All turned to dust 13/17
Before Russia leaves he hosts a dinner party for all the nations he currently holds in Moscow. Prussia's pulse speeds up a little when he sees that Hungary is one of them. Why hasn't he seen her until now?
Russia holds a short speech about how great everything is going to be from now on for them. Prussia suspects Stalin wrote it for him. But it sounds pretty nice anyway.
Latvia drinks a lot and looks happier than usual while Lithuania and Estonia are lucky Czech's and Slovakia's cheerfulness make up for the lack for theirs.
Russia has his sisters by his side and Prussia doesn't mind that much, he managed to end up close to Hungary instead. Poland is on her other side and he doesn't talk much at all. Hungary looks much more fragile than usual, perhaps because she is wearing a dress rather than a uniform and has no weapons on her.
Prussia wonders how he looks in her eyes now, probably much weaker too. He has lost weight since they last met and he doesn't wear either the iron cross or even the ordinary cross of his templar days. Hopefully his eye's aren't as haunted as hers, at least Prussia knows he is relatively safe now. Hungary didn't switch sides quickly or effectively enough to be considered a part of the victorious side, as far as Prussia has understood from Russia.
Hungary looks nervous when the Czechoslovakia twins glance at her and smile maliciously. They had been her and Austria's servants once upon a time and they did not appreciate her recent grab for their territory.
“Belarus looks at me like that too,” Prussia casually tells her. “I know what it feels like.”
“We really screwed up, didn't we?” Hungary sighs. “I just wanted things back the way they were. When we still had fun.”
“I know what you mean.”
It feels like another life but Prussia remembers that he once dreamed of better days and thought Hitler would bring back the time of glorious battles and victories. Hungary probably thought the same.
“I never imagined it would end up like this.”
“It's probably going to work out,” Prussia says, trying to cheer her up. He doesn't like to see Hungary brought down like this, when it isn't by his hand. They had always treated each other with some courtesy when they fought, as it should be. “Russia isn't that bad.”
“You are very hard to understand,” Hungary says. “You've always been.”
“I have a letter for you. From your old boyfriend. Don't read it here and pretend you never got it from me.”
Prussia had been tempted to read the letter, he could easily justify it to himself as making sure it didn't contain anything treacherous. In the end he decided not to.
“Thank you,” Hungary says and hides the letter under her dress. “I tried very hard to protect him. I hope it made some difference.”
Prussia wonders what Austria has done to deserve to get protected by everyone. He doesn't ask her since it feels nice that she doesn't ask him any questions either and doesn't comment his new alliances. They talk about things like childhood memories instead. It isn't as harmless as they imagined, it leaves them both with an empty feeling they try to fill with Russia's vodka and Czech's beer. Prussia hopes they will see each other more from now on, that they can go back to a time when they acted like more than casual acquaintances.
***
Finland attends too, not by choice Prussia assumes. Finland had been a strange ally, not really an axis power even if he ended up being grouped with them. All he wanted was to keep Russia out of his house.
“Very nicely done,” Russia says and pats Finland's back so hard that he stumbles. “You fight as well as my family and I do. But Finland might not be so good at choosing allies, yes? You should be on my side from now on.”
“You're not really giving me a choice here, are you?” Finland says. He's probably the only one in the room willing to mouth off to the victorious Russia at this moment.
“Of course not,” Russia agrees.
“How much are you planning to involve yourself in my affairs? Are you going to try to forbid me to see Sweden?”
Try. Prussia is impressed by Finland's guts. Estonia makes a whimpering noise behind them.
“Sweden is useless. But smart enough to apologize for his leniency against Germany and try to make up for it.”
Unlike you is the thing he doesn't need to add.
“Then you don't mind if we still hang out. Good.”
“Do you actually want that?”
Finland smiles a little at being able to surprise Russia.
“I don't need Sweden to defend me. Perhaps I just need a neutral friend right now.”
Russia smiles back, Prussia knows he has respect for Finland. Who doesn't, after the absolutely insane damage the small country managed to inflict? But in the end Russia got his act together and if Finland went on he would have been crushed as well.
“I know you can take care of yourself,” Russia says. “It will be very good to have you on my side.”
***
Lithuania drifts closer to Belarus, trying to catch her attention. He constantly touches his hair and tries to smooth out his shirt. The effort is wasted, Belarus only has eyes for her brother. It's Russia who watches Lithuania watching Belarus with a displeased expression.
“I think we should show how close we have become by marriage,” Belarus says and Russia forgets everything else.
“What? But-but you're my sister...”
“I didn't mean an actual marriage,” Belarus says. “Something close to a marriage, to show how important we are to each other.”
“You are already in my union,” Russia says in a small voice.
“Everyone is going to be in your union. I want us to be special.”
“Uhm-”
“I am your most loyal constituent,” Belarus dreamingly says. “If you need anything done, anything at all, any technical, special work, you know I'm there for you.”
She looks directly at Prussia when she says the last.
Russia is saved by Slovakia who loudly offers a toast in his honor. Czech follows up, because no Russian party is successful unless all guests are blasted in Prussia's experience.
Only Poland can't bring himself to toast for Russia. He'll probably pay for that later.
Czech's and Slovakia's love for Russia is based on them as characters rather than history, I'm not entirely certain about the relationship between their countries at that point irl. But the twins think communism will be sweet right now. Their citizens are going to disagree though. Stalinism isn't very nice at all.
Technical work is Soviet speak for killing people...
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