The world we wanted 34/?
Prussia has to postpone is meetings with West since Russia thinks he should go to Vietnam right away.
“I have some communist business with other communists,” Prussia explains. “They would probably shoot me if I was too specific about this because that's what we communists do.”
West just sighs, in a familiar and not at all hostile way.
“We can talk more later,” he says. “After you're done. I've been thinking we should formally acknowledge each other.”
“Let's do that,” Prussia agrees. “After I get back we can talk a lot about that.”
“That will be fine,” Germany says. “Be careful with your evil communist business.”
Prussia snickers and promises to be. It feels a little bit like old times already, when they didn't need to be completely serious all the time in fear of setting off another fight.
***
Prussia also apologizes to Serbia despite what Hungary said.
“It doesn't matter,” Serbia says, waving it away. “If Russia is alright with you I am too, you weren't the one fucking with me. Germany is always really sorry these days, Italy tries to hide from us which is pretty satisfying and I'm going to hate Austria no matter what because he's such a stuck up prissy idiot.”
“He is, isn't he?” Prussia agrees. “Even when we're allied I want to kick him in the face anyway.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Serbia says with emphasis. “I always get the impression he thinks I'm uncivilized and he needs to cultivate me. I'm not that impressed with what his so called civilized and proper ways brought on.”
“Maybe not.”
“Anyway, how did it turn out with your brother?”
“I called him back, we're going to talk.”
“That's probably for the best. It's tough to fight with your family.”
“You and Russia are still not talking?”
“We get over it, we always do. No, my little brother is always the problem. It's much harder with younger siblings, isn't it? Then you have to be the adult...”
“I hate that part,” Prussia says.”At least when your brother doesn't listen.”
Serbia hesitates, like he wants to say something but can't quite decide if it is a good idea or not.
“Yes?”
“You know I tend to get a bit crude when I'm upset?” Serbia says, which would win the award for understatement of the year if it wasn't for Russia. “Montenegro and I used to mock Germany over how great he must be feeling now when he can't even stop Russia from raping his brother and so on. I can't even imagine what he must have thought when you and Russia actually hooked up for real. I found it really, really fucked up.”
“You said what to my brother?!”
It was long ago but Prussia still wants to smack him.
“I think I have the moral high ground here no matter what I said back then. The point is, Germany must have gotten very mixed signals from you. When I think about it Hungary is right, you shouldn't fight with your family. It always works out in the end between me and my older brother, but you don't want the relationship I have with my younger brother.”
“Bosnia?” Prussia wonders. Family ties among nations are a bit vague and very much up to interpretation.
“Kosovo you moron.”
“Let's try to be nicer to our younger brothers, alright?” Prussia suggests.
***
Vietnam is yet another really hot nation and getting into one of Vietnam's obscure and hidden bases takes it time as well. Prussia wishes he had dressed better, but at least he looks proper. North is overdressed too, wearing a military uniform and so much weapons that she looks like she is going to fall over if she turns around too quickly. Cuba manages to look relaxed and comfortable as usual, but Prussia feels the urge to undress him and force him to iron his hideous shirt properly. It's fine if you're going to hang around, not for diplomatic meetings.
Vietnam herself comes imminently to greet them. She looks very anonymous compared to them, a girl dressed as a peasant worker with her hair neatly tied up. The rifle over her shoulder takes away a bit of the peasant impression, as well as her eyes that don't belong to someone looking as young as she does.
“It's nice to see you Cuba and Germany,” Vietnam says. “I'm happy to see you here again too Korea.”
“I missed Vietnam's skies,” North says. “I miss the times I never seen when you were free from the imperialists.”
“Those times will come again,” Vietnam says. “I appreciate how you are all here to help me make it happen sooner.”
Vietnam shows them around a bit and hands Cuba and Prussia weapons and strips North of a few of hers, lecturing her on how speed is more important.
“Shouldn't we have uniforms or something too?” Prussia wonders.
“If you really want to dear. But it's not that kind of war right now.”
“Uhm, doesn't that make it hard to sort out non-combats?”
“That's the point Germany. If America is going to shoot civilians that's on him. He doesn't have to be here.”
Prussia doesn't like the sound of that but this isn't his country or his war. And he knows she makes a good point, no matter how unpleasant it is. Vietnam and her allies can hide among America's allies so easily, in the villages and everywhere, until you don't know who the enemy is anymore. America is an idiot for getting involved in that kind of war when he isn't forced to.
“You and Cuba should try to look more Vietnamese too. America can't tell my people from Koreans and he wouldn't be able to pick out the Chinese if China hadn't insisted on practically make his people wear signs announcing their alliance, but even he can figure that a Cuban and weird albino German don't look very Vietnamese.”
“I'm not albino,” Prussia protests out of habit.
“I can wear a hat,” Cuba offers.
Prussia gets a hat too and some kind of uniform Vietnam manages to dig up. If he's going to shoot at people Prussia isn't going to do it out of uniform.
***
Cuba absolutely loves North and it's strange to see them playing an unorganized game of football with some of Vietnam's ridiculously young soldiers.
Prussia and Vietnam watch them and talk.
“What do you do when you're not fighting wars?”
“I tell you when I figured that out myself,” Vietnam says and laughs. “When this is finished, I have to deal with my people in the south, not to mention Cambodia, who has been a pain in my ass lately. All help I offered him and now he's clinging on China when he doesn't fantasizes about how well he can do on his own, the little psycho he is... And it's probably hoping for too much that China will leave me alone, he's already eying my evilly for siding with Soviet.”
“Sounds complicated,” Prussia says, a little impressed. Vietnam isn't even done fighting this extremely powerful enemy and yet plans more fighting.
“I always been fighting some enemy or another,” Vietnam says.
“Me too,” Prussia says, seeing Vietnam in an entirely new light. She's not some damsel in distress, she's never been and she meant it when she told Russia that if the price of every dead American would be ten of her own people, so be it. It might be insane but Prussia is enchanted by finding Vietnam not at all what he expected from the off-hand comments he heard from France in the past.
Vietnam smiles at him like she can read his thoughts, or maybe she has just noticed that he is kind of turned on. She lends forward and pulls him closer, into kiss that is completely natural and relaxed, yet completely on her terms. It's the way Prussia always fantasized Hungary would touch him when he was younger. But if Hungary was like Vietnam Russia would still be trying to subdue her and failing.
“Would Russia kill me?” Vietnam asks. “But maybe I won't let Russia decide what I should do either."
Cuba and North continue to play while they sneak away.
***
“Shirt stays on,” Vietnam says when Prussia tugs on it.
“I don't care if you have scars.”
“I'm proud of my scars. When it heals into scars we can meet again and admire them and think back about this.”
“Oh.”
“Don't look like that,” Vietnam says. “Don't ruin the moment.”
They kiss again, Vietnam still mostly dressed, running her fingers over Prussia's scars with a faint smile and thinks there is no reason he can't be naked at least.
***
Prussia studies Cuba with suspicion the next morning, wondering if Vietnam tried to hit on him first and he said no because of Belarus. It wouldn't surprise him. Cuba has nice beaches and glorious revolutions while Prussia has blocky buildings, Stasi and endless bureaucracy.
“Have I done something to offend you?” Cuba asks and Prussia blushes, he can't hide it any better than he can hide his jealousy. “I won't tell anyone about Vietnam, an angry Russia is bad for everyone.”
“There is nothing to tell about Vietnam.”
“Nothing that is my problem,” Cuba says. “Even if you two weren't exactly quiet. Seems like are pretty good at what's you're doing in bed.”
Prussia can feel his face heat even worse. Dammit, he should be proud of managing to sleep around a bit like everyone else. It's not embarrassing that Vietnam recognized the awesomeness of Prussia the moment they met.
“We have more important things to focus on,” Prussia says, trying to change the subject. “I'm not sure what it is Vietnam wants us to do here. Snipe the Americans? I guess I could do that.”
“I would enjoy doing that,” Cuba agrees.
“You don't have to worry about my army,” Vietnam says, sneaking up on them like the guerrilla warrior she is. “My boss and my generals take care of that. I want you to back me up when I'm looking for America. I think we need to talk.”
“Can't you talk in UN and all the other stupid clubs I'm not invited to?” North says, who comes after her and isn't nearly as quiet. “I want to shoot at America. I'm better at hitting things these days. East taught me.”
“You don't have to spell things out like that dear,” Vietnam says. “Of course we are going to do that. But I want to talk too.”
Vietnam explains how she thinks that the rumors of how Cuba, North and Prussia is here is going to lure America closer to her too.
***
America personally doesn't show up yet but his planes do, not far away from where Vietnam is hiding with her fellow nations.
Prussia remembers both the times when the planes were his and the times when the cities were his. Even if Vietnam doesn't have much of cities here there are still people.
“Are you alright?” Cuba wonders. “You look pale.”
“I'm always pale,” Prussia replies, managing to keep his voice perfectly calm. “That's why people sometimes think I'm albino.”
“I'm not afraid of America's bombs,” North says. “I'm never afraid, the power of our people united will be unbeatable.”
Vietnam stares at the sky without a word, glaring as if it offends her by existing and allowing the American planes to fly around in it.
I easily imagine Austria and Serbia absolutely loathing each other since their personalities would clash badly, even if Serbia actually has fought for Austria more than once, against Turkey and even against Hungary.
I never quite realized how many wars Vietnam has been fighting. Against France occupation, Japanese occupation, against America, against itself, just to go on fighting with Cambodia and China. And that's just recently.
North Korea sent some fighter pilots to Vietnam (and people to dig tunnels apparently), and that's why she misses Vietnam skies... Cuba and East Germany sent a few people too, I think, but not a lot.