[fic] letting go
Title: Letting Go
Author/Artist: chromatic_coma @ animusia
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Egypt, Ancient Egypt (Aegyptus)
Genre: Family
Rating: PG
Warning(s): Mentions of not-so-nice bodily functions (probably not what you're thinking of)
Summary: Written for Egypt's Hetalia birthday; Rome got to visit his descendants, and now it's Ancient Egypt's turn.
Letting Go
It seemed as though even in the afterlife, fads still existed. At least, that’s how Aegyptus saw it, especially with regards to the fact that whenever Rome did something, everyone else did it too (that, or they protested it, which was actually probably more common all things considered).
Take the present, for example; ever since Rome had decided he was going to visit his grandsons on Earth, the others of them had longed to do the same. But, while Rome had taken his turn all willy-nilly, as Rome tended to do with these things, the other dead nations had decided to wait until what they felt was the right moment to visit their descendants; Germania, for example, had waited until the fall of the Berlin Wall to join in his family’s reunion.
Aegyptus waited patiently for the day when she should use her one-time only pass down to Earth, and something in her gut told her that this was the day. Or, maybe it was the sight of her son that finally convinced her…
Because down on Earth Gupta was doubled over his toilet bowl, emptying out the contents of his stomach.
Much as was her nature, Aegyptus did not speak a single word as she came up behind her son. She simply got down beside him, placing a hand on his sweaty forehead and brushing his short bangs off his face. Her other hand moved to his back, rubbing slow, gentle circles to calm him down.
For his part, Gupta did not acknowledge the fact that she was there, but she did feel him lean into her hand as he started to dry heave, stomach emptied. When he was done, she pulled him into her chest, stroking through his hair as he tried to regain his breath.
“M-Mama…” He murmured, his tone full of question. Aegyptus shushed him calmly, and he did not protest being treated like a child.
“Are you okay?” She asked in her ancient tongue, before clicking her tongue and pausing. She repeated the question, this time attempting it in Arabic. After all, no one spoke or learned her language any more, and so there was no way her son would still be able to speak it.
Gupta nodded, and to her great surprise he murmured back a simple ‘yes’ in the Ancient Egyptian language.
“You still understand?”
He shrugged, and Aegyptus continued carting her fingers in his rough brown hair. The silence that fell between them this time felt normal, and if Aegyptus closed her eyes it was so easy to pretend that they were in the past, in her home, and that her son still only looked seven, not twenty-seven. But she didn’t dare risk it, because she knew her time was too limited to spend daydreaming.
“Sorry.” Gupta whispered, instantly pulling her from her thoughts. Aegyptus frowned down at her son, running a tender hand down his cheek.
“Why?”
Egypt swallowed, taking a deep breath before starting, “You entrusted your people to me. And I’m failing.”
Aegyptus’ amber eyes widened, before she sighed softly. Tilting her son’s face up so that the two made eye contact, she spoke with a finite, serious tone;
“You are not failing. Maybe your boss is not the best of men, maybe your people don’t lead the best of lives, but you are most certainly not failing.”
“But-”
“When I found you, you were sick. Why?”
“Because… my people are sick.”
“Exactly. You are suffering with them. You are not one of the people watching them in pain; you are in pain with them, trying to help them out of it. That is what makes a good nation, my son. Don’t forget that, ever.”
Modern Egypt was biting at his chapped lip, and Aegyptus smiled seeing the old habit was still there. She could tell he was mulling over her words, his expression just as focused and serious now as it was when he was still a child.
But he’s not a child anymore, she realized with a heavy heart. That realization was followed by a much heavier one, one that brought tears to her eyes;
He’s not mine anymore.
Almost as if he read her thoughts, Egypt wiped the tear from his mother’s face and pressed a kiss to her cheek. He then stood up, offering her his arm and a soft smile.
“I don’t think you’ve ever had tea before,” he started calmly, speaking in slow Arabic so as not to lose her, “but I’m sure you will like it.”
After she had taken his hand and stood beside him, Aegyptus realized that her son was now taller than she was. And as he walked her down the hall of his modest home, Aegyptus was finally filled with the pride and reassurance at knowing that her son- no, this nation- was going to be okay.
End.
--
Notes:
-The current Egyptian President is Hosni Mubarak, and he is not exactly very loved by his people. In fact, he's considered to be a dictator by the definition of a dictator, and it seems as if him and his government are more concerned with their own well-being over that of the people :/
-In the past few years things haven't looked so good for the Egyptian people. Between bread shortages, inflation, disease from contaminated food and water, and a slew of similar problems striking the middle and lower classes, I imagine that the personification of Egypt must have his moments of sickness.
-And hey, let's not get into the human rights issues and such there, okay? Since Egypt is America's biggest ally in that region of the world, usually the government here tries to help the advancement of human rights there, but according to an article I read last week, the Obama administration hasn't put that high up in their agenda, so the Egyptian government is getting lax on it again :/ That really has little to do with this story, but I thought it was interesting.
-According to my parents, who did not know what today was, February 28th is not considered a big national holiday, even though this date in 1922 is the date when Britian declared Egypt independent. In fact, most Egyptians consider July 23rd to be their Independence Day, even though it's actually the day when the nation went from being the Kingdom of Egypt to the Arab Republic of Egypt.
In conclusion, Happy Birthday to the Nation from which my family comes, and I hope you all enjoyed this fic! <3
Author/Artist: chromatic_coma @ animusia
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Egypt, Ancient Egypt (Aegyptus)
Genre: Family
Rating: PG
Warning(s): Mentions of not-so-nice bodily functions (probably not what you're thinking of)
Summary: Written for Egypt's Hetalia birthday; Rome got to visit his descendants, and now it's Ancient Egypt's turn.
Letting Go
It seemed as though even in the afterlife, fads still existed. At least, that’s how Aegyptus saw it, especially with regards to the fact that whenever Rome did something, everyone else did it too (that, or they protested it, which was actually probably more common all things considered).
Take the present, for example; ever since Rome had decided he was going to visit his grandsons on Earth, the others of them had longed to do the same. But, while Rome had taken his turn all willy-nilly, as Rome tended to do with these things, the other dead nations had decided to wait until what they felt was the right moment to visit their descendants; Germania, for example, had waited until the fall of the Berlin Wall to join in his family’s reunion.
Aegyptus waited patiently for the day when she should use her one-time only pass down to Earth, and something in her gut told her that this was the day. Or, maybe it was the sight of her son that finally convinced her…
Because down on Earth Gupta was doubled over his toilet bowl, emptying out the contents of his stomach.
Much as was her nature, Aegyptus did not speak a single word as she came up behind her son. She simply got down beside him, placing a hand on his sweaty forehead and brushing his short bangs off his face. Her other hand moved to his back, rubbing slow, gentle circles to calm him down.
For his part, Gupta did not acknowledge the fact that she was there, but she did feel him lean into her hand as he started to dry heave, stomach emptied. When he was done, she pulled him into her chest, stroking through his hair as he tried to regain his breath.
“M-Mama…” He murmured, his tone full of question. Aegyptus shushed him calmly, and he did not protest being treated like a child.
“Are you okay?” She asked in her ancient tongue, before clicking her tongue and pausing. She repeated the question, this time attempting it in Arabic. After all, no one spoke or learned her language any more, and so there was no way her son would still be able to speak it.
Gupta nodded, and to her great surprise he murmured back a simple ‘yes’ in the Ancient Egyptian language.
“You still understand?”
He shrugged, and Aegyptus continued carting her fingers in his rough brown hair. The silence that fell between them this time felt normal, and if Aegyptus closed her eyes it was so easy to pretend that they were in the past, in her home, and that her son still only looked seven, not twenty-seven. But she didn’t dare risk it, because she knew her time was too limited to spend daydreaming.
“Sorry.” Gupta whispered, instantly pulling her from her thoughts. Aegyptus frowned down at her son, running a tender hand down his cheek.
“Why?”
Egypt swallowed, taking a deep breath before starting, “You entrusted your people to me. And I’m failing.”
Aegyptus’ amber eyes widened, before she sighed softly. Tilting her son’s face up so that the two made eye contact, she spoke with a finite, serious tone;
“You are not failing. Maybe your boss is not the best of men, maybe your people don’t lead the best of lives, but you are most certainly not failing.”
“But-”
“When I found you, you were sick. Why?”
“Because… my people are sick.”
“Exactly. You are suffering with them. You are not one of the people watching them in pain; you are in pain with them, trying to help them out of it. That is what makes a good nation, my son. Don’t forget that, ever.”
Modern Egypt was biting at his chapped lip, and Aegyptus smiled seeing the old habit was still there. She could tell he was mulling over her words, his expression just as focused and serious now as it was when he was still a child.
But he’s not a child anymore, she realized with a heavy heart. That realization was followed by a much heavier one, one that brought tears to her eyes;
He’s not mine anymore.
Almost as if he read her thoughts, Egypt wiped the tear from his mother’s face and pressed a kiss to her cheek. He then stood up, offering her his arm and a soft smile.
“I don’t think you’ve ever had tea before,” he started calmly, speaking in slow Arabic so as not to lose her, “but I’m sure you will like it.”
After she had taken his hand and stood beside him, Aegyptus realized that her son was now taller than she was. And as he walked her down the hall of his modest home, Aegyptus was finally filled with the pride and reassurance at knowing that her son- no, this nation- was going to be okay.
End.
--
Notes:
-The current Egyptian President is Hosni Mubarak, and he is not exactly very loved by his people. In fact, he's considered to be a dictator by the definition of a dictator, and it seems as if him and his government are more concerned with their own well-being over that of the people :/
-In the past few years things haven't looked so good for the Egyptian people. Between bread shortages, inflation, disease from contaminated food and water, and a slew of similar problems striking the middle and lower classes, I imagine that the personification of Egypt must have his moments of sickness.
-And hey, let's not get into the human rights issues and such there, okay? Since Egypt is America's biggest ally in that region of the world, usually the government here tries to help the advancement of human rights there, but according to an article I read last week, the Obama administration hasn't put that high up in their agenda, so the Egyptian government is getting lax on it again :/ That really has little to do with this story, but I thought it was interesting.
-According to my parents, who did not know what today was, February 28th is not considered a big national holiday, even though this date in 1922 is the date when Britian declared Egypt independent. In fact, most Egyptians consider July 23rd to be their Independence Day, even though it's actually the day when the nation went from being the Kingdom of Egypt to the Arab Republic of Egypt.
In conclusion, Happy Birthday to the Nation from which my family comes, and I hope you all enjoyed this fic! <3