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]

The island slowed down and looked over at Prussia. Hnnng. He really wanted to spend some time on the Steps. Though, he supposed if he was with Prussia, he could be anywhere.

"Sure," he replied, cursing himself for being so submissive. It was definitely magic. At least it calmed him down. He sighed, not at Prussia, but at the situation. "Where do you want to go?"

[garantundkraft]

Anyone else might have questioned why England was being so docile and compliant. Prussia simply didn't notice. He knew England could be reasonable about not dragging him all the way back the way he came on the off-chance of food. "Oh, I know just the place!" He grabbed the other nation's arm and happily tugged him down an alleyway and onto a smaller street. It seemed they were headed towards the South District.

The 'bakery' he stopped them in front of hardly looked impressive. In fact, calling it a hole-in-the-wall might be considered an upgrade. An old looking Huglu woman was behind the counter, tending to the oven. Despite the poor appearance of the surroundings, it actually smelled quite delicious near the open storefront. Prussia released England to lean over the counter as far as he could. "Oiiii! Old Lady!"

Which may have been a stupid idea, usually, but Prussia came by here fairly regularly. And, let's face it, even among the newcomers he was pretty distinctive.

[blitzkriegd]

Oh, goodness, the South District! Why on earth had they gone there? He kept his mouth shut, not bothering to comment on how Prussia seemingly had no problem with squalid conditions. England did, however, allow Prussia to hold onto his arm the entire time they traveled, up until he let go.

And then he looked at their surroundings, both inside and outside. He didn't wander too far away... in fact he just decided to peek around the wall of the cave opening. Some ruffian eyed him and he quickly ducked back inside. Back in the day, the pirate he was would have no trouble passing through this sort of area. Times had changed.

[garantundkraft]

Because this bakery had the absolute best meat rolls he had ever tasted, even if he had absolutely no desire to find out what was inside them. That was why they were here. And why would he have any issue with squalor and poverty? Not all of his people were rich or fortunate enough to live in fancy homes or idyllic villages, and he would have felt wrong just... ignoring them, or not wanting anything to do with them.

And so he had simply become accustomed to the less savoury areas of his lands. Actually, he was more at ease here than he ever felt in court, even if his most preferred environment was a military encampment or post.

After some good natured arguing with the Old Lady, including a gentle boxing of his ear for the insult, he returned to England carrying two meat rolls apiece. "Geez, you look more nervous than a Jew at a government function. What's your problem?"

[blitzkriegd]

There was nothing wrong with caring about the more destitute areas of his home, though England didn't feel comfortable in a place he barely knew. Everyone looked like they were ready to either start a street brawl or throw up from sickness.

His head snapped up at Prussia's bigoted metaphor. For a moment, England just stared at him in disbelief. Really? Did he actually say that? He cleared his throat and considered boxing Prussia's ears the way the old woman had done. "My problem is that this place is unsavory..." He did take the two meat rolls that were given to him.

[garantundkraft]

It was a true statement! Of course he just said it! What, did he look like some American hick who'd say something about looking more nervous than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs? And while the nun in a sausage factory metaphor had it's uses, it certainly wasn't sexual nervousness that had shown on England's face, or anything that could be embarrassingly linked to it.

Except then it was his turn to stare at England in disbelief. Did he really just say that? "Wow, talk about prissy attitudes. When did I start going places with Austria again? Just because a place has a lot of refugees and not enough money... Man, when the fuck did you get to be so classist?"

[blitzkriegd]

England made a 'Tch' sound before turning his head away. Honestly, being compared to Austria. He didn't like that one bit. Austria just rolled over and allowed Germany to have his way with him. Well, that was how he saw it.

"The last time I was here, some degenerates tried to take my wallet! This place is not safe!"