heart dropped into his stomach. "Nein! I von't!

"You say that..." he mumbled, slipping into the room. Circling around as he touched things here and there he went on and said; "You say that, but you don't know that you von't. Trust me, I know vhat it's like to vant to kill and destroy." His lips quirked and a disgusting emotion that didn't belong in his red, red eyes shined. "I vanted to kill him once too, you know?"

"Nein, I don't. I don't vant to kill the boy."

The understanding too bright in his gaze, the blond had to avert his stare to the desk beneath his hand. "Sure you don't, I didn't really vant to kill Österreich either. It was nation feelings, not people feelings."

"He still doesn't remember vhat I did for him. And, and it makes me so wütend! You don't understand! Because it's not nation feelings driving me! It is people feelings!"

Red eyes serious, Prussia declared; "I vant Austria to return home vith us."

"He hates you."

A shrug answered him. "Just a little," he agreed. "But he von't after this...children are important, you know? They need to be protected at all costs..."

"I am protecting him!"

The albino man glared at Switzerland. "Oh? You call vatching him vith clenched hands in the middle of the night as he sleeps 'protecting him'? I call it an incident vaiting to happen."

Stunned into silence, the blond fell back into his desk chair. Wondering why he'd never noticed Prussia during the night. As well as questioning Prussia's own intentions if he was so close to the child's room too. He'd specifically given the man the other guest room across the house...

"I see vhat you are thinking, you don't trust me either." The man piped up. "But, listen for a moment." And the Swiss willed himself to. "Vhen I vas a junge I hated that priss to my very core...but since I've laid eyes on him, all I can think about is Luddie vhen he vas that small. Vhat he liked to do, vhat he vore, how he always tried to be so grown up..." A slight smile on his face, Prussia shook his head and re-focused on him. "I see the same in Österreich he's trying very hard to be a man for us. The keyboard helped, but he's still just a bub beneath it all."

"How...?"

The other shrugged, a shy sort of smile on his face. "I might be an idiot and nobody to the vhole vorld, but I do notice things."

"Please, give me the veekend. Let me prove that he can remain here, I'm not-" he blinked his eyes fast, trying to force the wetness away. "I'm not ready to be done vith him. I vant-need him to remember vhat I meant to him..."

"Vhat if he doesn't vant to? Vhat if he forgot because it hurt him to know vhat you meant to each other if you couldn't be close like you vere vhen you vere bubs?"

"Ve can mean the same to each other now! It's okay to be friends again...no one vill care these days."

Red eyes bore into green. "The veekend," he asserted.

"The veekend."

And there is our chapter! How do you guys feel about it? I think it's getting exciting now, don't you?

Plus, I have a new Hetalia one-shot you can check out! It was Marik of Yami's prize for being my twenty-sixth reviewer. The fic is called Hello, I'm Still Here the main characters are Canada and Austria. Interesting combo, no?

To reviewers, Marik of Yami, Onyxlark36, Vanessa15975329, and Katie-Kat1129; you guys make my day, you know? Reviews make everything awesome. A

Also, since you guys are actually so wonderful about meeting my goals...I want to offer another chance for a prize. This might be a bit of a challenge, but I'd love to see fifty reviews by chapter fifteen. From the way things are going, I think this fic should end up being just over twenty chapters. Since it will be that long, reviewer fifty-one will get a one-shot if I have fifty reviews by chapter fifteen and if I have a seventy-five by chapter twenty...reivewer seventy-six will get a prize one-shot too*.

Thanks for reading everyone and please review!

*This excludes anyone who has won a one-shot previously

P.S. Don't forget to vote on my poll! It will close after thirty voters!

P.S.S I doubt I've ever mentioned this, but I feature three, what I believe to be, good fanfiction on my page every month. This month includes a Hetalia fic if you are looking for something new to read!

Word:

Bub-Boy

Nein-No

Junge-Boy

Blöd-Stupid

Wütend-Angry

Österreich-Austria