The world we wanted 14/?
Prussia fakes some identity papers and gets into West Germany much easier than he ever expected. It's being there that's hard. Why is West's part so much nicer? Prussia's people should have nice things too instead of all money being eaten by the Stasi, the police and the army and other things that Russia approves of and Prussia doesn't want to have but doesn't dare to be without.
***
West has a new house that looks alright. The door is unlocked and Prussia smiles a little, wondering if West is that trusting or if he expects other visitors.
“Hello, I bet you didn't expect me, did you?”
“Prussia?” West says in amazement. He looks great, perfectly groomed as usual but not wearing a military uniform anymore.
It's a bit uncomfortable but Prussia expects no less. It was years since they talked and they didn't part on the best of terms. Not to mention everything else that happened since. West just stands there so Prussia invites himself into his brother's fridge and pantry. One thing he has learned is that food and alcohol always help easing up a delicate situation. The lack of serious liquor here stands out to him. Things are really different on this side on the iron curtain, aren't they? Prussia finds cookies at least and starts to chew on them.
“Don't you have any food back home?” West wonders. His tone is light but his eyes are serious. How cute, West might actually be worried.
“You know I hate to cook. But I have a lot of eggs... If you ever dare to come over to my side I'll make you an omelet, I'm pretty good at that.”
Prussia eats his brothers snacks and asks him about how things are going. Quite alright, from the look of it. West mentions France with true affection, how amazing that two world wars, the invasion and the stabbing were that easy to get over. Not even America gets mention with the scorn he deserves.
“What about Italy?”
“It's complicated,” West says and looks pained.
Prussia accepts that without asking more. A lot of tings are complicated these days.
“America and England really suck for not recognizing me as a proper country and not letting you do it either,” Prussia says instead, because this is the thing that bothers him the most and he would love to get some sympathy for.
West tenses visibly, oh, his brother has never been good at hiding his emotions from him. This time Prussia wishes West had managed to learn.
“You don't want to recognize my claim on East Germany either, do you.” It's not a question, it's clear from West's expression this is painfully true. “So it's not on America's command you refuse to talk to anyone who realizes I'm still a real country. Except Russia, because you're as scared of him as everyone else.”
West desperately tries to smooth it over but Prussia isn't about to let him. He snaps back until West looses his patience.
“No, I'm not going to recognize you occupying my country and holding my people hostage with Russia's help. Of course I'm not! I thought Russia was doing horrible things to you and then I found you invading me right at his side.”
“I wouldn't have to do things like that if you had kept things under control back home. My guys were perfectly willing to kick off a coup, you should have supported them.”
“When it was way too late,” West replies. “You were the one who told me everything would work out in the end.”
“It would have if I didn't get shit directions and psychotic memos from Berlin, if your people weren't completely out of their minds.”
“You were actually there, you should have kept your men under control instead of running amok and pissing off Russia like that. What happened to the great Prussian discipline you always talked about?! You got beaten up by Russia. Who had outdated equipment, inexperienced soldiers and didn't even know you were coming.”
“Russia is very big, very cold and very very determined. I know you're young, but everyone should know that. If you sent me the equip I needed instead of completely ridiculous orders that were based on Hitler's little fantasy world rather than reality, then I would have kicked ass!”
“They showed me what happened in Poland. What the hell Prussia?”
“I was busy being a walking target for every sniper in Stalingrad. I was tied up there with Russia even before the really crazy stuff began.”
“Maybe that means you should look over your priorities.”
They stare at each other, if it was anyone but his brother Prussia would already have broken his nose.
“But it's a good thing we didn't win,” West says, breaking the moment, reminding them both that the greatest problem was never the logistics. “A very good thing.”
“Yeah...”
After another awkward silence Prussia suggests it might be time for him to return home. West agrees.
“Austria still writes letters to Hungary,” West says after much hesitation. “If you still want to help with that.”
“Yeah. I'm not the bad guy here. Hungary is my friend you know.”
***
Prussia returns home well knowing that he has burned his last bridge. Crawling for America and the west without having any nation at all or pretend nothing is wrong with Russia and try to avoid his crazier moods. Was there ever any other choices? Not that it truly matters anymore, he's so far down this road that there are no turning back.
Prussia finds his own door unlocked as well. His heart rate picks up as he realizes who must be waiting for him.
“You don't have any vodka at all in your house,” Russia says. He sits in one of Prussia chairs and reads Nineteen Eighty-Four. Oh shit. Prussia doubts that Russia will accept that it is useful to be aware of subversive literature and study it carefully. That's why he hid it and other things. He thought he had hid it all well.
“I drank it. Why are you here? I took care of the problems.”
Prussia tries to not fiddle, to not show how nervous he is.
Russia puts the book down and doesn't pick up the pipe he brought but left on the floor.
“I was planning on how to make Germany and his allies to give you back. I even started to make a few calls. But you come back on your own.”
Prussia isn't sure if that is a bit moving or extremely frightening. A little bit of both, he decides.
“I always come back. Haven't you figured that out yet?”
“Lithuania doesn't want to speak to me. He only says yes sir and no sir. I should remind him that it's comrade now but he already looks so worried. Latvia cries if I look at him too long and Estonia hides. Why are you the only one who always comes back?” He looks at Prussia with more innocence than he has the right to, like he is afraid of the answer.
“Think about it for a moment.”
Russia thinks very carefully about it. Prussia regrets telling him that when Russia comes to a conclusion and it makes him smile softly.
“Because you have nowhere to go little Prussia,” he says and strokes Prussia's hair. “Your brother doesn't love you as he should anymore, isn't it so?”
Prussia wants to answer that but he chokes, is it so obvious to everyone that his family is broken beyond repair?
“That is how it is sometimes,” Russia says. This time his calm isn't faked. “Your brother will get over it. Eventually. Family have to forgive each other.”
“Did Ukraine forgive you?”
Russia is quiet for so long Prussia fears he went too far, that Russia's mood is going to switch into violent denial again.
“I let my bosses do bad things to her and we didn't listen when she tried to tell us. But she forgave me because we're family. You didn't do such bad things to your brother.”
“What about the things he did to me? Like sacrificing me and my men without a second thought.”
“It could have been worse. Give it time.”
Prussia isn't completely convinced but perhaps there is a point.
“Until then you are very important to me and my allies.”
“Don't hit me then,” Prussia says. “If that's really true.”
“If you tried to not upset me that wouldn't happen.”
This kind of game isn't one Prussia is going to accept. Hungary was right, that is the dance of abusive relationships.
“You didn't kill me when you could and everyone else wanted to and I almost thought you should too and I'm grateful for that. But stop moping and stop treating me like shit. Lead and I'll follow. And if you hurt me again I'll do as much damage I can before you'll drag me back and kill me.”
Russia looks more amused than anything else.
“Do you think I would ever do something like that to you?”
“My people and yours aren't suddenly going to be brothers no matter how much we try to pretend and how many posters we put up. And I kind of figured you haven't really forgiven me yet.”
“Is the alternative better Prussia?” Russia wonders, moving even closer. “Do you rather finish what we started before? If we pretend long enough, eventually it's going to be true, isn't it? It will be better like that. We leave the fascism and the imperialism and all the other things we don't like to the other Germany and on our side we are going to get along.”
“Please, show me something better then. Give me something to be proud of and fighting for. Don't we have anything good at all going on?”
“We're not the bad guys,” Russia says with utter conviction. He relaxes again, looking happier when he thinks about his other allies. “Here in Europe it's hard to build communism when you are so used to fascism. But China wanted to be on my side, North Korea exists for a reason and others have been very interested too. It's not bad, you see? It's hard but it's the right thing to do.”
Prussia shrugs. In his mind China is more opportunistic than a true ally, not that he blames him. You have to look out for your own house first.
“I'm thinking we should have an official alliance too, like NATO,” Russia says.
“We really should,” Prussia agrees, because he hates NATO almost as much as Russia does. It might officially be the 'we hate Russia' club but they are not beyond taking cheap shots at Prussia either.
“You'll be an important part of my new alliance. We also have a nice coup planned. I think I will enjoy that. And our space program is turning very promising.”
“Sounds good.” And it does, who doesn't hate Beria? Even if the guy hasn't done anything spectacularly evil yet he's probably just bidding his time.
“We're not planning to do things like that,” Russia says, nodding towards the book.
“Ehm, about that...”
“Never mind,” Russia says. “If you come back from West Germany by free will it doesn't matter what you read, now does it?”
It probably doesn't.
***
Later, much later, Prussia holds Austria's letter, wondering if he should read it first. It would be really bad if he accidentally helped NATO plot against them. But Hungary wouldn't do that to them, would she? Austria is probably writing something disgustingly mushy about how he misses her and their love will remain pure forever or some shit like that.
There really is no reason why he should play messenger in their pathetic little love story. Prussia looks at the letter once again and makes a decision. He rips it into pieces before he throws it into the trash. Hungary made horrible choices too. She has to live with the consequences like everyone else.