cheers to all the people who wanted longer chapters 🤭 word count is 8864 for all the people who wanted to know ☺️ Asbbdhsbeshh idk how this ended up so long BUT before you start sobbing and crying, this probably won't be the last chapter, depending on what you guys want. So go ahead and lmk if it should end here or not. Okay enjoy this extra long chapter!!
"I think it worked."
"What worked?" America asked.
"Have you got short-term memory loss? The plan!" Russia explained.
"Oh yeah! How do you know?"
"Well uhm... Germany was out with Ukraine last night."
"We eliminated one person just to add another one?!"
"Sometimes that's just how things go, you know a lot of people like him, maybe a little too much."
"Alright, well we both know she's probably just trying to get back at you and doesn't actually like him, but that's still bad if she makes Germany love her."
"I'm well aware. What should we do? Ukraine's probably been shitting on me to him every second they've been together, so I'm not in a good place to do anything."
"What's her deepest, darkest secret then? I'm sure I can convince him to believe me."
"Ooh you're gonna like this one. So back when we were kids she didn't know anything about romance and she had this huge crush on Finland. So one morning she comes up to me and says 'Brother, how do I get a boy to like me?' so, being the good brother I am, I tell her 'You've got to be really rude to him, that'll get the point across.' So she proceeded to bully Finland for two whole years until she came up to me and said, 'Brother, your plan for getting a boy to like me isn't working! I think he hates me now.' Which, it is true that Finland hated her, but I told her to keep doing it and that went on for a whole 'nother year until she gave up. So you could tell him that she bullied Finland for three years and Finland could probably testify for you."
"That's a good idea, but after we eliminate all these people how will we settle knowing that it's just us left?"
"The best man'll win, simple as that."
.
Ukraine woke up and yawned. Last night was tiring, she really did hate fighting. She checked the time on her phone and realized it was almost eleven- and a Sunday. How perfect.
"Hallo! How can I help you?" Germany asked, picking up his phone. He was wide awake by now.
"Hey! You wanna go get lunch today?" she asked.
"I'd love to, I'll pick you up around twelve?"
"Sounds good to me." Ukraine smirked and hung up the phone. She stretched her arms and found something nice to wear. She texted Germany her address then walked downstairs and grabbed a cup of instant coffee right before she heard a loud banging on her door. "Come in!"
"Украина! What were you doing last night?" Russia demanded answers.
"I was just hanging out with Germany, nothing more nothing less."
"You know how I feel about him! You have no reason to be doing this to me!"
"I have so many reasons to be doing this to you. And plus, you don't even know if he's gay or bisexual or something, if he even likes men!"
"I know for a fact that he does. He wouldn't blush so hard when I-"
"Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew!" Ukraine covered up the sound of her brothers words with her own voice as she covered her ears. He was probably saying something that happened in the past that Germany couldn't even remember for himself.
"-if he didn't like men!" Russia finished. He was crossing his arms.
"Just tell me what you want," Ukraine sighed.
"I want you to leave him alone," Russia demanded.
"That's not gonna happen."
"And why not?"
"Because I'm not doing anything that you tell me to do. I'm tired of it!"
"Fine, then we'll have to do this the hard way."
"Can we do it later? I have a lunch date to get to," Ukraine sighed. Russia already knew it was with Germany and he felt like he had been stabbed in the chest, and by his own sister too. How could she?
"With... with who?" he asked.
"Germany," Ukraine said. Russia just left. Finally Ukraine could get ready in peace.
Germany arrived around 11:55 to pick Ukraine up. They went to a nice little restaurant just on the outskirts of the city, it hardly had any customers, which was nice. Ecuador ran the place with Uruguay, it was really a nice restaurant.
"Hey, isn't it funny how Ecuador runs this restaurant right on the border of the city?" Germany chuckled. Ukraine laughed along.
"Yeah, it really is. So how've you been doing?"
"Same as yesterday, just a little bit less tired," Germany chuckled.
"I get that, yesterday was a lot for me too," Ukraine related.
"I still feel so horrible about how your brother acted, I can't imagine what he's like when I'm not there," Germany sighed.
"Yeah. He actually payed a visit this morning," Ukraine admitted.
"What for?" Germany asked.
"Telling me to leave you alone," she chuckled.
"That's... something he'd do," Germany sighed. Russia was a really great guy, it was true, but he was always so jealous... I guess that means he'd never cheat on me though, because he loves me so much, Germany thought. He smiled a little bit at the thought. Ukraine seemed to notice and she dropped the corners of her mouth, staring soullessly at Germany. How was she supposed to convince this man not to love her brother? It would only bring him trouble like it had brought her. Uruguay brought their food out and they both smiled at him. "Thank you."
Throughout their whole lunch, the only thing Ukraine managed to do was make Germany like Russia more and more. When she told Germany about how overprotective of a brother he was, the only thing Germany thought of was that he'd be a great father. When she told him that Russia was a bookworm growing up, he thought it was the cutest thing to imagine a little baby Russia curled up on a chair reading a book.
Ukraine sighed after Germany payed for the food and they both got into the car. "Would you like to come home with me?"
"Sure! We can hang out and watch a movie?"
"Sounds good to me." Ukraine smiled. She put her address into the GPS and Germany drove them there. She lived in a little cottage in the woods on the outskirts of the town.
"Your house is so cute," Germany said, walking inside.
"Thank you! I put a lot of effort into it after I moved out. Russia inherited most of father's land when he died because he was the favorite, but we got these little parts that were spread about the city," Ukraine explained. Germany sat down on the loveseat that was right in front of the TV. Her house was made mostly of wood- it reminded Germany of when he would visit Soviet as a kid... It smelled like the forest in there, it was a very calming place in general. "What should we watch?"
"No clue."
"We could watch Clue?" Ukraine offered. Germany laughed.
"Sure."
Throughout the movie Ukraine had gotten up various times to get movie snacks, and right before the end she intentionally "fell asleep" on Germany's shoulder. He figured that it was uncomfortable, so he wrapped his arm around her so that her face was on his chest. Ukraine smirked internally and thought that her plan was going just as expected. Ukraine was a beautiful girl with a heartbreaking past, the perfect thing to make Germany's emotions soar, and to distract him from somebody who he really loved.
After the movie ended Ukraine still pretended to sleep, so Germany got up and carried her to the first bedroom he found, hoping it was hers. He set her down and covered her up with a blanket as he contemplated whether or not he should leave. He decided to stay and he explored the house a little bit before Ukraine "woke up".
"Did I fall asleep?" she asked, yawning.
"Yeah, I decided I'd just bring you to your bed and explore for a little bit. Hope you don't mind," Germany replied.
"Awh, that's sweet of you." Ukraine smiled. "I'm gonna change into something more comfortable."
"Alright." Germany smiled back and went downstairs to sit on the couch. He got out his phone and played some crappy mobile games while he waited for her. He noticed Ukraine coming down the creaky steps. "Great, you're back! What do you wanna do now?"
"I don't know." Ukraine shrugged. She had put on a v-neck t-shirt and shorts. Germany had taken off his suit jacket and unbuttoned the first few buttons on his shirt- it was really hot in Ukraine's house. Ukraine sat next to Germany and leaned on him.
"You still seem tired, you sure you don't want more rest?" Germany asked.
"No, I'm alright," she replied.
"Okay. Well I'm not sure what we should do either," Germany sighed. "I can't think of a single thing."
"Well I can think of one thing, but I don't know if you'd like it," Ukraine mumbled, just loud enough for Germany to hear her. He shrugged it off, the exact opposite of the thing Ukraine had wanted him to do.
"I suppose we could go for a walk, the forest is really nice," Germany offered. Ukraine nodded and put on a light sweater while Germany grabbed his wool suit jacket. They left the cottage and followed a dirt path that lead around the forest. It was beautiful, Germany loved watching all the animals scurry about, and they even saw a deer or two. A few minutes into the walk Ukraine started shivering.
"It's pretty cold out here," she said.
"You should have brought something warmer. Here," Germany said. He took off his suit jacket and handed it to Ukraine. "I'm warm enough right now."
"Thank you," Ukraine said as she put on the jacket. Germany was a bit shorter than her so the jacket mirrored that, but she didn't mind.
Germany continued to take in the sights of the forest, the beautiful warm colors the leaves took on. Germany had always loved going on walks in the forest when he was with Soviet, and only then did he realize that Ukraine's house was the old one that Soviet used to keep him in. All the memories of the long walks and warm hugs came flooding back to him as they walked through the dim, mesmerizing forest. He remembered when he would hold Soviet's hand and clutch onto his arm when they saw wolves- they often went on these walks in the night, it was beautiful watching all the fireflies surrounding them in the summer, and they brought this one specific lamp every single time that Germany prayed somebody had kept. If they did keep it, Germany would offer all his money to get it. It harbored so many wonderful memories he made with Soviet, memories he wouldn't dare to forget again. He sighed happily as he unknowingly grabbed Ukraine's hand, forgetting the world he was really in. Forgetting the cold that surrounded him. Forgetting the gusts of wind that made him shiver. Forgetting the burning feeling on his ears since they were so very cold. Being here he could just forget about where he was and return to his childhood- his happy place. He remembered that one time when Soviet brought Russia over to the cabin Germany stayed in after Germany had begged him to bring Russia over so relentlessly. They had loved being around each other, they were practically inseparable. He drifted away even further into his mind, forgetting everything down to the bones in his ears. It was as if he didn't exist in this moment, as if he only existed in his memory. It was soothing, it was as if this memory was happening right now, as if the fireflies were swarming around him and he walked through this magical forest as he held Soviet's hand. He drew himself closer to the large figure of his late foster father, clutching onto his soft woolen jacket. It had always brought him comfort to be with such a loving person, he had never met anybody who could love him so very much as Soviet did. Not even his own father loved him that much, but he didn't dare focus on that when he had these beautiful memories swarming at the front of his mind. It was so vivid that Germany could smell Soviet's jacket, it always had this calming, warm smell to it. He always wondered how Soviet felt so cold, yet smelled so warm. He was a magic person, as far as Germany knew. He couldn't understand how people had hated him, he was so loving, caring, sweet, kind, and so many other wonderful things, it was almost as if he was made out of the same materials as the PowerPuff Girls.
Germany was brought back to reality when Ukraine yelped.
"What happened?" he asked, taking a defensive stance.
"I'm sorry, I just stepped on a branch..." she mumbled. Germany laughed.
"It's alright. Are you doing okay?"
"Yeah... sorry, have I not talked enough? I know I haven't said anything for the past... hour? Gosh, it's already three," Ukraine seemed surprised.
"This forest's a big one, I'll tell you that much."
"How do you know?"
"Oh, Soviet used to take me on walks here all the time. I lived in the cabin that you do now."
"How come I never saw you?"
"He kept me secluded from you. 'Siblings hate each other, and I don't want you to have that many enemies'"he said, quoting the man himself.
"That does sound like something Dad would say. Well, we better get back to the cabin, I'm sure you're freezing 'cause I am too," Ukraine chuckled. It was only then that Germany realized that he was extremely cold.
"Yeah, let's go. I know a shortcut back," he said. He led Ukraine through the forest, and just when they were about to get to the cabin Ukraine stopped. "Is there a problem?"
"No, no, it's just..." Ukraine pulled him closer. "I really like you, thank you for being here for me, since nobody else is..."
"Oh, Ukraine, it's not an issue! I'd still be here with you even if you did have somebody else, I'm just glad I can help you in your time of need," Germany said. He smiled at her and she smiled back. "And I like you too."
"You... you do?" Ukraine seemed surprised, she didn't expect to have gotten to him so easily, so quickly. But what she didn't realize was that Germany didn't mean it like that, he just hadn't picked up on the signals.
"Of course I do! You're a great person, Ukraine," Germany admitted. He didn't know why she seemed so surprised, he wouldn't be there with her if he didn't like her. Ukraine smiled warmly and pulled Germany into a hug.
"I've never met someone as sweet as you, Germany."
"I wouldn't consider myself sweet, but thank you, Ukraine, I really appreciate it," Germany said. He smiled softly. "Now come on, we've got to get back to the cabin."
"Right," Ukraine sighed. They walked the rest of the way back to Ukraine's house and sat on the couch together.
"That was nice, wasn't it?" Germany said.
"Yeah, it definitely was," Ukraine agreed, smiling. "Did you really mean what you said?"
"Of course I did, I wouldn't say it if I didn't!" Germany defended himself. Ukraine hugged him again. "What's with all the hugs? Never been complimented?"
"No... not really," Ukraine sighed.
"Oh... I'm sorry..."
"Don't be! You're so sweet, and I'm glad to have you in my life. Your compliments don't offend me or anything- I find them quite charming- but I'm just not used to it," Ukraine admitted.
"I understand," Germany looked down. Ukraine pulled his chin up with her finger and smiled warmly. She gave him a kiss on the forehead and he chuckled. "What was that for?"
"You like me, don't you?" she said.
"Of course I do," Germany said.
"Then I'm sure you don't mind," Ukraine giggled and kissed him on the cheek. Cultural difference. Cultural difference. Cultural difference, he repeated in his mind, not wanting to think that she liked him like that. Could he not have a single friend that just wanted to be friends? Did anybody ever think about what he wanted, or were they just too blinded by the fact that they loved him? She had taken Germany's jacket off by now and she was burying her face in his chest, something he only realized when he stopped thinking of all these treacherous questions. I suppose not, he thought. But he didn't want to push her away and make her mad, so he just sat there. Motionless. He didn't dare make a move. He didn't dare speak a word. He just sat, in pure silence, like a mannequin in a clothing store. "Are you good?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm alright," Germany lied. He was actually quite uncomfortable, Ukraine was practically laying on him at this point, but he just stayed sitting there. Ukraine seemed to buy his lie and stayed where she was as Germany stared off into the distance. Eventually, he groaned and sat upright, laying his forearm over his eyes.
"You sure you're ok?" she asked.
"Not really," he muttered aggressively. He sighed and stood up, walking out the front door, taking his jacket with him. "See you later, I guess..."
"Damn it!" she whisper-yelled. She really had thought she had gotten to him, but she supposed not. Maybe he was gay, and didn't like women? But he had gone on that date with Poland... maybe he only found out he was gay after that? God, Ukraine couldn't think of any way that Germany could like women and not fall for her.
Germany got in the drivers side of his car and smacked the steering wheel with all his force.
"Can I not have one friend that doesn't love me? Not one!?" he yelled. He dropped his head onto the steering wheel and sobbed.
"...not one," he cried.
Germany had no clue where he was going- this seemed to be a recurring theme when he was upset- but he sure as hell knew he was mad, sad, distressed, whatever word you'd like to use for it. He just had to get out of that place, no matter how many good memories that cabin harbored... it'd never be the same again. Why did that have to be the place where he found out that he couldn't have a single friend? Why did it have to be there?
It took a while to get back into the city, that forest was a long ways from it, but all Germany really wanted was somebody to talk to. Somebody that didn't love him. Somebody he could trust. But he couldn't think of anybody like that, except for one person.
He walked through the grassy field, minding the stones planted into the ground and the space in front of them, as to not disturb their residents. Finally, he found the one he was looking for.
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
1922 - 1991
"He did nothing to you. He did nothing for you. He was simply there."
Germany sobbed at the sight. He sat down next to the large tombstone, leaning onto it for support like he would do with Soviet when he was alive. He cried into the stone, his tears falling onto the grass where his late foster father lay.
"Dad, god, I miss you so much... I know, I shouldn't be calling you dad, but I need you... more than ever... I just want to go back in time, to see you again... I did all I could to be with you, I loved you, I still do, and I need you... please, if there's anything you can do for me... do it, I know if you were really there you would... remember our walks in the woods? I just remembered them myself, but please, папа, if you're really there... help me," Germany said in between sobs.
He sat there for a long while, crying at his pitiful existence, begging to see him one last time, praying for a better future. This all was too much for the poor country, he couldn't handle it anymore.
After hours of sobbing, he knew he had to go home. He didn't want to, truly, but he had to. There was nowhere else for him to go, and he knew he couldn't stay there all night, especially not since it was supposed to rain. But then, finally, he thought of somewhere. Someone, someone alive.
Germany burst through the front doors and threw himself at his best friend- the only one who didn't love him, thank god.
"Woah there Germany! Rough day, eh?" Canada chuckled.
"Oh, I love you, Canada. Thank you," he sobbed. "I love you."
"Love you too buddy. Now cmon, let's get you cleaned up. Your clothes are all dirty, don't tell me you were playing at the farm in a suit!" Canada joked. He grabbed some clothes from the hall closet and handed them to Germany. "Wear these, I'll be waiting."
When Germany got out of the shower his hair was soaking wet.
"You gonna go parading around my house dripping everywhere?" Canada chuckled.
"Sorry, I just thought putting a towel on my head would look stupid," Germany said.
"Well there's nothing wrong with lookin' stupid," Canada said, grabbing a towel from the hall closet. He wrapped it around his friend's head. "There is something wrong with you, though, if you're coming to my house at... nine P.M. all dirty like that."
"I didn't know it was that late! I'm sorry..." Germany sighed.
"Hey don't worry, I'm just worried about you. You doing alright?" Canada asked.
"No, not really, I'm just so sick and tired of all of my friends being in love with me, it's driving me mad. Everybody I meet doesn't just wanna be friends..." he mumbled.
"If it makes you feel any better I'm not in love with you," Canada chuckled. Germany sat down on the couch beside him.
"It does, really," Germany said. He smiled at Canada.
"No hug?" Canada asked. Germany chuckled and gave in.
"Thank you, really," Germany sighed.
"No problem, I'm just being a good friend," Canada said, smiling.
"A good friend is what I need right now," Germany admitted.
"Well we all need a good friend, always! This stuff only happens when all your 'good friends' aren't actually good friends, but you got me!" Canada smiled. Germany laughed.
"You don't mind if I stay, do you? I don't wanna go home..."
"Not at all! I can show you to the guest bedroom," Canada offered.
"Sure, thanks."
.
"Украина!" she heard somebody yell from the front door. When she walked downstairs she saw that the door was wide open... with her brother in front of it.
"What do you want?" she sighed.
"Where is he?!" Russia demanded.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Ukraine yawned.
"Germany! You were the last person to see him! Where is he?!"
"In my room," Ukraine lied. She just wanted to make him sad.
"I know that's a lie! Germany always gets up before everybody!"
"He slept in. He was really tired, you know..." Ukraine mumbled, smiling.
"I don't wanna hear that shit!" Russia demanded. He grabbed his sister by the collar of her shirt and made sure she was face to face with him. "Do you know where he is or not?!"
"Fine! Fine, we went to lunch, came back here, and he left around 4:30. That's all I know."
"Where did he go?!"
"I told you, I don't know! Now let me go!"
"You're so useless!" Russia yelled, throwing her on the floor. "I hate you! I hate you so much!"
"Stop having a tantrum and get out of my house!"
"I'm gonna fucking kill you if you dare say another word!"
"Try me!"
"Oh I'm gonna fucking try you little bitch!" Russia yelled.
Russia sighed. He was satisfied. Ukraine might not have been dead, but she was bleeding out and surely would be soon if he didn't get her to a hospital. He sighed.
"I suppose I shouldn't let you die... my God, I had forgotten you were my... sister," he mumbled. He picked Ukraine up and carried her to his car- he and China had picked it up when he left his house. They sped to the hospital and Russia yelled, "Hey! Get somebody over here, she's bleeding out!"
Switzerland immediately rushed over and took Ukraine onto a stretcher. He wheeled her over to the ER.
"We're gonna need a blood transplant, fast! Do you know her type?" Switzerland asked.
"Black hair, blue eyes, short, probably. Why do you want to know?"
"I meant her blood type."
"Oh. O negative," he mumbled, reluctantly. He didn't really want her to die- she was his sister- but he didn't wanna be the reason she lived either.
"Good, we're sure to have plenty," Switzerland sighed in relief. "Liech! Get me some O negative, fast!"
"On it, sir!" Liechtenstein said. They rushed away to grab a blood bag.
"So, Russia, can you tell me what happened?" Switzerland asked.
"I beat the shit outta her," he chuckled. "I would've killed her, but I'm better than that."
"And why did you assault her?"
"Hey, she's the one who wanted to fight. I told her if she said one more word I'd fucking kill her, and she said two more words. She's lucky I didn't murder her on accident," Russia said. Liechtenstein passed off the blood bag and Switzerland hooked Ukraine up to it.
"Provoked, I see."
"It's not like this matters anyways, they're not gonna send me to jail. They can't."
"I just wanted to know... were you guys fighting? What about?"
"Well I came and asked her, calmly, where Germany was 'cause he wasn't at his house and she was the last person who saw him, and she starts saying shit like 'he's in my room' and I just get so pissed off, why I would have killed her if I had the chance, God I should have killed her," Russia mumbled.
"Ah, so you don't like people saying that kind of stuff about your friends?"
"Fuck no I don't. Do you? Weirdo."
"Just a question. Do you two have a history of fighting?"
"We usually just scream at each other, but I beat her up every chance I get. It's never this bad, I promise, I just... accidentally grabbed a knife and it sorta... escalated."
"Alright, well we'll do our best to treat her. You can stay until she wakes up if you'd like."
"Fine, whatever," Russia mumbled. He hummed the tune to NGSUNC while he waited, specifically the "Yeah we fucking killed Chad" part. He leaned down and, right next to his sister's ear, he whispered, "if you can hear me, I beat the shit outta you, you fucking loser."
.
Germany yawned and rubbed his eyes, almost forgetting where he was. He remembered when he smelled fresh pancakes and a ton of maple syrup. He chuckled and went downstairs.
"Good morning, sleepy. You usually don't wake up this late, do you?"
"I guess not... yesterday was just tiring," Germany sighed. Canada put down his frying pan and hugged Germany.
"I'm sorry about that, but it's today now!" Canada said. Germany chuckled. "I made pancakes, if you'd like some."
"Sure, you're really good at making pancakes," Germany said.
"I make them from scratch, but they always taste better than that pancake mix you buy at the store."
"I'm sure I can guess what your pantry is full of then," Germany laughed. Canada smiled.
"Do you want to tell me more about what happened?" Canada asked, cautiously.
"I was at Ukraine's house and I just got so sick and tired of having her crawling all over me- literally- so I got up and left. I didn't wanna go home and I didn't want to go see somebody who was in love with me, so I went to the cemetery and sat there for a few... four and a half hours... but after that I still didn't want to go home, so I came here, you're the only person I could think of."
"I'm sorry... I can't imagine what it's like having somebody be in love with you and crawling all over you and just... not loving them back," Canada mumbled.
"It's probably worse for all of them, but I just get so tired..." Germany admitted.
"Understandable, I'd be real tired if I had to deal with that all day every day as well."
"Thank you, Canada, I mean it. You're a really good friend."
"No problem! I'm always here for you, Germs."
"Germs? Really?"
"What? You don't like it?"
"No, it's fine, I'm just not used to that nickname," Germany laughed.
"At least it's better than Germa," Canada chuckled.
"I guess it is."
Canada's phone rang.
"Ew. It's America," he mumbled.
"Put it on speaker, I wanna hear."
"Alright," Canada chuckled. "What's goody?"
"What's goody? What kind of greeting is that?" America said. Germany held in his laughter.
"A normal one. Now tell me, what's goody?"
"Russia's been freaking out, he can't find Germany anywhere and he may or may not have almost killed Ukraine because of it."
"Damn..." Canada muted himself for a second. "Do you want me to tell him you're here?"
"Hell no!"
"Aight." Canada unmuted himself. "I don't know what to tell you, Burger King."
"Just... if you see him, tell me. I don't want another person to get murdered."
"Alright. Bye bye fatster."
"Fuck you you're skinny as hell."
"And you're fat," Canada said, hanging up the phone.
"That's... scary, I'm afraid... what's gonna happen to me if I get with Russia and we have a fight? What if I want to break up?" Germany mumbled.
"Hey, everything will be just fine, aight? You don't even need to be with anybody if you don't want to or don't feel the time is right."
"Thanks, Canada, I really appreciate it."
"Of course! Besides that, have you been considering anybody?" Canada wiggled his eyebrows.
"I'm not sure... I really like Russia, like, a lot, but I'm just a bit scared, you know? He's really powerful and has a short temper and I just don't know if I want that in my life."
"Hey, if you really like him you should give him a chance, maybe he'll be different for you than he is with other people. He is in love with you, you know. And I don't think he'll treat you the same way he treats his sister."
"I guess you're right, I suppose I should talk to him," Germany said. He grabbed his phone out of the pocket in Canada's slightly oversized shorts and looked through his contacts until he found Russia.
"Can I hear?"
"Fine, fine," Germany chuckled. He called Russia and immediately got an answer.
"Hey Rus," he said.
"Germany? Oh God, I was so worried about you! Where have you been?"
"At a friends house, why?"
"I was just worried that Ukie had done something to you."
"Well uhm, she sorta ruined my childhood memories but I'm alright."
"I thought you had amnesia? Is your memory coming back?"
"I... I think so?"
"What do you remember?"
"Well I remember walks in the woods with Soviet..." Germany went on and on, but Russia was hoping to hear one specific memory he had been longing for Germany to recall. Then, Russia finally mentioned it.
"Do you remember that one time, when we were around 16..." Russia began, but he cut himself off.
"What happened?"
"Nothing... nothing important. It's stupid, sorry," Russia mumbled.
"I wanna know."
"Well when we were kids we were best friends, you know? We really liked each other and... we sorta... kissed... we might have done a little more," Russia admitted.
"...what?" Germany asked, his face practically glowing bright red.
"Yeah... I said it was stupid, I'm sorry for bringing it up..."
"Ooooh!" Canada said, loudly.
"Shush!" Germany whisper-yelled.
"Who's with you? Can they hear me?"
"Yeah they can hear you," Germany said. Germany couldn't see it but Russia blushed bright red in embarrassment when he heard that somebody else could hear him.
"Who is it?"
"My friend, like I said."
"Alright... well what did you want to talk about?"
"Where are you right now?"
"The hospital with Ukie. I beat the shit outta her."
"Alright, anybody around?"
"Just Ukie. And the nurse."
"Who's the nurse?"
"Iceland."
"Can you... go somewhere else?"
"Sure, I'll go outside or...?"
"Somewhere where people can't hear you, or me, preferably."
"I guess I'll go to the bathroom then," Russia said. He stood up and almost hit his head as he walked out of the room Ukraine was in and into the bathroom. "So what's up?"
"I was just thinking a lot and I was wondering if... erm, if you'd like to go on an official date, not like what happened a little bit ago," Germany offered. Russia's face lit up and he smiled warmly, even though Germany couldn't see him.
"I'd love to," Russia said. He sounded calm but with the slightest bit of excitement.
"I told you you could do it! This is totally worth it, man!" Canada squealed.
"Shut up!" Germany demanded. He could hear Russia laugh on the other side of the phone.
"Right... hi Russia! I've been here the whole time," Canada said.
"I could tell, who are you again?" Russia asked.
"Well, you might not know me, my name's Canada, and I'm Germs' best friend," Canada admitted.
"Damn. Thought I was your best friend Ger," Russia said sarcastically.
"He's my best friend. A friend is somebody who isn't in love with you and you aren't in love with them."
"So we haven't been friends this whole time? I feel betrayed."
"How long have you liked me for?"
"Ever since I met you, it should have been obvious," Russia admitted. Germany's mouth was wide open in shock. He clenched his teeth and blushed bright red again, looking away from the phone, as if Russia could see him.
"You know I can tell by your silence that you're clearly flustered right now. Adding on to what I said, I'm sure you'd like me too if you remembered all the fun we had together," Russia said. Germany threw his phone at Canada and paced around the room. Russia smirked.
"He's uhm... having a thing right now, give him a second," Canada said. A minute or so later Germany had calmed down and took the phone back.
"Sorry about that... uhm... so yeah, when and where? Oh shit I missed work today!" Germany realized.
"Don't worry about it. How about tonight, I can bring you after rehearsal."
"Okay! I look forward to it," Germany said. He hung up the phone and threw it at Canada again. "I hated that so much."
"You get flustered way too easily. And you act weird when you do."
"I know I know I've heard it before."
"From who?"
"Russia."
"Anybody else?"
"No."
"And that's how you tell that Germs is in love with Russia. Thank you folks, that'll be all for today," Canada narrated.
"Whatever, I have to go home to get my stuff for practice. What time is it?"
"Fourteen."
"Practice is soon then, do you want to come with?"
"I'll stay here for a bit, but you better come back after your date next tell me what happened!"
"Alright, see you soon then."
.
Russia sighed happily and checked his watch, it was already 2. Ukraine hadn't woken up yet, so he decided he'd just leave and get ready for practice- visiting hours were almost up anyways. He walked back into her room one last time.
"Sorry Ukie," he mumbled. Then he left. He went to his house and actually picked something nice to wear, they probably wouldn't be going back to their own houses after practice anyways. He thought about where they could go, after practice it would only be around five. Maybe Germany would like a walk in the park, or they could head to the downtown area where all the tourist shops were. Maybe he'd like that.
By the time he was done getting ready it was just about time to head to practice, so he grabbed his specially made French horn and headed out. He buckled it in the passenger seat and drove to practice, which was only five minutes away. He and Germany pulled up at the same time and walked into the field together.
"How have you been?" Germany asked.
"I've been alright, you?"
"Not so much, but I'll be fine."
"Well I hope I can make your day a little better after this," Russia said. Germany laughed a little and began to put his flute together, aligning all the parts perfectly.
"Why do you leave the head joint sticking out a little down there?" Russia asked, referring to the dark silver part of the head joint.
"We have to have it out a little bit so the sound doesn't turn out too flat or too sharp," Germany explained. "It's really just how we tune our instruments."
"Cool, I just have to put my mouthpiece in and I'm done," Russia chuckled.
"Oh the luxury of being a brass player. At least we don't have to build up muscles to play our instrument right."
"You don't?"
"No, we just have to make the circle that the air comes out of from our lips really small or a bit wide depending on how low or high the note is. But we do have to do a lot of breathing exercises because we use the most air. Except for maybe the tubas," Germany said. Russia was about to make a... comment, but he was interrupted.
"Hey mi amigo! How you doing?" Mexico asked, running over.
"I'm doing great, how about you Mexico?"
"I'm great too, thanks for asking. Cuba isn't though, he's having a rough time because he can't figure out how to hit the gong hard enough," Mexico chuckled.
"You just use all your force, I don't see what's so hard about that."
"He's afraid his arms will snap in half. They won't, but you can never talk him out of being afraid of something once he already is."
"Classic. Well, we ought to get to our places, Micro is signaling to us," Germany said. Mexico looked at The Federated States of Micronesia and saw that he was looking straight at Germany and Russia- the soloists. When they both looked at him, he signaled for them to go over to him.
"What's up, Micro?" Russia asked.
"Just wanted to see how my star flutist and soloist French horn player are doing," he said.
"We're both great. That all?" Germany responded.
"Yeah, you can go ahead and get to your places," The Federated States of Micronesia said.
"Will do," Russia replied. They both ran over to their places and The Federates States of Micronesia began conducting- they were doing a full concert run through today.
"Gee, I'm tired," Germany admitted once they had finally finished practicing.
"Yeah, that solo you had at the end must've cost you a lot, especially being so loud," Russia said.
"So where are we going?" Germany asked. He had already finished packing up his flute.
"Wherever you wanna go," Russia said.
"Oh you know I'm indecisive about those kinds of things!" Germany mumbled.
"Well it's too early for dinner," Russia began.
"It's never too early for dinner on a rehearsal day, all that practicing makes me hungry," Germany said.
"Then I guess we can go to dinner, I just don't have anywhere picked out."
"I know a really nice Japanese restaurant in town if you'd like to go there," Germany offered.
"I do like Japanese food," Russia admitted.
"Alright then cmon!" Germany said as he started walking to the parking lot.
"I'll drive, I can bring you back here to get your car after dinner," Russia offered.
"Okay," Germany agreed. He smiled at Russia as they got into his car. The drive was silent, as expected, but it wasn't awkward. It was a comfortable silence, something Germany really enjoyed about being with Russia. Whenever nobody talked it was never awkward, it just felt normal.
"We're here," Russia said. He got out of the car and quite literally jumped over the hood. Germany had the door open the slightest bit and was about to get out.
"Get your ass back in there," Russia demanded. He then opened the door for Germany.
"Aw, thank you," Germany said, smiling.
"No problem. So, we calling you Germs now?" Russia asked.
"Canada just came up with it today, so I'm not sure," Germany admitted as they walked into the restaurant.
"Aren't germs a bad thing?" Russia asked.
"Some are, but people- and countries- are actually made up of thousands of germs, and there are plenty of germs inside you that make up your immune system, so they're not all bad," Germany explained.
"If only they were called Russias." Russia sighed.
"I don't get it."
"You will soon."
They walked into the restaurant, Germany still very confused, and were greeted by Taiwan, who was at the counter.
"Hello there! Just you two?" she asked.
"Yeah," Germany replied.
"Alright, come with me," she said, leading them to a nice little booth. There were plenty of paintings on the wall, some of Japan and his friends. Germany even saw one of him, Japan, and Italy!
"Russland, look! It's me!" he said when he saw the painting of the trio.
"Sure is." Russia chuckled. They sat down at their table facing each other. "So what kind of music do you like?"
"Oh, I'm not sure, I like a lot of music," Germany replied.
"Do you have a favorite band?"
"Ooh, that's a hard one, but I'd have to say either Aerosmith or Queen."
"Those ones are good. I really like That Dude Looks Like A Lady from Aerosmith," Russia said, which made Germany chuckle.
"That's a good one. What's your favorite band?"
"I don't really listen to music from bands a lot, and I don't think IC3PEAK a is a band, so I'm not sure. Maybe Aerosmith."
"We should listen to Aerosmith on the way back," Germany said.
"Yeah, that'd be nice," Russia said, smiling.
"Gosh, I never know what to talk about..."
"Me neither. We can be in silence though, I don't mind."
"Oh but that's boring... plus, then Rein can't extend this chapter even further than they already have," Germany said, staring right at "the camera" disapprovingly. He shook his head and turned back towards Russia.
"True... so do you have any dirt on America?" Russia asked.
"Of course you'd ask that, but no I don't." Germany laughed. "Hey... about Ukraine..."
"I know, I'm sorry..."
"No, she deserved it."
"She did? I mean... she did!" Germany sighed. "You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, I just hate thinking about her..."
"Did she do something to you? What you told me was very vague so I assumed it was nothing..."
"No... I just thought that I actually had a friend for once, then she started acting all weird and touchy... I just want a friend that doesn't love me, you know? I'm not saying that I don't want to see you, I just was hoping that she would be a friend," Germany mumbled. Russia put his right hand on Germany's and his left hand on Germany's cheek.
"I'm sorry about her, if it makes you feel better she was only doing that to make me mad, she probably hoped you'd fall in love with her and that I'd be alone for the rest of my life." Russia laughed at the thought. "But I know that as long as you and I are alive, that'll never happen to either of us."
"You're so sweet, Rus. I hardly deserve you," Germany said. He put his other hand on the hand that Russia had over his hand.
"I think it's the other way around, I hardly deserve you. Youre the sweetest, kindest person I've ever known, and to think that you'd want to even just be friends with a guy like me is unimaginable."
"Well, you don't have to imagine it."
"Not anymore I don't," Russia said. He smiled and planted a kiss on Germany's forehead. Germany laughed.
"You're pretty unimaginable too, Rus, people just need to get to know you better. They just assume that you're cold hearted and mean because of how you look, but I don't see it like that. I think you're the warmest, most welcoming country the earth has to offer."
"You've always got so many kind words to say, I've no clue how you come up with them."
"I just tell you what I'm thinking, nothing more nothing less."
"You've really thought every single thing that you've said about me?"
"I have. What about it?" Germany asked. Russia's cheeks grew redder by the second, which confused Germany because he didn't think he'd ever said something like that to Russia before... but, based on the fact that they had supposedly 'kissed... and might have done a little more' when they were 16, he probably had.
"Oh, nothing, I'm just remembering something you said when we were kids... you probably don't remember," he muttered.
"If I could remember, Rus, trust me, I would. I would sell my soul to remember everything."
"I wouldn't let you sell your soul for some memories. Your soul is who you are, who I fell in love with. I wouldn't be able to bear seeing that gone. Not again"
"You're so poetic."
"I'm not trying to be, I'm just speaking my heart, like you do," Russia admitted. Germany smiled softly and sighed. They had both leaned in closer to each other, unknowingly. The waiters had left them alone for a while, probably eavesdropping on their conversation. Japan was probably in the booth behind them. They sat in silence for a little bit, staring into each other's eyes. The silence was only interrupted when Russia got a text on his phone. He sighed and read it, Germany could tell because he saw his eyes scanning the screen. He looked disappointed, maybe a little sad.
"Is everything alright, Rus?" Germany asked.
"Yeah, it's fine," he replied.
"Are you sure? Do you need to take a moment?"
"It's fine, really, you're more important than any stupid thing," Russia said. He put his phone face down on the table and leaned over. "Where were we?"
"Right here, right now. That's where we were."
"I like that. We should stay like this."
"If only we could..."
"Well, we can enjoy it while it lasts."
"I suppose so," Germany said. They heard tiny squeal from the table behind them.
"Shut up!" Somebody whispered-yelled. "It's getting good!"
"We can hear you," Russia told them. He looked around the glass that separated the tables and saw Japan and most of the rest of the staff huddled together listening closely.
"Just keep doing your thing!!" Japan begged. Russia rolled his eyes. Finally, Taiwan walked over.
"Sorry I took so long. I had to take care of a certain someone," she glared at Japan. "What can I get for you?"
After they ordered their food they tried to act like everything was normal, but Germany couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. It sent chills down his spine just thinking about it.
"You alright?" Russia asked.
"Yeah... I'm okay, I'm just a little uncomfortable now that I know we're being watched and listened to," he replied.
"Just focus on me," Russia said, putting his hand on Germany's cheek. "Isn't that all that matters? That we're here?"
"I guess you're right," Germany said. He leaned into Russia's hand. "I've still got nothing to talk about, though."
"Tell me... about what Soviet was like for you."
"Well, he was kind and caring, when I asked for something he always did his best to get it for me. He would give me plenty of love, especially right after he had taken me in. He knew I was hurt and that I'd never actually had a father, just a guardian. He really tried to be a father to me, and it worked. I really loved him, and I still do," Germany sighed.
"It sounds like he was really nice to you," Russia said. "I'm glad he could do that for you, even if he didn't for us."
"He didn't care for you as much as he did for me?" Germany asked.
"Not even close. He'd feed us, give us water, spend what little time he had with us, but on the weekends he was gone, and since we were in school it felt like he was never there. I was the real father, if I'm gonna be honest."
"I'm sorry to hear that, I'm sure he really tried, but he had to spend his weekends with me... am I the reason you had to go through all that?" Germany worried.
"No, of course not! Don't blame yourself. It was his fault for never being there, and it was his fault for keeping you away from us. You didn't do anything."
"You just always know what to say to me..." Germany sighed happily. "If only I knew what to say to you."
"Actions speak louder than words," he suggested. Germany laughed a little.
"I suppose that is true, isn't it?"
"Wouldn't have said it if it wasn't," Russia said. Germany considered doing many things; putting his hand on Russia's cheek, grabbing his hand, leaning in closer, even kissing him- but he didn't move. He wasn't sure what would be the right option. If actions speak louder than words, then you have to pick your actions even more carefully than you do your words.
Russia sighed. He had expected Germany to make a move, but he hadn't. Maybe Germany was expecting him to make a move? But he had done it so many times before, and Germany never said anything. He could tell he was loosing Germany's attention. Just then, Taiwan delivered their food.
"Thank you," Germany said. Russia sighed. He'd have to wait 'till they finished eating to get the conversation back up and running again. But when they did finish, it felt like it had only been a few seconds. Time flew by when he was with Germany.
"Hey, how do you feel... about me? What's the first feeling you get when you think of me?" he asked.
"Mystery," Germany replied. Russia frowned a little bit. "And hope."
"Hope?" he asked. "Hope for what?"
"Hope for everything to turn out all right. Hope to... get my memory back."
"I know something that might kickstart it," Russia offered.
"I hope it works!" Germany laughed. Russia took a deep breath. He flagged down Taiwan and asked for the check, then he took Germany by the hand and led him out of the restaurant and into his car. Without a word, he began to drive.
They arrived at an entrance to the large forest. Russia had driven around the entire forest to find this specific entrance- Germany had no clue why, but Russia led him into the forest, following the dirt path up until they saw beautiful lights off in the distance. They headed towards the light, walking through piles upon piles of leaves. When they got to the source, it was a small gazebo with a table inside, perfect just for two people, and had wilted roses on it.
"My god, I didn't expect it to still be here," Russia mumbled.
"What is this place?" Germany asked.
"Oh, this is where I took you that one time when we were 16. I spent days setting this thing up, and oh boy was it worth it."
"You really liked me, didn't you?"
"Oh, we really liked each other, if we didn't that never would've happened." Russia smiled at the memory. He grabbed Germany's hand and led him inside of the gazebo. They sat down in the chairs that were still almost good as new.
"I still don't remember anything..." Germany sighed.
"We haven't gotten to the good part yet," Russia said. He got out his phone and put on some music, specifically Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart. "We loved this song. Care to dance?"
Russia held out his hand and Germany took it. As they swayed along to the music, memories of what had happened came flooding back to Germany. He remembered that he and Russia had snuck out of the cabin in the middle of the night on one of the days Soviet allowed Russia to visit and came here, where Russia had set up beautiful flowers. The lights on the gazebo were even brighter than they were now. They had brought a radio and danced to the music, and finally, at the last few notes of the last song, Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart, they had kissed. Germany remembered every second of it, every little detail, down to how much the shade of Russia's eyes had dimmed since then. Germany looked up at Russia and smiled.
"I remember."
Those were the two words Russia had been longing to hear from Germany for such a long time.
I remember.
Germany's words lingered in his mind.
I remember.
They brought him a feeling of peace he hadn't felt in so long.
I remember.
He sobbed softly and hugged Germany with all his might, right before the last note of the song. He cried into Germany's hair.
"That's the one thing I've wanted to hear from you for so long..." he sobbed. Germany hugged Russia tightly, slightly digging his fingernails into Russia's back.
"What day is it?" Germany asked.
"Almost October... why?"
"Didn't this all happen... on the seventeenth of September?"
"It... it did..." Russia smiled. "It's the seventeenth of September, then."
"I thought so as well." Germany breathed in deeply and let it all out in a long, exaggerated sigh.
"You don't know how happy this makes me, Germany, you really don't," Russia mumbled. He kissed Germany on the top of his head. "I wish we could stay like this forever."
"Trust me, I do too."
"Then why don't we?"
"We're gonna have to eat eventually, Rus."
"I meant emotionally. Stop ruining the moment."
"Oh." Germany took a long, deep breath, and Russia prepared for the worst. "I'd love to stay like this with you, but we've got to keep it a secret for now, alright?"
"Anything to be with you again," Russia muttered. Germany combed his fingers through Russia's hair, and kissed him. They stayed like that for as long as they could, until Russia had to breathe.
"How do you do that for so long?" he asked, exhausted.
"I play flute, we're good at conserving air."
"Great at kissing too, better than I remember." Germany laughed at the comment.
"You want another one?"
"As long as it's from you."
They brought their faces together, and just at the last moment, Germany paused.
"What if the kiss is from Kim Kardashian? Would you take it then?" he asked.
"No! Now shut up and kiss me already!"