Stepping Together [COMPLETE]

[blitzkriegd]

Characters: England, Prussia
Date: Nov 28, morning but will most likely be all day
Format: Prose
Content Warnings: swearing is a given, also they are in a very weird relationship
Summary: Two countries struggle with controversial subjects. England finds out he's crazy, Prussia ponders about his life back home. A plan for Darstone-domination is hatched?



England had had a change of heart, so to speak, in regards to his stay in Darstone. Thanks to his conversation with his new roommate, Rarity, he had made up his mind to do whatever he could to assist the occupants while he was stuck there. After all, she was a unicorn. Above all else, England respected mythical beings, and unicorns were certainly the wisest! The fact that Rarity had befriended him so easily (though most creatures did) and was willing to help people she didn't even know forced him to reevaluate his stay in the city. He'd been beaten up, monitored, and had his heart removed. But at the same time, there had been some wonderful things that happened to him. He met new friends, had taken a whole cave of gems for himself, and he had found out about Prussia's devotion to him.

Ah. Prussia...

As a man who kept grudges, he should have still been disgusted by Prussia's actions, but England's anger with his fellow country had subsided for the time being. Why? Maybe it was something Loki did, or maybe it was just because England was excited by the idea of his enemy keeping hold of his heart. They lived next door to each other, and England could always hear his heart beating from wherever it was (most likely safe and sound in Prussia's room). Every now and then, England would press himself against the wall of his bedroom to listen to it, to remind London that he was close by, and that he had not abandoned it. He would take London back in time. As long as he knew it was safe, he was alright with it being where it was.

There was obviously something wrong with him.

But it was so new! The idea of loving Prussia as a human intrigued him. In Darstone, England didn't have to worry about his country duties. He was free to relax and discover new things, free to be his own boss, free to allow his enemy to keep him on a leash. Heh, that was something he would never admit to enjoying to anyone nut himself. Obviously, there was still a part of England that wanted to hurry home and protect his citizens, but another part of him was quite content in this new world. That was what exactly what he hadn't wanted to happen and he knew it was dangerous. He'd deal with it later.

Speaking of Prussia, it had been a while since England had seen him. And he very much wanted to see him. What a fool he was! Yet no matter how often England scolded himself, he could not stop thinking about him. Prussia was his Achilles heel. He was constantly in fear that Prussia would grow tired of him and cast him aside because he thought England was weak. England never wanted Prussia to think of him as weak, but wanting to be with him, after everything he did, obviously was proof of the island's true nature.

England's good mood wavered for a moment as he thought about how far he'd fallen... No, he wouldn't accuse Darstone. He only had himself to blame.

He decided to take a walk to get his mind off of that idiot and his own feelings. England headed west with the intention of visiting the Crafter's District. With his pockets full of small gems from his hideout, he went up through the Queen's Run-he'd made the mistake of going through the South District once and was almost mugged. Thank goodness he had his magic-over to the desired area and began to look around. He'd been here a couple times and had always found something new. Perhaps, today, he would look at the magic items. Now that he was supporting Darstone, England planned to go shopping more often.

Of course, once he got to the hustle and bustle of the District, he caught sight of a familiar face. It was Prussia! He sighed and resigned himself to fate before following after him.

"Hey."

Comments

[blitzkriegd]

Oh, Prussia, you cocky bastard. England caught up to him. He was reminding himself to keep it cool, don't be too eager, don't scare Prussia away.

"You've just been gone for a while," he sniffed. That wasn't a 'no.' He kept his expression flat, though his eyes certainly caught sight of the lack of Cross. He still felt that was weird. If it had broken, wouldn't have Prussia fixed it by now? "I was worried you'd been sent home with my heart."

[garantundkraft]

"Nah, they can't get rid of the awesome me without telling my adoring public first!" He winked at England, then took out his pack of cigarettes and offered one to him. "Family shit to take care of. You've got like half the world as your siblings so you know how that goes." Once England had either accepted or declined the cigarette, he put the pack away. Then Prussia crossed his arms behind his head, the picture of relaxation and casual behaviour. Idly, he glanced at the crafters' storefronts and stalls as they walked down the street. He hadn't really looked around here since he had gotten the knife and chest to take England's heart.

[blitzkriegd]

England accepted the cigarette readily. He hadn't smoked in a while. Being an immortal being, he could smoke without any consequences. He enjoyed smoking occasionally when he wanted to be very relaxed.

"You have more family here?" He raised his eyebrow before leaning over to light his cigarette with Prussia's.

[garantundkraft]

Oh, how intimate of you, England. He could have held his cig in his hand so England could light his, or even offered a lighter, but Prussia much more enjoyed keeping his in his mouth for that. Once the other man's cigarette was lit, he pulled back, exhaling the smoke through his nose. "West is here, i'n't he?" he said with just a touch of amusement. "He needs me, so of course I'm gonna take care of him." And oh, how pleased he sounds to be needed. "Don't worry! The awesome me still has time for his cute little island!"

That said, he reached over to pinch England's cheek.

[blitzkriegd]

"How could I forget?" England said in response to Prussia's statement about Germany. He idly brushed the other's hand away. He hated being patronized! "What I mean is, you act like there are a lot of your relatives here."

[garantundkraft]

"Technically we're some kind of cousins or some shit, right? Even ignoring you, I've got my brother and then I guess Switzerland is either a brother or cousin, and Liechtenstein is like a little sister, and that's it. So, yeah, I'd say I'm acting like I have a lot of family here since at least a third of it is here. Half if I count you!" So what if he had been scarce lately? West needed him! And it was easier to not accidentally tell people why if he avoided people he'd normally talk to. "Oh, got my mirror back. Turned out it wasn't broken like I'd thought."

[blitzkriegd]

That certainly was not half the world. So if there were only half in Darstone, that meant that Prussia had been with Germany. Fine. He needed to be more clear! Well whatever! It wasn't important.

"You could've told me," England replied, turning his nose up in the air, as though he were annoyed that he had not received a communicator-call from Prussia. Which he was. "After taking mine, you owed me that."

[garantundkraft]

He had been referring to how England had so much family, whether by culture or because his people had gone out and colonised other parts of the world. Not his own family. (Of which he had more than four relatives, but he ignored the other German states and hated Austria and Bavaria too much to claim any relation to them.)

"Hey, I only just got it back! And I returned yours to you when I was done. Besides, I live next door. You coulda visited." With that, he started walking again, with the expectation that England would follow. "So, what brings you out this way?"

[blitzkriegd]

England did follow, of course. It was much better to travel with a partner. He wanted to be with Prussia more now that he saw him. "Sight-seeing, maybe a little shopping." He smiled around his cigarette. He could be more passive-aggressive later. "And you?"