Prussia wakes his brother with a hand over his mouth. Ludwig is up in a moment, eyes wild and staring, voice muffled against his hand, one arm straining to pull it off. Gilbert doesn’t wait. When his hand is gone he replaces it with his mouth and pushes down with his body as hard as he can, pressing chest against chest and tongue against teeth. He does all he can, and he bites the lips on his own, grabs Ludwig’s hips and pushes again, and the feeling is wonderful and breathtaking and hollow.
Then, there’s a fist in his stomach and he falls backwards, coughing. Neither of them says anything, but their gasps fill the darkness around them. Germany is scared stunning, and he is smaller than Ivan but still punches hard.
Finally, he takes a breath. “You really love him?” Prussia swallows his pride and looks down at his brother. He’s slightly red, hair all out of place, cross on his bare chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. He’s beautiful and familiar and foreign all at once, but most of all he is beautiful. There’s an ache in his chest as he watches him, a kind of weight in his throat and in his bones. “You love that good-for-nothing pasta-eater?”
It’s funny, Prussia thinks again, that the two of them have lived together for so long and yet still are. Gilbert’s seen it happen countless times. Countries joining, breaking, rejoining. In modern Europe, everyone is someone else. It happens all the time.
Looking at Germany, Prussia needs to kiss him, to fuck him, to hold him and never let go. He needs to become one with him; Prussia doesn’t care if Germany wakes up in the morning and there is no Prussia, so long as his brother is taller and that little bit prouder and his hair is just that touch blonder. If Gilbert is somewhere inside of him. But it hasn’t happened.
“…Yes. I do.”
They’re meant to be the same fucking country, for fuck’s sake, but for some reason, somehow, Germany is still two halves of a whole, and Prussia is still the East, and Ludwig is still the West. Ludwig still has higher living standards and holidays on Italian beaches, and Gilbert still can’t find enough jobs and thinks about his Ostalgie. As much as Gilbert loves his brother, he is still not the same person.
He nods, words failing him but refusing to look away. So the two brothers stare at each other for long minutes, searching for something in their gazes and finding something else. Finally, they both lie down side by side in the bed, Ludwig on the left, Gilbert on the right, and go to sleep.
He never forgets the distance between them tonight.
-
Germany, Russia, Italy and the concept of togetherness.
Did you know?
The Russian occupation zone was north-west Germany, almost perfectly coinciding with the state of former Prussia.
Dresden, bombed in war, was considered one of the most beautiful cities in Germany Under the Soviet rule Germany's architecture suffered from lack of upkeep and dirty industrial practices.
In 1948, Russia left the rest of the Allied Forces due to differences in policy regarding the reconstruction of Germany. The Deutsche Demokratische Republik was formed.
In the DDR the Stasi secret police would bug the houses of possible insurgents and could detain citizens. Under German rule psychological torture was mainstream.
The Berlin Wall was begun in 1961. It was torn down in 1989. In 1991 the DDR was absolved.
After the reunification 'Prussia' suffered economically and the quality of living is still lower in these regions. Ostalgie, a nostalia for the good old East times, has a bit of a cult movement, not least visible in Ampelmanner shops in Berlin.
Turks represent the largest ethnic minority in Germany. There are also many Italian workers who come to Germany for the summer.
Ampelmanner are the DDR style pedestrian traffic lights. Google for more details: much cuter than normal ones, and sort of cult figure.
Kraut- cabbage momochyka- russian for "Mummy" Doner- Turkish kebabs, now a common snack food in Germany due to immigrant influence. Kaffe und Kuchen- coffee and cake Ostsee- Germany's eastern coastline Strandkorb- like a deckchair FKK- a German nudist movement
Auferstanden aus Ruinen (5/5)
Then, there’s a fist in his stomach and he falls backwards, coughing. Neither of them says anything, but their gasps fill the darkness around them. Germany is scared stunning, and he is smaller than Ivan but still punches hard.
Finally, he takes a breath. “You really love him?” Prussia swallows his pride and looks down at his brother. He’s slightly red, hair all out of place, cross on his bare chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. He’s beautiful and familiar and foreign all at once, but most of all he is beautiful. There’s an ache in his chest as he watches him, a kind of weight in his throat and in his bones. “You love that good-for-nothing pasta-eater?”
It’s funny, Prussia thinks again, that the two of them have lived together for so long and yet still are. Gilbert’s seen it happen countless times. Countries joining, breaking, rejoining. In modern Europe, everyone is someone else. It happens all the time.
Looking at Germany, Prussia needs to kiss him, to fuck him, to hold him and never let go. He needs to become one with him; Prussia doesn’t care if Germany wakes up in the morning and there is no Prussia, so long as his brother is taller and that little bit prouder and his hair is just that touch blonder. If Gilbert is somewhere inside of him. But it hasn’t happened.
“…Yes. I do.”
They’re meant to be the same fucking country, for fuck’s sake, but for some reason, somehow, Germany is still two halves of a whole, and Prussia is still the East, and Ludwig is still the West. Ludwig still has higher living standards and holidays on Italian beaches, and Gilbert still can’t find enough jobs and thinks about his Ostalgie. As much as Gilbert loves his brother, he is still not the same person.
He nods, words failing him but refusing to look away. So the two brothers stare at each other for long minutes, searching for something in their gazes and finding something else. Finally, they both lie down side by side in the bed, Ludwig on the left, Gilbert on the right, and go to sleep.
He never forgets the distance between them tonight.
-
Germany, Russia, Italy and the concept of togetherness.
Did you know?
The Russian occupation zone was north-west Germany, almost perfectly coinciding with the state of former Prussia.
Dresden, bombed in war, was considered one of the most beautiful cities in Germany Under the Soviet rule Germany's architecture suffered from lack of upkeep and dirty industrial practices.
In 1948, Russia left the rest of the Allied Forces due to differences in policy regarding the reconstruction of Germany. The Deutsche Demokratische Republik was formed.
In the DDR the Stasi secret police would bug the houses of possible insurgents and could detain citizens. Under German rule psychological torture was mainstream.
The Berlin Wall was begun in 1961. It was torn down in 1989. In 1991 the DDR was absolved.
After the reunification 'Prussia' suffered economically and the quality of living is still lower in these regions. Ostalgie, a nostalia for the good old East times, has a bit of a cult movement, not least visible in Ampelmanner shops in Berlin.
Turks represent the largest ethnic minority in Germany. There are also many Italian workers who come to Germany for the summer.
Ampelmanner are the DDR style pedestrian traffic lights. Google for more details: much cuter than normal ones, and sort of cult figure.
Kraut- cabbage
momochyka- russian for "Mummy"
Doner- Turkish kebabs, now a common snack food in Germany due to immigrant influence.
Kaffe und Kuchen- coffee and cake
Ostsee- Germany's eastern coastline
Strandkorb- like a deckchair
FKK- a German nudist movement