Konichiwa! Long time no see! (haha!) Okay, this is the second chapter to "Katyusha" I promised. I have a third chapter written as well and I'm working on the fourth. I'm not super happy with it, but I'm having a hard time writing Russia's character because seriously he's just too complex! Anyway, I'll stop complaining now and post it. Catch you reader-sans later~!
- Turtle-chan
Morning comes too soon and you hastily pack your things. It's still fairly dark out, but you know you have to move if you want to make it to the battle on time. What use is a soldier that doesn't fight?
The camp disappears within an hour and the company is off once more, marching in perfect formation. This time, you stand between Yekaterina and Natalia since you have, more or less, hit it off with them. Natalia doesn't know about your encounter with her brother yet and you plan to keep it that way. Your mind has been spinning with thoughts and questions about the mysterious man. Why is he a commanding officer at such a young age? Why does he hate Nazis so much as to wish to kill all of the Germans? Why does he hate women soldiers? What is he really like? Is he cold and cruel or is he kind and gentle? Somewhere in between maybe? You don't know why, but you want to get to know him better. You're drawn to him, for lack of a better way to put it. He enthralls you.
"I am sorry about leaving you so suddenly yesterday, (y/n)," Yekaterina says to you a little sheepishly.
"Oh, it's fine. I understand that you have to do what must be done," you respond, hoping that Natalia doesn't listen in or that Yekaterina doesn't mention names.
"Yes, I hope that one day I will be able to talk to my little brother again like when we were children...," she says wistfully. "Did he speak to you? What do you think of him?"
You risk a nervous glance over at Natalia who is squinting her deep blue eyes toward the front of the company, trying to catch a glimpse of Colonel Braginsky. "We spoke briefly," you respond, treading lightly. "He seems to be an interesting man. I look forward to fighting alongside him."
"He was always such a sweet boy," Yekaterina smiles. "But he seems to have become very serious. I worry for him because he never smiles. He has a lovely smile, you know?"
"Oh, I'm sure he's alright. You have to be tough to become a colonel at such a young age. He probably feels like he has to prove himself to the older men," you assure her while also probing for information.
"Yes, I am so proud of him! But I fear for him as well. It is so dangerous to fight this war!" she exclaims, tears welling up in her big blue eyes. "And he is not fighting at the back like we are. He has to be right in the middle of it all! Oh, I am happy to be in this company but I do not wish to see my little brother killed!"
"Oh, don't cry," you tell Yekaterina gently. "I'm sure he will be alright. He's made it this far, hasn't he? And he's a big, strong man now. I'm sure he can take care of himself. Besides, you can protect him from afar. We are snipers, after all."
Yekaterina looks over at you with teary eyes and smiles. "You're right! Thank you, (y/n)! I feel much better now," she tells you.
You smile back at her, but your smile falls when a large, dark shadow falls across your path. You look up to see Colonel Braginsky himself standing in front of you, his arms crossed and a look of utmost displeasure on his face. You shiver a little in fear.
"If you have time for idle chatter then obviously you are not working hard enough," he says in a voice as cold as the Siberian winter.
Immediately Natalia perks up. "Big brother!" she exclaims, running over to him with her arms outstretched, a look of pure joy on her face.
Without looking at her, Colonel Braginsky slaps her away, knocking her on her back in the dirt. You're indignant. "This is why women should not be in the military. So easily distracted. It disgusts me," he says, looking you in the eyes.
"Sir, I will not stand by and watch a man strike a woman," you growl, looking over to see Natalia sitting up and rubbing her cheek where Colonel Braginsky hit her. There is a large, red handprint there now, each finger perfectly outlined. You're trembling with rage.
"You would do well to remember your position, Private (y/l/n)," he tells you menacingly, leaning in toward you.
"My rank has nothing to do with this. I will not allow harm to befall any of these women simply because of a prejudice. They have done nothing wrong. If you wish to punish someone, then punish me, but leave the rest out of it," you declare, meeting his cool violet eyes with a hot glare.
"(y/n)...," Yekaterina murmurs, giving you a sad look before turning her head away to hide her tears as Colonel Braginsky's eyes come to rest on her. The other soldiers are looking on similarly and the company has come to a complete halt to watch this faceoff between the colonel and a measly private--a female at that!
"You have gall, daring to contradict me, Private," Colonel Braginsky says, turning away from you with his hands behind his back. You're tense, watching his every move. You know something is about to happen and you want to be ready. "It seems you have a stubborn streak."
"No, sir, just morals," you reply, knowing you're digging your own grave but unable to keep your mouth shut.
"'Morals...,'" he repeats, stopping his pacing. "I don't seem to recall anyone ever saying that war is a place for morals." He looks at you over his shoulder with an ironic smile. "Do you?"
You gulp. His smile is more terrifying than his usual blank expression. "No, sir, but I will not allow myself to be broken by this war. I have seen too many good men come out of war as a different person, so I must hold on to my values. One of those is that men should never harm a woman," you respond, holding your head high in defiance and pride.
"I see," Colonel Braginsky says, slowly turning to face you once again. "You contradict yourself, Private (y/l/n). You said before that you are happy women are now allowed to fight, for the equality, but what you speak of now is inequality. So, which is it?" Before you get a chance to answer, his gloved right hand shoots out and grips your chin, squeezing it hard as he forces you to look up into his blazing violet eyes.
"This and that are completely different matters," you spit out. Your jaw hurts and it feels like he's going to break something. You know that you'll have a nasty bruise later.
"Oh, are they?" he asks in mock surprise before chuckling to himself and bending down until his face is only inches from yours. "You're a part of the army now, Private. Do you know what that means?"
You refuse to give him the satisfaction of an answer, so you just continue to glare up at him. There's a sadistic gleam in his eyes and you can tell you've managed to hit a nerve somewhere along the way.
"You are nothing. Simply a tool in this war, like that rifle on your back. Disposable and easily replaced. If you continue to prove to me that you're a defective tool, then I'll just have to get rid of you," he growls, a smirk playing at his lips. His grip on your chin tightens to an almost unbearable vice before he slowly lets go. "Now, since you so kindly offered yourself up to take the punishment for everyone, we will give it to you and then move on."
You stand in front of him, your body stiff and your eyes facing forward, preparing yourself for the worst. What he had in mind was much different and much more painful than anything you had imagined, however.
"Women," Colonel Braginsky barks, startling everyone to attention. "Line up. You will be giving your comrade the punishment she so desires." The women all glance at each other with wide eyes but do as he says, knowing full well that it could be them next. "Remove your rifles!" A low murmur goes through the company. "I want each and every one of you to strike her with the butt of your gun. She says she will not tolerate men striking women, so let women strike her instead. If you are gentle it only means that you will have to hit her again an again until I am satisfied. Now, go! We have wasted enough time as it is."
The first woman gives you a hesitant, pitying look. "Do it. I can take it," you assure her, bracing yourself. She still appears to be uncertain, but she hits you anyway, slamming the hard wooden butt of the rifle into your cheek. It hurts, but you know it could be much, much worse, so you roll your head on your neck and beckon the next girl forward.
Each strike makes you more numb than before. Your nose is bleeding and you have scrapes across your face that are steadily oozing blood. When it's Yekaterina's turn to go, she shakes her head. "No, I can't," she says.
"You have to," you tell her.
"I won't!" she exclaims, her eyes teary, pain written across her face.
"Hit me!" you shout. She shakes her head again stubbornly. "Hit me, damn it! I'm doing this for you! Do you really think one more will do anything?"
She takes a shaky breath in and looks back up at you with determination. Slowly, she approaches you, rears back, and throttles you. The impact knocks your head back a little, but you're satisfied. It's better that you take it than the rest of them.
After the last woman has her turn, they return to formation. You turn to face Colonel Braginsky once more, attempting to seem calm and relaxed but knowing it's not as effective when your face is a bloody mess. "So? Is that all?" you ask him.
"Have you learned your lesson?" Colonel Braginsky responds.
"Which one? That rifle butts make for good bludgeoning weapons or that you're an immature tyrant?" you shoot back. You instantly regret the words, but you're feeling like nothing could make things any worse at this point.
Without warning, Colonel Braginsky rears back and swings his massive fist into your stomach. You're on the ground, looking up at the grey sky for a moment before you push yourself into a sitting position. "Next time you dare talk back to me I will not be so gentle," he says coolly, walking off. "Well? What are you all standing around for? War will not wait for us!"
You glare at the colonel's retreating back, spitting a mixture of blood and saliva into the dust. "Bastard," you mutter under your breath.
"(y/n)! Are you alright?" Yekaterina exclaims, crouching next to you.
"I'm fine," you tell her, trying to smile.
"I-I'm so sorry," she tells you with a shaky voice as she pulls you to your feet. "Does it hurt?"
"Nah, didn't even tickle," you tell her, putting on the bravado for the others. "It takes a lot more than that to break me."
She doesn't look like she believes you, but she doesn't press the matter. "Vanya never used to be like that before. I never thought he had become so cruel...," she murmurs, a look of concern etched onto her face.
"War changes people," you say quietly, trying to block the memories attempting to flood back into your brain.
You feel a tap on your shoulder and you turn to see Natalia, still with the pink outline of a hand on her cheek, looking at you intently. "Th-thanks," she mumbles with embarrassment.
"It was my pleasure," you respond with a smile. She's awfully cute when she's being shy.
"Don't let it go to your head, though! I still won't allow you to get near my Vanya!" she declares, crossing her arms petulantly.
"Don't worry. I wouldn't want to after this," you tell her. It's not entirely true, though. Despite it all, you feel like getting pummeled was worth it because you have more insight as to the different aspects of Colonel Braginsky's personality now. He's merciless and cruel, but you thought you saw the faintest glimmers of humanity in his eyes when he was gripping your chin. He could have easily just struck you down and been done with it, but he held out. He threatened and waited until you gave him no choice but to harm you. You think that somewhere, deep, deep down, he has a heart and a soft one at that. You want to find that side of him, to see what he's really like. "Now, let's get to marching. I, for one, would like to get some sleep tonight!"
Friday, July 3, 2015
Zuviel Liebe (Germany x Reader): Frankfurter Buchmesse
Konichiwa! It's been a while! Sorry, I've been busy lately and I've kind of neglected my longer stories in favor of oneshots... But I have a new chapter of "Zuviel Liebe" for you! I'm also going to post a chapter of "Katyusha" because I'm still behind on that... Anyway, here it is. This chapter was requested by a girl on Quotev, Madison Stanton and my inspiration was from this video (youtube.com/watch?v=C1a9l6GsAbI ). By the way, the cosplayer at 0:57 in the video is Xerxes Break from Pandora Hearts and I literally squealed when I saw it. Okay, I'm just going to hush up now. Catch you guys later~! Like, in a few minutes... XD
- Turtle-chan
Well, today’s the day. You and the boys are all ready to go for the Frankfurt Book Fair and even just standing outside the building it’s being held in is intimidating. There are so many people here that it’s hard not to be a little freaked out.
“Vell, shall vee go insite?” Germany asks you as Italy shivers beside him pitifully. It is a little chilly, but that’s expected from a German October. It’s also cloudy and a little windy, which doesn’t help matters.
“Yeah, let’s go,” you respond excitedly, nearly bouncing on the balls of your feet. This is just too cool!
Inside the building is jam-packed with people, but it’s absolutely amazing anyway. There is a section for each country and in each section are artistic book displays. There are also ample spaces set aside specifically for reading. It’s every bookworm’s dream! You’re immediately overwhelmed by it all, but in the best kind of way. You notice that Japan has his camera with him and is snapping the occasional picture. Italy keeps getting distracted by pretty girls and Germany has to pull him away. You giggle and walk closer to Germany, slipping your hand into his. He blushes a little, but intertwines his fingers with yours and rubs his thumb across your knuckles soothingly.
“Ve~! Look, (y/n)! Italia~! It’s my country’s section! Let’s go check it out!” Italy exclaims, dragging you over to the area in question.
He excitedly runs around alternately glancing at books and flirting with the girl working there. You flip through some of the books, but you don’t speak Italian, so you aren’t really sure what’s going on. Somehow, it feels comforting to be out with the guys like this. It’s one of those weird times when you feel like the four of you are a real family.
You feel a little pang in your chest at the thought. It’s been years since you’ve seen your family. You wonder how they’re doing, what has changed in your absence. Do they think you’re dead or is it like you never existed in the first place? You feel heat pricking behind your eyes and you take a sharp breath in. This is why you’ve been trying to avoid thinking about them. You have no idea how to get back home and even if you did, you’re not sure if you could leave Germany behind. He’s too important to you and you know that loving him like this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You’re not going to find someone you can love as deeply as him and you probably won’t find someone who loves you as much as he does.
“Is somesink zee matter?” Germany murmurs from beside you, startling you out of your thoughts. He looks down at you with concern.
Unconsciously, you bring a hand up to wipe at your eyes. “No, I’m fine,” you tell him with a smile. “I was just thinking.”
“Ve~! I’m bored now! Let’s go somewhere else!” Italy interrupts, bounding over to where you and Germany are standing. Germany never does get a chance to respond.
“Ah. If you do not mind, I would like to visit my country’s stall,” Japan pipes up.
You look up at Germany and he nods a little reluctantly. “Alright. Zat sounts fine to me,” he says. “Let us go.”
The four of you set off back into the crowds, making a circuit around the center. The closer you get to the Asian countries’ stalls, however, the more you start noticing strange-looking people. Their hair is often some sort of unnatural color, pink or blue or crimson or green, and they’re wearing completely impractical clothing with tons of makeup. Some of them look familiar to you but you don’t pay much mind to it. Italy could easily get lost here and he keeps wandering off, so your attention is mostly on him. Then, Japan’s stall is in sight and it finally hits you why the strange-looking people seemed familiar. Good Lord. The cosplayers.
Almost every single person is in costume, ranging from the well-done to the embarrassingly inappropriate. There are many girls wearing cat ears and you see several cosplays you recognize. It makes you very, very happy, somehow. You turn to Japan and see that he, too, seems excited and he keeps fingering his camera. Italy doesn’t seem to notice, but Germany looks horrified.
“Vhat… Vhat is zis?” he asks, staring out at the sea of anime characters with wide blue eyes.
“This is beautiful,” you respond, grinning from ear to ear. Germany looks down at you with confusion, but Japan has already distracted you again.
“Look, (y/n)-san. There is a section of new manga. Shall we look?” he says to you, pointing over at the area in question. You see shelves upon shelves of manga and you can almost feel your eyes sparkling. “Let’s go!” you squeal, scurrying over with him.
You’ve never seen so many volumes of manga in one place before. It’s just so beautiful. There are some you recognize and many that you don’t. One in particular catches your eye. You pick up the gleaming white book and gasp, your eyes running over the red lettering of the title and the familiar faces on the cover. It’s the latest volume of Hetalia. Why is it here? You have no clue. You would think it would be a little too metaphysical for that, but you’re not going to argue it. Eagerly you start flipping through it.
“Ah, those characters look very similar to America-kun and England-san. How uncanny,” Japan notes, leaning over to look at the comic.
“Uh, haha! Yeah, I guess so,” you respond nervously. Does he not realize that it is them? “Oh, look! That guy over there is Xerxes Break! Will you come with me to ask for a picture with him?”
“Hai,” Japan nods, following you as you fight your way through the crowd to the white-haired person.
“Excuse me,” you say, tapping him on the shoulder. He turns around to face you, his single red eye wide. “Would you mind if we take a picture with you? Break is a really awesome character!”
“Ehh? Of course, of cooouuurse~!” the cosplayer responds in a spot-on impression of the character. He even has the costume down to the little blue Emily doll on his shoulder and a tin of hard candy. You stand next to him and pose with a broad grin on your face while Japan takes the picture.
“Thank you so much!” you tell him as you walk back off with Japan. He flaps his long sleeves at you in farewell and you turn back to finding Germany and Italy.
It’s not hard even with all the people, though, because Germany’s so tall. You find him restraining Italy by holding onto his jacket collar.
“Ve~! You caught me, Germany!” Italy says happily as he dangles a few inches off the ground.
“I tolt you not to kall me zat here, Feliciano,” Germany tells him. Oh yeah. You had forgotten Germany decided that all of the countries should use their human names while out in public so as to avoid causing panic.
“Ludwig,” you call out, making sure to pronounce the name correctly. “Feliciano. We’re back.”
Both boys look up and Germany nods to you, setting Italy back on his feet. “Ah. (y/n). Kiku. Did you two enjoy yourselves?” he asks.
“Mmhm! It was great!” you reply, smiling up at him. “I even got to take a picture with one of my favorite manga characters!”
“Zat is goot. I sink…,” Germany says a little uncertainly. “Shall we-?” He’s cut off by a horrifying, unforgettable sound that strikes fear into your very core. The shriek of a fangirl.
“DOIIIIIITTTTTSSSSUUUUUUUUUUUU!” you hear as a blurry figure dashes forward and jumps on Germany, attacking him with a hug. The impact rocks him backward a step and he freezes, eyes wide and confused. Italy and Japan both look terrified.
Once there’s a little less confusion, you see that the attacker is a girl in Italy cosplay. She keeps rubbing her head against Germany and saying, “Ve~! Ve~! Doitsu~!”
“Italia!” you hear a voice call out harshly from behind you. You turn to see a group of Hetalia cosplayers, their Germany glaring at the Italy girl. “Get down from zere zis instant!”
“Ehhh? But he’s-a so soft and-a warm,” the girl responds, pouting. Germany looks like he’s going to kill someone or die of embarrassment, one.
“Ah, sorry, Itaria-kun, but you cannot cring to Germany-san rike that,” their Japan murmurs. You notice all the cosplayers are female and you try to suppress a laugh at their impressions. “Japan’s” accent is just too hilarious.
Meanwhile, the real countries just look on with varying degrees of confusion. “Hey, she looks like me!” Italy exclaims, looking at the girl who is still glomping Germany.
“Aiyah! White people, sheesh!” the girl cosplaying China exclaims, throwing up her hands in frustration.
Now, you’ve realized that the guys are getting too freaked out so it’s time for you to step in. You consider playing it off like the four of you are a cosplay group as well, but you don’t trust the guys to play along with that, so you go for the direct attack. “Um, hey, you guys look really awesome and all, but we’re not cosplayers,” you tell the group of enthusiastic fangirls before turning to the one who has still yet to let go of Germany. “Also, Ludwig is really shy and I think you’re embarrassing him.”
“Wait, you’re not cosplaying?” one of the girls—the one dressed as Japan—asks incredulously, slipping back into what you assume is her normal voice.
“Nope. I guess these guys do look a little bit like the Hetalia guys, though, don’t they?” you laugh, glancing over at the still confused Germany who has finally, finally been released.
“A little? No, they’re spitting images of what the Axis would look like in real life!” the Germany cosplayer exclaims, her eyes wide.
You notice the three boys exchanging glances, but you try to ignore it and keep the girls’ attention on you. “Haha! Sorry for the misunderstanding,” you tell them cheerfully.
“N-no, it’s fine,” the girl dressed as Canada pipes up. You’re a little startled because you didn’t notice her before. She was just so quiet. “Could we maybe take a picture with you guys, though?”
“Sure,” you smile, gathering the boys together while one of the cosplayers asks a person nearby to take a picture of everyone on her phone. You all pose in a group, with the Italy, Germany, and Japan cosplayers standing with the nations themselves. After it’s done, you all exchange your goodbyes and they leave.
“Vhat vas zat?” Germany asks, rubbing his temples in frustration.
“Ummm… I’ll explain it some other time,” you say vaguely. “Is there anywhere else you guys want to stop?”
“Ve~! I think it should be your turn to pick, (y/n)!” Italy declares.
“Ja, you shoult pik. You are zee reason vee are here anyvay,” Germany adds in.
“Okay, well could we go find a country that speaks English? So, pretty much the U.S., U.K., or Canada?” you answer half-jokingly. You would like to actually read something.
The boys all consent and you make your way over. There are some interesting stories that you flip through for a while as Italy naps on a pile of cushions and Japan reads the manga he picked up in the Japanese stall. Germany wanders about skimming over a few books here and there and it’s overall a much more peaceful experience than you expected. When you’ve finished, you all decide to head over to Germany’s stall before leaving, even though Germany didn’t ask to go there. You watch as he walks around picking up books and reading through them carefully, occasionally smiling, occasionally shaking his head in disapproval and putting the book down. It makes you happy to see that everyone really has been able to enjoy themselves. Italy is sleeping with his head in your lap and Japan is off to the side, still reading manga. Once again you’re struck by how much like a family the Axis has become for you. It makes you feel warm inside and you smile to yourself as you absentmindedly stroke Italy’s hair.
“Vell, it looks like eferyone is reaty to leafe now,” Germany murmurs, crouching down next to you.
You giggle. “Yeah, I think so,” you respond. “It’s getting late anyway.”
He nods and picks Italy up, slinging him over his shoulder like a big child before standing and offering you his free hand. You take it and allow him to help you to your feet. Japan notices the three of you and puts his manga away, getting up and coming over to you.
Without a word, the three of you walk outside and over to Germany’s car. Germany carefully puts the still sleeping Italy in and buckles him up before sitting down in the driver’s seat and cranking the engine. During the car ride, you watch as the sun starts to set.
~~~
After a quick dinner, everyone begins getting ready for bed. You and Germany are sitting in his office, he going over some last minute paperwork and you watching him. With the last bit done, he takes off his glasses and stretches his arms with a sigh. You walk over to him and wrap your arms around his neck, cuddling into him. “Thanks for today, Germany,” you murmur.
He kisses the top of your head. “It vas nosink. I am glat zat you enjoyet yourself,” he responds.
You giggle. “Yeah, it was nice being able to go out with all of you. It reminded me of being with my family.”
Germany pulls you onto his lap and wraps his strong arms around your waist, pulling you to his chest. “You miss zem, do not you?” he asks.
“A little bit,” you respond. “But you guys are like family now, too, so it’s alright.”
He’s quiet for a few moments. “If you neet to go bak or if you vant to, zen you kan. I do not vant you to go, but I do vant you to be happy,” he finally murmurs into your hair. “I know zat it is not zee same vis just us.”
You pull away and look up at Germany, studying his face. He looks a little sad, but resolved. He’s too good to me… “Germany,” you say quietly, placing the palms of your hands on his cheeks. “Who said anything about leaving? Sure, I miss my old world, but this is my home now. I’m not going anywhere.” You look deeply into his clear blue eyes, hoping you can somehow convey the depth of your emotion to him.
“(y/n)…,” he whispers, pressing his forehead against yours and closing his eyes. You smile and touch your nose to his.
Glancing at you for a moment, he pulls away a little and tilts his head, catching your chin with his thumb and forefinger. You smile again and lean in to meet him in the middle. His kiss is soft and slow. He releases your chin and moves his hand to rest on the small of your back, gently applying pressure to pull you closer, to which you oblige. After a while, you pull back for air, but he quickly pulls you back in, a little more passionately this time. You feel him run his tongue against your bottom lip and, blushing, you open your mouth for him. His tongue enters your mouth, gently brushing against your own before caressing every other surface within. You moan softly into the kiss and bring your hands up to run through his hair. You revel in his closeness, in the reassuring feeling of his hands on your waist, the tenderness of his lips against yours. You love the way he tastes, something words alone can’t describe. You love how you feel like you’re drowning in his scent, in him.
You finally pull away to catch your breath, both of you panting and both of you blushing. “Ich liebe dich so, so sehr, (y/n),” Germany tells you softly, pressing one more kiss to your lips. The sensual purr of his accent makes you shiver.
“I love you too, Germany,” you respond, wrapping your arms around his neck and cuddling into his chest again.
You sit in silence once more, just enjoying time spent together, as Germany holds you. You feel drowsy and you know you’ll probably fall asleep soon, but you don’t mind. You feel comforted knowing that Germany will take care of you and, even if they’re not blood relatives, the Axis is still family, no matter what. Just before you fall asleep, a thought flashes through your mind. He really is too good to me…
- Turtle-chan
Well, today’s the day. You and the boys are all ready to go for the Frankfurt Book Fair and even just standing outside the building it’s being held in is intimidating. There are so many people here that it’s hard not to be a little freaked out.
“Vell, shall vee go insite?” Germany asks you as Italy shivers beside him pitifully. It is a little chilly, but that’s expected from a German October. It’s also cloudy and a little windy, which doesn’t help matters.
“Yeah, let’s go,” you respond excitedly, nearly bouncing on the balls of your feet. This is just too cool!
Inside the building is jam-packed with people, but it’s absolutely amazing anyway. There is a section for each country and in each section are artistic book displays. There are also ample spaces set aside specifically for reading. It’s every bookworm’s dream! You’re immediately overwhelmed by it all, but in the best kind of way. You notice that Japan has his camera with him and is snapping the occasional picture. Italy keeps getting distracted by pretty girls and Germany has to pull him away. You giggle and walk closer to Germany, slipping your hand into his. He blushes a little, but intertwines his fingers with yours and rubs his thumb across your knuckles soothingly.
“Ve~! Look, (y/n)! Italia~! It’s my country’s section! Let’s go check it out!” Italy exclaims, dragging you over to the area in question.
He excitedly runs around alternately glancing at books and flirting with the girl working there. You flip through some of the books, but you don’t speak Italian, so you aren’t really sure what’s going on. Somehow, it feels comforting to be out with the guys like this. It’s one of those weird times when you feel like the four of you are a real family.
You feel a little pang in your chest at the thought. It’s been years since you’ve seen your family. You wonder how they’re doing, what has changed in your absence. Do they think you’re dead or is it like you never existed in the first place? You feel heat pricking behind your eyes and you take a sharp breath in. This is why you’ve been trying to avoid thinking about them. You have no idea how to get back home and even if you did, you’re not sure if you could leave Germany behind. He’s too important to you and you know that loving him like this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You’re not going to find someone you can love as deeply as him and you probably won’t find someone who loves you as much as he does.
“Is somesink zee matter?” Germany murmurs from beside you, startling you out of your thoughts. He looks down at you with concern.
Unconsciously, you bring a hand up to wipe at your eyes. “No, I’m fine,” you tell him with a smile. “I was just thinking.”
“Ve~! I’m bored now! Let’s go somewhere else!” Italy interrupts, bounding over to where you and Germany are standing. Germany never does get a chance to respond.
“Ah. If you do not mind, I would like to visit my country’s stall,” Japan pipes up.
You look up at Germany and he nods a little reluctantly. “Alright. Zat sounts fine to me,” he says. “Let us go.”
The four of you set off back into the crowds, making a circuit around the center. The closer you get to the Asian countries’ stalls, however, the more you start noticing strange-looking people. Their hair is often some sort of unnatural color, pink or blue or crimson or green, and they’re wearing completely impractical clothing with tons of makeup. Some of them look familiar to you but you don’t pay much mind to it. Italy could easily get lost here and he keeps wandering off, so your attention is mostly on him. Then, Japan’s stall is in sight and it finally hits you why the strange-looking people seemed familiar. Good Lord. The cosplayers.
Almost every single person is in costume, ranging from the well-done to the embarrassingly inappropriate. There are many girls wearing cat ears and you see several cosplays you recognize. It makes you very, very happy, somehow. You turn to Japan and see that he, too, seems excited and he keeps fingering his camera. Italy doesn’t seem to notice, but Germany looks horrified.
“Vhat… Vhat is zis?” he asks, staring out at the sea of anime characters with wide blue eyes.
“This is beautiful,” you respond, grinning from ear to ear. Germany looks down at you with confusion, but Japan has already distracted you again.
“Look, (y/n)-san. There is a section of new manga. Shall we look?” he says to you, pointing over at the area in question. You see shelves upon shelves of manga and you can almost feel your eyes sparkling. “Let’s go!” you squeal, scurrying over with him.
You’ve never seen so many volumes of manga in one place before. It’s just so beautiful. There are some you recognize and many that you don’t. One in particular catches your eye. You pick up the gleaming white book and gasp, your eyes running over the red lettering of the title and the familiar faces on the cover. It’s the latest volume of Hetalia. Why is it here? You have no clue. You would think it would be a little too metaphysical for that, but you’re not going to argue it. Eagerly you start flipping through it.
“Ah, those characters look very similar to America-kun and England-san. How uncanny,” Japan notes, leaning over to look at the comic.
“Uh, haha! Yeah, I guess so,” you respond nervously. Does he not realize that it is them? “Oh, look! That guy over there is Xerxes Break! Will you come with me to ask for a picture with him?”
“Hai,” Japan nods, following you as you fight your way through the crowd to the white-haired person.
“Excuse me,” you say, tapping him on the shoulder. He turns around to face you, his single red eye wide. “Would you mind if we take a picture with you? Break is a really awesome character!”
“Ehh? Of course, of cooouuurse~!” the cosplayer responds in a spot-on impression of the character. He even has the costume down to the little blue Emily doll on his shoulder and a tin of hard candy. You stand next to him and pose with a broad grin on your face while Japan takes the picture.
“Thank you so much!” you tell him as you walk back off with Japan. He flaps his long sleeves at you in farewell and you turn back to finding Germany and Italy.
It’s not hard even with all the people, though, because Germany’s so tall. You find him restraining Italy by holding onto his jacket collar.
“Ve~! You caught me, Germany!” Italy says happily as he dangles a few inches off the ground.
“I tolt you not to kall me zat here, Feliciano,” Germany tells him. Oh yeah. You had forgotten Germany decided that all of the countries should use their human names while out in public so as to avoid causing panic.
“Ludwig,” you call out, making sure to pronounce the name correctly. “Feliciano. We’re back.”
Both boys look up and Germany nods to you, setting Italy back on his feet. “Ah. (y/n). Kiku. Did you two enjoy yourselves?” he asks.
“Mmhm! It was great!” you reply, smiling up at him. “I even got to take a picture with one of my favorite manga characters!”
“Zat is goot. I sink…,” Germany says a little uncertainly. “Shall we-?” He’s cut off by a horrifying, unforgettable sound that strikes fear into your very core. The shriek of a fangirl.
“DOIIIIIITTTTTSSSSUUUUUUUUUUUU!” you hear as a blurry figure dashes forward and jumps on Germany, attacking him with a hug. The impact rocks him backward a step and he freezes, eyes wide and confused. Italy and Japan both look terrified.
Once there’s a little less confusion, you see that the attacker is a girl in Italy cosplay. She keeps rubbing her head against Germany and saying, “Ve~! Ve~! Doitsu~!”
“Italia!” you hear a voice call out harshly from behind you. You turn to see a group of Hetalia cosplayers, their Germany glaring at the Italy girl. “Get down from zere zis instant!”
“Ehhh? But he’s-a so soft and-a warm,” the girl responds, pouting. Germany looks like he’s going to kill someone or die of embarrassment, one.
“Ah, sorry, Itaria-kun, but you cannot cring to Germany-san rike that,” their Japan murmurs. You notice all the cosplayers are female and you try to suppress a laugh at their impressions. “Japan’s” accent is just too hilarious.
Meanwhile, the real countries just look on with varying degrees of confusion. “Hey, she looks like me!” Italy exclaims, looking at the girl who is still glomping Germany.
“Aiyah! White people, sheesh!” the girl cosplaying China exclaims, throwing up her hands in frustration.
Now, you’ve realized that the guys are getting too freaked out so it’s time for you to step in. You consider playing it off like the four of you are a cosplay group as well, but you don’t trust the guys to play along with that, so you go for the direct attack. “Um, hey, you guys look really awesome and all, but we’re not cosplayers,” you tell the group of enthusiastic fangirls before turning to the one who has still yet to let go of Germany. “Also, Ludwig is really shy and I think you’re embarrassing him.”
“Wait, you’re not cosplaying?” one of the girls—the one dressed as Japan—asks incredulously, slipping back into what you assume is her normal voice.
“Nope. I guess these guys do look a little bit like the Hetalia guys, though, don’t they?” you laugh, glancing over at the still confused Germany who has finally, finally been released.
“A little? No, they’re spitting images of what the Axis would look like in real life!” the Germany cosplayer exclaims, her eyes wide.
You notice the three boys exchanging glances, but you try to ignore it and keep the girls’ attention on you. “Haha! Sorry for the misunderstanding,” you tell them cheerfully.
“N-no, it’s fine,” the girl dressed as Canada pipes up. You’re a little startled because you didn’t notice her before. She was just so quiet. “Could we maybe take a picture with you guys, though?”
“Sure,” you smile, gathering the boys together while one of the cosplayers asks a person nearby to take a picture of everyone on her phone. You all pose in a group, with the Italy, Germany, and Japan cosplayers standing with the nations themselves. After it’s done, you all exchange your goodbyes and they leave.
“Vhat vas zat?” Germany asks, rubbing his temples in frustration.
“Ummm… I’ll explain it some other time,” you say vaguely. “Is there anywhere else you guys want to stop?”
“Ve~! I think it should be your turn to pick, (y/n)!” Italy declares.
“Ja, you shoult pik. You are zee reason vee are here anyvay,” Germany adds in.
“Okay, well could we go find a country that speaks English? So, pretty much the U.S., U.K., or Canada?” you answer half-jokingly. You would like to actually read something.
The boys all consent and you make your way over. There are some interesting stories that you flip through for a while as Italy naps on a pile of cushions and Japan reads the manga he picked up in the Japanese stall. Germany wanders about skimming over a few books here and there and it’s overall a much more peaceful experience than you expected. When you’ve finished, you all decide to head over to Germany’s stall before leaving, even though Germany didn’t ask to go there. You watch as he walks around picking up books and reading through them carefully, occasionally smiling, occasionally shaking his head in disapproval and putting the book down. It makes you happy to see that everyone really has been able to enjoy themselves. Italy is sleeping with his head in your lap and Japan is off to the side, still reading manga. Once again you’re struck by how much like a family the Axis has become for you. It makes you feel warm inside and you smile to yourself as you absentmindedly stroke Italy’s hair.
“Vell, it looks like eferyone is reaty to leafe now,” Germany murmurs, crouching down next to you.
You giggle. “Yeah, I think so,” you respond. “It’s getting late anyway.”
He nods and picks Italy up, slinging him over his shoulder like a big child before standing and offering you his free hand. You take it and allow him to help you to your feet. Japan notices the three of you and puts his manga away, getting up and coming over to you.
Without a word, the three of you walk outside and over to Germany’s car. Germany carefully puts the still sleeping Italy in and buckles him up before sitting down in the driver’s seat and cranking the engine. During the car ride, you watch as the sun starts to set.
~~~
After a quick dinner, everyone begins getting ready for bed. You and Germany are sitting in his office, he going over some last minute paperwork and you watching him. With the last bit done, he takes off his glasses and stretches his arms with a sigh. You walk over to him and wrap your arms around his neck, cuddling into him. “Thanks for today, Germany,” you murmur.
He kisses the top of your head. “It vas nosink. I am glat zat you enjoyet yourself,” he responds.
You giggle. “Yeah, it was nice being able to go out with all of you. It reminded me of being with my family.”
Germany pulls you onto his lap and wraps his strong arms around your waist, pulling you to his chest. “You miss zem, do not you?” he asks.
“A little bit,” you respond. “But you guys are like family now, too, so it’s alright.”
He’s quiet for a few moments. “If you neet to go bak or if you vant to, zen you kan. I do not vant you to go, but I do vant you to be happy,” he finally murmurs into your hair. “I know zat it is not zee same vis just us.”
You pull away and look up at Germany, studying his face. He looks a little sad, but resolved. He’s too good to me… “Germany,” you say quietly, placing the palms of your hands on his cheeks. “Who said anything about leaving? Sure, I miss my old world, but this is my home now. I’m not going anywhere.” You look deeply into his clear blue eyes, hoping you can somehow convey the depth of your emotion to him.
“(y/n)…,” he whispers, pressing his forehead against yours and closing his eyes. You smile and touch your nose to his.
Glancing at you for a moment, he pulls away a little and tilts his head, catching your chin with his thumb and forefinger. You smile again and lean in to meet him in the middle. His kiss is soft and slow. He releases your chin and moves his hand to rest on the small of your back, gently applying pressure to pull you closer, to which you oblige. After a while, you pull back for air, but he quickly pulls you back in, a little more passionately this time. You feel him run his tongue against your bottom lip and, blushing, you open your mouth for him. His tongue enters your mouth, gently brushing against your own before caressing every other surface within. You moan softly into the kiss and bring your hands up to run through his hair. You revel in his closeness, in the reassuring feeling of his hands on your waist, the tenderness of his lips against yours. You love the way he tastes, something words alone can’t describe. You love how you feel like you’re drowning in his scent, in him.
You finally pull away to catch your breath, both of you panting and both of you blushing. “Ich liebe dich so, so sehr, (y/n),” Germany tells you softly, pressing one more kiss to your lips. The sensual purr of his accent makes you shiver.
“I love you too, Germany,” you respond, wrapping your arms around his neck and cuddling into his chest again.
You sit in silence once more, just enjoying time spent together, as Germany holds you. You feel drowsy and you know you’ll probably fall asleep soon, but you don’t mind. You feel comforted knowing that Germany will take care of you and, even if they’re not blood relatives, the Axis is still family, no matter what. Just before you fall asleep, a thought flashes through your mind. He really is too good to me…
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