There’s a moment of silence on the other end of the phone and Australia bites his lip. There should be a sigh and an exasperated request for him to please stop using that nickname, Australia, I’m not a child any more.
“Fine.”
Australia knows he probably shouldn’t ask his next question but he does anyway, “You scared?”
“…No. Not yet.”
“That’s my boy.”
He picks up a pen and starts doodling on the notebook he keeps by the phone. He wishes that he had his brother here, at his side, so the three of them can all be together when it happens. But he knows he can’t have that because Hutt River refuses to leave his royal family and his farmland.
Australia made sure Hutt River got some of those little pills, though, so it’s easier for his brother when the end comes.
“Are you scared?”
Australia smirked, “More than I’ve ever been in my entire life. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
New Zealand’s making his dinner when the phone rings. He turns down the heat on the stove and goes out into the hall to take the call. He knows exactly who it is; only one person ever calls him these days.
There’s only one person left to call him these days.
“You all right, bro?”
“Fine.” Australia clears his throat on the other end of the phone, “Yourself?”
New Zealand licks the sauce off of his wooden spoon, “Copin’, you know?”
“Mm.”
“So what’s your reason for ringing this time? Annoyed at what the TV magazine says about tonight’s episode of Home and Away?”
Australia snorts, “Christ, mate, I’m not that bad. It’s just…I talked to Hutt again this arvo.”
“Oh, right.” New Zealand sets his spoon down and shifts from foot to foot, “How’s he doin’?”
“He’s all right, considerin’ everything.” Australia hesitates, “I just wish I had him here, that’s all.”
“Course you do.” New Zealand nods, “He’s your brother. You want your family with you; it makes sense.”
There’s a long moment of silence and New Zealand wonders if Australia’s even still there or if he’s gone off elsewhere.
“So why aren’t you here?” Australia says eventually.
New Zealand bites his lip and looks back into his kitchen. He hated it when Australia first asked him that question and he still hates it now.
“I can’t,” he says quietly, “You know that.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Look, bro, I gotta go now; dinner’s callin’. But I’ll ring you back later, OK?”
“Sure, OK. And Kiwi?”
“Yeah?”
“You know you’re one of my best mates, right?”
New Zealand smiles, “Go watch your soap opera, you sentimental old man.” _________________________________________________________________________________________________
A month later and the cloud has reached Darwin. Australia’s hand shakes as he holds the phone. He can feel it on the edge of his mind, the fear and pain of his citizens. His radio was still playing in the background, reporting the first casualties of the cloud.
“You all right?” Hutt River’s voice crackling down the line shakes him out of his thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m fine li’l prince,” he replies, sitting on his free hand to try and stop his shivering, “Just a little nervy, y’know?”
“Just a little?”
“Yeah.” He sniffs, “Don’t you go worryin’ over me, li’l prince. It’s not your job.”
Hutt River huffs, “I’ll worry over you if I need to.”
“And you don’t need to.”
“That’s not up to you.”
Australia sighs and runs a hand through his hair. He hates the idea that his little brother might be worrying about him when he should be thinking about himself, about enjoying these last few months before the cloud reaches him.
“Li’l prince, think about yourself,” he says, “I’ve got a lot of life in me yet.”
He hears Hutt River sigh again and he wishes he could bring his brother here, so Hutt River won’t be alone.
“Let me do the worryin’,” he says, “That’s my job. The only one you can even think of worryin’ about is Wy; that’s what older brothers do.”
“Yeah, sure.” Australia likes to imagine that Hutt River smiles when he says that, “I’ll keep that in mind.”
There Will Come Soft Rains [1a/1]
There’s a moment of silence on the other end of the phone and Australia bites his lip. There should be a sigh and an exasperated request for him to please stop using that nickname, Australia, I’m not a child any more.
“Fine.”
Australia knows he probably shouldn’t ask his next question but he does anyway, “You scared?”
“…No. Not yet.”
“That’s my boy.”
He picks up a pen and starts doodling on the notebook he keeps by the phone. He wishes that he had his brother here, at his side, so the three of them can all be together when it happens. But he knows he can’t have that because Hutt River refuses to leave his royal family and his farmland.
Australia made sure Hutt River got some of those little pills, though, so it’s easier for his brother when the end comes.
“Are you scared?”
Australia smirked, “More than I’ve ever been in my entire life.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
New Zealand’s making his dinner when the phone rings. He turns down the heat on the stove and goes out into the hall to take the call. He knows exactly who it is; only one person ever calls him these days.
There’s only one person left to call him these days.
“You all right, bro?”
“Fine.” Australia clears his throat on the other end of the phone, “Yourself?”
New Zealand licks the sauce off of his wooden spoon, “Copin’, you know?”
“Mm.”
“So what’s your reason for ringing this time? Annoyed at what the TV magazine says about tonight’s episode of Home and Away?”
Australia snorts, “Christ, mate, I’m not that bad. It’s just…I talked to Hutt again this arvo.”
“Oh, right.” New Zealand sets his spoon down and shifts from foot to foot, “How’s he doin’?”
“He’s all right, considerin’ everything.” Australia hesitates, “I just wish I had him here, that’s all.”
“Course you do.” New Zealand nods, “He’s your brother. You want your family with you; it makes sense.”
There’s a long moment of silence and New Zealand wonders if Australia’s even still there or if he’s gone off elsewhere.
“So why aren’t you here?” Australia says eventually.
New Zealand bites his lip and looks back into his kitchen. He hated it when Australia first asked him that question and he still hates it now.
“I can’t,” he says quietly, “You know that.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Look, bro, I gotta go now; dinner’s callin’. But I’ll ring you back later, OK?”
“Sure, OK. And Kiwi?”
“Yeah?”
“You know you’re one of my best mates, right?”
New Zealand smiles, “Go watch your soap opera, you sentimental old man.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
A month later and the cloud has reached Darwin. Australia’s hand shakes as he holds the phone. He can feel it on the edge of his mind, the fear and pain of his citizens. His radio was still playing in the background, reporting the first casualties of the cloud.
“You all right?” Hutt River’s voice crackling down the line shakes him out of his thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m fine li’l prince,” he replies, sitting on his free hand to try and stop his shivering, “Just a little nervy, y’know?”
“Just a little?”
“Yeah.” He sniffs, “Don’t you go worryin’ over me, li’l prince. It’s not your job.”
Hutt River huffs, “I’ll worry over you if I need to.”
“And you don’t need to.”
“That’s not up to you.”
Australia sighs and runs a hand through his hair. He hates the idea that his little brother might be worrying about him when he should be thinking about himself, about enjoying these last few months before the cloud reaches him.
“Li’l prince, think about yourself,” he says, “I’ve got a lot of life in me yet.”
He hears Hutt River sigh again and he wishes he could bring his brother here, so Hutt River won’t be alone.
“Let me do the worryin’,” he says, “That’s my job. The only one you can even think of worryin’ about is Wy; that’s what older brothers do.”
“Yeah, sure.” Australia likes to imagine that Hutt River smiles when he says that, “I’ll keep that in mind.”