Voyage Home I
anonymous
October 16 2010, 18:43:40 UTC
Chapter One: Voyage
"Hey, brother?" Ludwig kicked his legs, staring at Gilbert as he smoked a cigarette, careful to point the smoke away from Ludwig. "What are we doing?" he asked and the silence lasted for a few moments as Gilbert finished his cigarette and ground it out. "That man," Ludwig said as Gilbert finally looked over, "he asked for tickets. I thought we couldn't get on board without them."
"You underestimate your big brother, kiddo," Gilbert lifted Ludwig onto his shoulders and smiled up at the boy. Kick kick went the legs and Gilbert's smile shifted into a frown. "Could you stop kicking me, please?"
"Sorry, brother," the legs stilled. "Is this illegal?" Ludwig asked and Gilbert shrugged, displacing the other. With a grunt Ludwig pulled himself upright and patted Gilbert's head. "Brother, what we are doing, can we get in trouble for it?"
"You wanna go to America, kid?" Gilbert asked, leaving the cabin, avoiding the stares of the others. Ludwig, on the other hand, met them with wide blue eyes and they smiled, some even cooing and pressing change into Gilbert's hands. It was an old routine, now.
"Yes, brother," Ludwig answered, and Gilbert grinned, patting Ludwig's leg before his head snapped to the side. A couple, resplendent in their gown and clothes came closer and Gilbert walked over with a smile and a squeeze of Ludwig's knee. The time had come.
"Ah!" Gilbert said, attracting the couple's attention. Ludwig stared at them, noting the wide, curious eyes of the blonde female, and the passive acceptance of the male. Gilbert had taught him the nationalities of each and Ludwig's eyebrows furrowed. "Ah! Guten Morgen, gnädige Frau, mein Herr! Bitte, wenn du könntest, gib mir und meinem kleinen Bruder nur ein bisschen Geld, alle können Sie schonen. Wir haben wenig zu Essen auf dieser Reise zu bezahlen," were they American? The woman was, at least. The man... was...
Ludwig snapped out of it by Gilbert's slap on his knee. "Ah! Ja, ja, c-could you spare us some change?" he asked in his best english, and the woman blinked, leaning closer.
"Aw! Vanny, 'e's so cute!" she squealed and Gilbert's eyebrows shot up, tilting his head. The--Ukranian? Russian? It had to be Russian--man frowned and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Can we give 'im some of the money we 'ave, please?"
"Podsolnechnik," the man chided, kissing her head, "do you think we have the money for that?" and she pouted, shoving her hands into the Russian's pocket, ignoring his protest.
"The name's Scarlet, and this 'ere's my 'usband, Ivan," she informed Ludwig as she pressed some bills into Gilbert's hands. "Where ya'll 'eaded? We're gonna do down south and meet up with Vanny's sisters!"
"Ah, podsolnechnik, please, have some respect for privacy," the other man--Ivan, Ludwig supposed--begged as he began to lead her away. Gilbert counted the bills, and Ludwig joined him, ignoring the light bickering of Scarlet and Ivan, a thick Russian accent mixing with a southern one. One, two, three, four, five, six.
Voyage Home II
anonymous
October 16 2010, 18:45:15 UTC
"We got six dollars!" Ludwig crowed and Gilbert chuckled, reaching up and messing with Ludwig's slicked-back hair. The young boy whined and attempted to rearrange it. "We did get six dollars, right?"
"Six bills, maybe, but it's ten dollars each," Gilbert waved the bills before letting Ludwig hold them. "Can you tell me what six times ten is, kid?"
"Sixty," Ludwig answered promptly and Gilbert grinned. "We got sixty dollars, brother! That is our biggest haul yet!" Ludwig let his fingers tighten in Gilbert's hair and pulled his brother's head up to look into those red eyes. "Gil, can we buy some kind of food later?"
"You hungry?" Gilbert asked, looking around as he went above the cabin area, through the richest parts of the ship and out to the deck. "Hey, Ludwig?" he asked, looking at the unbroken expanse of glimmering black.
"Yes, brother?" Ludwig asked, similarly entranced by the water and the sky. He wondered if he could ever make a ship that could power through the water, go from one part of the world to the other without difficulty. His fingers itched to try and make something, and he played with Gilbert's silvery hair, teasing the locks.
"Don't ever do what I do, alright? Get a job, try to get an education, just don't end up begging like I do, and stealing your way onto a vessel. I want you to be good," he looked up at his younger brother and smiled. Ludwig seemed so happy on the ship, so happy, hands twitching. "You're too good for that," Gilbert finished.
"I won't, brother," Ludwig answered with the innocence that only childhood gave a soul. "But, brother, if they are so bad, then why do you do them, and I cannot? Would it not be better if I did as you did? You are always wise, and you seem to know what to do!"
"Heh," Gilbert chuckled and sat Ludwig on the rail. "Kid, I know about as much about anything as a fish knows about land," he tickled Ludwig until the boy shrieked with laughter. "I do them because you want to get to America, and I want you to as well," he rubbed Ludwig's hair and placed the child on the ground now, taking his hand and smiling at the wide-eyed innocence. "Don't be your big brother, no matter how awesome he may be, alright? Nothing but bad'll come from it, and you're too cute to be evil."
"A-alright..." Ludwig swallowed before squeezing Gilbert's hand. "Brother?"
"Yeah, Luddy?"
"I don't think you're evil," he answered, eyes wide. "I think you're really nice and fun! No one like you can be evil, right? You feed me, and take care of me, and you're always nice to me, even when you're unhappy, which seems to be a lot. But, you never hit me like some people hit others, and you bring me home sweets!" he stopped and bit his lip. "You are always there, now that mutti and vaati are dead."
"Hey, what did I say about crying about them?" Gilbert asked, cuffing Ludwig on the shoulder. "They're dead, and that's that. It happened a long time ago, so think nothing of me taking care of you, alright? What was I gonna do, let something as cute as you die? You're my brother."
"Still," Ludwig persisted, "that must mean you are the opposite of a bad person. I do not think a good person would put themselves through what you have in order to keep me alive. You never eat enough, brother."
Voyage Home III
anonymous
October 16 2010, 18:50:32 UTC
"Ha," Gilbert shrugged and led his brother back downstairs. "I don't know, kiddo. I don't know. How's about we get some grub before going to bed, eh? I don't know about you, but sleep is what I want more than anything right now, besides getting you fed and quiet."
"That was mean," Ludwig pouted before placing his head on Gilbert's leg for a moment. "Alright, brother. I would like some food and sleep as well."
"Good," Gilbert answered and led his brother down into the depths of the ship, past many laughing, smiling, happy faces that should have been him. Then Ludwig banged his knee against the door of the ship and spent the next ten minutes sniffling and trying to pretend that he was not sniffling. Gilbert found that he was happy just where he was, with the cutest little brother that he could have.
Their food was lackluster, but it was filling, and Gilbert pushed the plates away with a sigh. Ludwig played with his bread crusts, blue eyes concentrating on making them march from one side of the table to the other. "Wanna be a soldier, kid?" Gilbert chuckled, taking another crust and marching it towards Ludwig's. "First thing you gotta understand is that there's always someone stronger."
The two engaged in a bread crust battle, with Ludwig's two being overpowered by Gilbert's one. Half-amused, Gilbert propped up his head with one hand as he knocked the bread crusts to the floor and had his do a dance of victory. Ludwig giggled, retrieving his crusts and shoving them into his mouth.
"Aw, kid, why are you eating off of the floor?" Gilbert groaned, rubbing his brother's hair before picking him up, blinking. Ludwig's eyes were sliding shut and Gilbert chuckled. "You are a kid, aren't'cha?"
"Am not," Ludwig protested, sniffing and drawing himself straight, only to slump into the bed as Gilbert began the process of tucking him away below the blankets. "I'm ten now," Ludwig continued, "old enough to get into fights and win them like you, brother!"
"I hope you never have to, kid," Gilbert ruffled the blonde hair, ignoring the disgruntled look. "Fighting isn't as fun as it seems, but then, I think you'll figure that out," he smiled down at his brother. "Go to sleep for me, alright kiddo?"
"But, brother, I don't want to," Ludwig began to protest, but he shut his eyes and fell asleep soon after anyway. Gilbert chuckled and ran his hand through Ludwig's hair, messing it up once more before leaving and locking the cabin. Not there was anything to steal, but Ludwig was worth more than the sixty dollars burning a hole in his pocket.
As he was about to make his way up the stairs and towards the fresh air, some one barreled into him and it was all he could do to keep himself upright as he held a bundle of brown hair, but her momentum and her squirming after knocked them over to the floor.
"Ow," Gilbert moaned, staring at the confused girl laying on top of him. His hands were awkwardly positioned and he quickly moved them, shoving her off and coughing. "So, uh, in a rush?" he said, conversationally, and she stared at him with wide, teary eyes before running again. "O-kay," he said, shrugging at where she had been, standing and making his way towards air and less confusion.
-------------------------------
Elizaveta Hedervary never would have thought she would be in this position. If someone had walked up to her and told her that she would be trapped in an arranged marriage, she would have first laughed, and then beat the messenger senseless. No one trapped her into anything, least of all her parents. They had learned their lesson the time she had broken the dancing instructor's arm for yelling at her when she was leading instead of letting him lead.
Or, well, she thought they had, until they told her she was getting married to this Roderich Edelstein guy. Something to do with losing money too quickly and needing more of it. They had tried to sugar coat it, as they had with everything in her female life by saying that he was a sweet man, a good man, and that she would fall instantly in love with him.
Voyage Home IV
anonymous
October 16 2010, 18:56:31 UTC
Yeah, like that would work, she snorted as she stared out at the stars. Elizaveta did not marry anyone she did not want to, and men in general were pigs with one thing in mind once the female body became truly female. There were times, when she was younger, where she was convinced she was male, and refused to wear dresses or learn how to embroider or do any of the things that men thought females did. She knew how to fence better than most males she knew, especially this Roderich guy and, quite frankly, who wanted someone that could be beaten up by a woman?
So here she was, on a ship that was going nowhere fast--America, or something like that. Well, as long as it wasn't Hungary, she thought. Anywhere but back to her parents with their strict rules and their disapproving frowns each time she discarded a skirt to wear pants. Better that they never knew that she drank with some of the knights, and better than they could at times.
"Oi, bastard, stop following me!" an angry, protesting voice pulled her away from her thoughts and Elizaveta turned to see an Italian woman striding away from a man following her, spanish slipping from his lips.
"Señorita, mi poco de tomate, ¡Te quiero!" the man shouted and the Italian spun around, stabbing a finger into the man's chest.
"I told you to stop calling me a tomato already!" but with those red, full cheeks, she did look like a tomato, Elizaveta observed. "Do you think I like that nickname, Antonio? I hate it! It makes me feel like you look at me and see food!"
"But you look like one," Antonio protested, a smile blazing on his face, lighting it and the woman seemed to pause. "Ah, Andreina, my beauty, please, forgive me?" he held out his hands and looked sorrowful as he took hers. "I would give you the stars, the moon, the sun if I could, but alas, all I can give you is my love!"
"Stop that, jerk!" Andreina shouted, but it lacked the bite of before as she let him hold her hands. "Do you even know why I'm mad, Antonio?" she asked and Elizaveta had to do her best to hold in her chuckle at the spaniard's crushed look of confusion. "You--you--I knew it! Bastardo, ti odio! Vai a cercare qualche pomodoro, coglione!"
"Ah, 'Reina, why do you never speak spanish to me like you used to?" Antonio pulled her close, ignoring her sputters and punches. "You're so cute when you're angry, 'Reina! Like a tomato! A cute, cute tomato!"
"Stop calling me that!" Andreina screeched and Elizaveta felt she should go, and would have slipped away but Andreina spotted her and called out, loud. "Hey! You! Girl! Tell this idiot that if he was truly sorry he wouldn't have looked at another woman!"
"Is that what this is about?" Antonio pushed her out at arm's length and laughed, stroking her cheek. "Senorita, I would have no other woman but the one I am holding right now. You are my sun, my moon, my everything. You..." he paused and grinned, a good deal of mischief in it, "you are my tomato!"
"I hate you," Andreina shoved him away and latched onto Elizaveta, who swallowed and looked at the Italian on her arm. "If you meant that, idiot, then why do you always fawn over other women and laugh when they giggle, hm? I bet you'd like this one too!"
"What did I do?" Elizaveta wondered, but was cut off by Antonio's waving, his face distressed.
Voyage Home V
anonymous
October 16 2010, 18:58:09 UTC
"No, no, it is not like that, 'Reina! They are, how do you say, trying to be polite, and so am I!"
"Polite only goes so far, ass! Putting down your coat so they don't get their feet wet is past polite, it's downright cheating on me!"
"Wait, didn't that happen last month, 'Reina?"
"Doesn't matter, you still did it!"
"Dios mio," Antonio moaned and Andreina fumed. "'Reina, I love you, and only you. Now let the poor woman go and come to me, hm? I will sing you songs of my homeland and we will prepare for the work that is ahead, or have you forgotten? I swear that I will be less polite towards others, even though I do not understand why that is a problem."
"You wouldn't," Aldreina grumbled but did as he asked, folding her arms and swatting away the hand that tried to grab hers. "Don't think I've forgiven you yet! I just didn't want to hold onto the woman anymore! That's all!"
"I love you too, 'Reina," Antonio smiled and kissed her hair, tweaking her curl and turning to Elizaveta as Aldreina grew red. "Miss, please excuse my 'Reina, she is an Italian. You understand how they are, si?" he shrugged, a little helpless. "She is my angry tomato~!"
"Bastard, stop calling me a tomato! While you're at it, stop making excuses for me!"
"It's alright," Elizaveta cut in before there could be another fight, waving a hand, glad to have a chance to speak. "I think you two are adorable," she grinned. "How long have you two been together?"
"Ah, ten years now!" Antonio beamed, wrapping an arm around Aldreina. "I met her in Italy when I was seventeen and I knew that I would never return to my homeland as long as I had her, and look! Now we are going to America to try and find Feli!"
"He's an idiot, so he doesn't know when to introduce himself," Aldreina informed Elizaveta. "He's Antonio Carriedo, and I'm Aldreina Vargas. My brother is Feliciano Vargas, and Antonio, you jerk, stop caring more about Feli than me!" she kicked Antonio and he looked at her much like a wounded puppy. Elizaveta placed a hand over her mouth to hide her giggle. Was this what a loving relationship was like? True, Aldreina was cruel, but there was something in her eyes...
"Ah, are you here alone?" Antonio blinked and looked around, waiting for someone to pop out of the metal wall. When that did not happen (and Aldreina hit him) he beamed at Elizaveta. "You should come with us to the first-night party that is being held! I hear it is going to be a lot of fun, and no rich people allowed. They wouldn't understand, anyway. It is going to be downstairs, and my tomato and I are also going!"
"I'm not gonna go if you keep calling me that," Aldreina protested. Elizaveta smiled, nodding once.
"I would love to go to the party with you both," she said, extending her hand. Antonio stared at it, confused, before dragging her into a hug and kissing both of her cheeks.
"Bastard! I told you to stop doing that!" Aldreina hit Antonio again as he pulled away and recoiled. "I swear, I don't know why I'm still with you half of the time! All you do is hit on other women!"
"No, that's Francis," Antonio protested. "I am forever sworn to you, my tomato!" Aldreina hissed and dragged him, with a cheerful Antonio waving at Elizaveta. "The party's at midnight tonight! It'll be on the lower deck! I hope to see you there!"
"Bye!" Elizaveta waited until they were out of sight, and Aldreina's shouting could no longer be heard mixing with Antonio's laughter. She then returned to the sea, biting her lip. That, what Antonio and Aldreina had, was what she wanted. Love without strings, with the purest form, even if that purity was terrifying in its intensity. Even if one partner was angry and verbally abusive, it was still love, and she could see it in them. Roderich... would he be like that? She doubted it. All of her suitors were emotionally challenged.
Voyage Home VI
anonymous
October 16 2010, 18:58:56 UTC
Sighing, she pushed the thoughts of the couple, happy as they were, out of her mind and focused on the sea. Thinking about what could have been was defeating the purpose of this trip. Elizaveta had run from all of the hardship that she could be experiencing at home as a noble. This was a new life, a life without riches, politics, or arranged marriages. Perhaps in America she would be as lucky as Aldreina was, to find the love of her life.
Elizaveta pushed off the wall and walked into the ballroom, staring at the people dancing and laughing. What did they understand? Antonio was right. Royalty and nobility did not understand the plight of those with little to no money, but as she observed them dancing and laughing, she realized that maybe they understood something of their own. Some couples ignored each other in favor of others, while some only had eyes for each other, dancing close together with small smiles on their faces.
"Miss?" a voice said, a hand gripping her shoulder, and Elizaveta looked up to see a smiling man. He had a captain's bar on his shoulder and she smiled back, ignoring the slight tightening of his hand. "I hate to say this, but some of the others are staring," and indeed they were, women in beautiful gowns and adorned with jewels, men with suits that practically gleamed. Elizaveta had seen prettier and more expensive before--she was a noble--but she took the hint and slipped out gracefully.
"Miss?" it was another voice now and she turned her head, watching the man come close to her. He had unruly brown hair with a curl that seemed to want to be a part of his hair again, a small mole near his chin. "I could not help but notice, but you seem as if you would like to join the party. I would be more than happy to accompany you so the captain does not throw you out so rudely again."
"No," Elizaveta said with a huge smile, "I have no interest in it, but thanks for the offer," she turned back to the sea and he joined her, though he did not rest on the rail as she did. "May I ask for your name, since you seem set on staying?" she asked, finally, turning her head to stare at this other man. He was a noble, certainly, but from where she could not say.
"My name? May I have yours first?" he asked and she blinked at his rudeness. When no apology followed she shrugged and smiled.
"I'd rather not," she said, turning her head back to the sea. "There will be people searching for me, and I would rather remain anonymous until I know they can no longer find me."
"Roderich Edelstein," he offered after a long pause and she tensed. "I, too, am searching for someone, though I doubt I am one of those who are searching for you," he turned away with a small smile, one Elizaveta did not miss. "If you ever meet an Elizaveta Hedervary, you will let me know?"
"Sure," she said with a too-careless shrug. He tilted his head before disappearing back into the ball. Elizaveta ran as soon as he was out of sight, trying to hold back the tears. She was a noble, yes, but she was a warrior first. She could wield a sword as well as some men, fight as quickly as some soldiers, and had enough skill to best her teachers in fencing. So why was it that seeing the man she had been meant to marry undid her?
Unaware of her surroundings, Elizaveta was unsurprised to find herself knocking into a young man, falling with him. It was surprising to take in his red eyes, and that his hands landed in such an awkward position.
"Ow," the man groaned, shoving her off onto her butt. "So, uh, in a rush?" he asked and she felt the tears slip past her barriers as she ran, disappearing into the hall.
She could barely face herself, in these rags that she had stolen, let alone someone else.
Voyage Home First Chapter Author Notes+Translations
anonymous
October 16 2010, 19:08:57 UTC
Translations!
Guten Morgen, gnädige Frau, mein Herr! Bitte, wenn du könntest, gib mir und meinem kleinen Bruder nur ein bisschen Geld, alle können Sie schonen. Wir haben wenig zu Essen auf dieser Reise zu bezahlen: Good morning, ma'am, sir! Please if you could give me and my little brother a little money, all you can spare. We have too little to pay for food on this trip
Podsolnechnik: Sunflower
Señorita, mi poco de tomate, ¡Te quiero! :Miss, my little tomato, I love you
Bastardo, ti odio! Vai a cercare qualche pomodoro, coglione!: Bastard, I hate you! Go find some tomatoes, jerk!
Senorita: Miss
Dios mio: My god
Si: Yes
Yes, that was the first chapter. Numbering fail! After this, it'll be 2a, 2b, etc.
I kind of got away from the request a little--I apologize for making Gilbert a stow away rather a gambler. I also apologize for tiny!Ludwig, but I couldn't resist. Kid's just so cute!
Yes, there is a bunch of gender switching in this. Romano, England, and America got the treatment.
Names and ages time!
Hungary: Elizaveta Hedervary-22 Austria: Roderich Edelstein-25 Prussia: Gilbert Beillschmidt-20 Germany: Ludwig Beillschmidt-10 Rome: Captain Augustus Lombardi-40 Germania: First Mate Guntram Schiffer-35 Spain: Antonio Carriedo-27 Romana: Andreina Vargas-24 France: Francis Bonnefoy-28 England: Emma Kirkland-26 Russia: Ivan Braginski-30 America: Scarlet F. Braginski-Jones-28
Re: Voyage Home First Chapter Author Notes+Translations
anonymous
October 17 2010, 07:39:53 UTC
A Titanic AU! And with genderbend too! I saw that picture on pixiv and was wishing for one too, so thank you~
I thought I'd just point out that Antonio should be introduced as Antonio Fernandez, not Antonio Carriedo. Spanish naming customs would dictate that Carriedo would be the mother's surname, while Fernandez would be the father's surname. And as it stands, it would be a little awkward to introduce oneself with their mother's surname.
Re: Voyage Home First Chapter Author Notes+Translations
anonymous
October 17 2010, 16:15:43 UTC
I actually never got to see the picture. D8 Oh well. But yes, yes, genderbend! Woo! And Titanic! Yay!
Hmmmm... If his mother's maiden name is Carriedo, and he's supposed to be Fernandez 'cause of his dad's name, then I have a plot point! Yay! Thanks for the info!
"Hey, brother?" Ludwig kicked his legs, staring at Gilbert as he smoked a cigarette, careful to point the smoke away from Ludwig. "What are we doing?" he asked and the silence lasted for a few moments as Gilbert finished his cigarette and ground it out. "That man," Ludwig said as Gilbert finally looked over, "he asked for tickets. I thought we couldn't get on board without them."
"You underestimate your big brother, kiddo," Gilbert lifted Ludwig onto his shoulders and smiled up at the boy. Kick kick went the legs and Gilbert's smile shifted into a frown. "Could you stop kicking me, please?"
"Sorry, brother," the legs stilled. "Is this illegal?" Ludwig asked and Gilbert shrugged, displacing the other. With a grunt Ludwig pulled himself upright and patted Gilbert's head. "Brother, what we are doing, can we get in trouble for it?"
"You wanna go to America, kid?" Gilbert asked, leaving the cabin, avoiding the stares of the others. Ludwig, on the other hand, met them with wide blue eyes and they smiled, some even cooing and pressing change into Gilbert's hands. It was an old routine, now.
"Yes, brother," Ludwig answered, and Gilbert grinned, patting Ludwig's leg before his head snapped to the side. A couple, resplendent in their gown and clothes came closer and Gilbert walked over with a smile and a squeeze of Ludwig's knee. The time had come.
"Ah!" Gilbert said, attracting the couple's attention. Ludwig stared at them, noting the wide, curious eyes of the blonde female, and the passive acceptance of the male. Gilbert had taught him the nationalities of each and Ludwig's eyebrows furrowed. "Ah! Guten Morgen, gnädige Frau, mein Herr! Bitte, wenn du könntest, gib mir und meinem kleinen Bruder nur ein bisschen Geld, alle können Sie schonen. Wir haben wenig zu Essen auf dieser Reise zu bezahlen," were they American? The woman was, at least. The man... was...
Ludwig snapped out of it by Gilbert's slap on his knee. "Ah! Ja, ja, c-could you spare us some change?" he asked in his best english, and the woman blinked, leaning closer.
"Aw! Vanny, 'e's so cute!" she squealed and Gilbert's eyebrows shot up, tilting his head. The--Ukranian? Russian? It had to be Russian--man frowned and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Can we give 'im some of the money we 'ave, please?"
"Podsolnechnik," the man chided, kissing her head, "do you think we have the money for that?" and she pouted, shoving her hands into the Russian's pocket, ignoring his protest.
"The name's Scarlet, and this 'ere's my 'usband, Ivan," she informed Ludwig as she pressed some bills into Gilbert's hands. "Where ya'll 'eaded? We're gonna do down south and meet up with Vanny's sisters!"
"Ah, podsolnechnik, please, have some respect for privacy," the other man--Ivan, Ludwig supposed--begged as he began to lead her away. Gilbert counted the bills, and Ludwig joined him, ignoring the light bickering of Scarlet and Ivan, a thick Russian accent mixing with a southern one. One, two, three, four, five, six.
Reply
"Six bills, maybe, but it's ten dollars each," Gilbert waved the bills before letting Ludwig hold them. "Can you tell me what six times ten is, kid?"
"Sixty," Ludwig answered promptly and Gilbert grinned. "We got sixty dollars, brother! That is our biggest haul yet!" Ludwig let his fingers tighten in Gilbert's hair and pulled his brother's head up to look into those red eyes. "Gil, can we buy some kind of food later?"
"You hungry?" Gilbert asked, looking around as he went above the cabin area, through the richest parts of the ship and out to the deck. "Hey, Ludwig?" he asked, looking at the unbroken expanse of glimmering black.
"Yes, brother?" Ludwig asked, similarly entranced by the water and the sky. He wondered if he could ever make a ship that could power through the water, go from one part of the world to the other without difficulty. His fingers itched to try and make something, and he played with Gilbert's silvery hair, teasing the locks.
"Don't ever do what I do, alright? Get a job, try to get an education, just don't end up begging like I do, and stealing your way onto a vessel. I want you to be good," he looked up at his younger brother and smiled. Ludwig seemed so happy on the ship, so happy, hands twitching. "You're too good for that," Gilbert finished.
"I won't, brother," Ludwig answered with the innocence that only childhood gave a soul. "But, brother, if they are so bad, then why do you do them, and I cannot? Would it not be better if I did as you did? You are always wise, and you seem to know what to do!"
"Heh," Gilbert chuckled and sat Ludwig on the rail. "Kid, I know about as much about anything as a fish knows about land," he tickled Ludwig until the boy shrieked with laughter. "I do them because you want to get to America, and I want you to as well," he rubbed Ludwig's hair and placed the child on the ground now, taking his hand and smiling at the wide-eyed innocence. "Don't be your big brother, no matter how awesome he may be, alright? Nothing but bad'll come from it, and you're too cute to be evil."
"A-alright..." Ludwig swallowed before squeezing Gilbert's hand. "Brother?"
"Yeah, Luddy?"
"I don't think you're evil," he answered, eyes wide. "I think you're really nice and fun! No one like you can be evil, right? You feed me, and take care of me, and you're always nice to me, even when you're unhappy, which seems to be a lot. But, you never hit me like some people hit others, and you bring me home sweets!" he stopped and bit his lip. "You are always there, now that mutti and vaati are dead."
"Hey, what did I say about crying about them?" Gilbert asked, cuffing Ludwig on the shoulder. "They're dead, and that's that. It happened a long time ago, so think nothing of me taking care of you, alright? What was I gonna do, let something as cute as you die? You're my brother."
"Still," Ludwig persisted, "that must mean you are the opposite of a bad person. I do not think a good person would put themselves through what you have in order to keep me alive. You never eat enough, brother."
Reply
"That was mean," Ludwig pouted before placing his head on Gilbert's leg for a moment. "Alright, brother. I would like some food and sleep as well."
"Good," Gilbert answered and led his brother down into the depths of the ship, past many laughing, smiling, happy faces that should have been him. Then Ludwig banged his knee against the door of the ship and spent the next ten minutes sniffling and trying to pretend that he was not sniffling. Gilbert found that he was happy just where he was, with the cutest little brother that he could have.
Their food was lackluster, but it was filling, and Gilbert pushed the plates away with a sigh. Ludwig played with his bread crusts, blue eyes concentrating on making them march from one side of the table to the other. "Wanna be a soldier, kid?" Gilbert chuckled, taking another crust and marching it towards Ludwig's. "First thing you gotta understand is that there's always someone stronger."
The two engaged in a bread crust battle, with Ludwig's two being overpowered by Gilbert's one. Half-amused, Gilbert propped up his head with one hand as he knocked the bread crusts to the floor and had his do a dance of victory. Ludwig giggled, retrieving his crusts and shoving them into his mouth.
"Aw, kid, why are you eating off of the floor?" Gilbert groaned, rubbing his brother's hair before picking him up, blinking. Ludwig's eyes were sliding shut and Gilbert chuckled. "You are a kid, aren't'cha?"
"Am not," Ludwig protested, sniffing and drawing himself straight, only to slump into the bed as Gilbert began the process of tucking him away below the blankets. "I'm ten now," Ludwig continued, "old enough to get into fights and win them like you, brother!"
"I hope you never have to, kid," Gilbert ruffled the blonde hair, ignoring the disgruntled look. "Fighting isn't as fun as it seems, but then, I think you'll figure that out," he smiled down at his brother. "Go to sleep for me, alright kiddo?"
"But, brother, I don't want to," Ludwig began to protest, but he shut his eyes and fell asleep soon after anyway. Gilbert chuckled and ran his hand through Ludwig's hair, messing it up once more before leaving and locking the cabin. Not there was anything to steal, but Ludwig was worth more than the sixty dollars burning a hole in his pocket.
As he was about to make his way up the stairs and towards the fresh air, some one barreled into him and it was all he could do to keep himself upright as he held a bundle of brown hair, but her momentum and her squirming after knocked them over to the floor.
"Ow," Gilbert moaned, staring at the confused girl laying on top of him. His hands were awkwardly positioned and he quickly moved them, shoving her off and coughing. "So, uh, in a rush?" he said, conversationally, and she stared at him with wide, teary eyes before running again. "O-kay," he said, shrugging at where she had been, standing and making his way towards air and less confusion.
-------------------------------
Elizaveta Hedervary never would have thought she would be in this position. If someone had walked up to her and told her that she would be trapped in an arranged marriage, she would have first laughed, and then beat the messenger senseless. No one trapped her into anything, least of all her parents. They had learned their lesson the time she had broken the dancing instructor's arm for yelling at her when she was leading instead of letting him lead.
Or, well, she thought they had, until they told her she was getting married to this Roderich Edelstein guy. Something to do with losing money too quickly and needing more of it. They had tried to sugar coat it, as they had with everything in her female life by saying that he was a sweet man, a good man, and that she would fall instantly in love with him.
Reply
So here she was, on a ship that was going nowhere fast--America, or something like that. Well, as long as it wasn't Hungary, she thought. Anywhere but back to her parents with their strict rules and their disapproving frowns each time she discarded a skirt to wear pants. Better that they never knew that she drank with some of the knights, and better than they could at times.
"Oi, bastard, stop following me!" an angry, protesting voice pulled her away from her thoughts and Elizaveta turned to see an Italian woman striding away from a man following her, spanish slipping from his lips.
"Señorita, mi poco de tomate, ¡Te quiero!" the man shouted and the Italian spun around, stabbing a finger into the man's chest.
"I told you to stop calling me a tomato already!" but with those red, full cheeks, she did look like a tomato, Elizaveta observed. "Do you think I like that nickname, Antonio? I hate it! It makes me feel like you look at me and see food!"
"But you look like one," Antonio protested, a smile blazing on his face, lighting it and the woman seemed to pause. "Ah, Andreina, my beauty, please, forgive me?" he held out his hands and looked sorrowful as he took hers. "I would give you the stars, the moon, the sun if I could, but alas, all I can give you is my love!"
"Stop that, jerk!" Andreina shouted, but it lacked the bite of before as she let him hold her hands. "Do you even know why I'm mad, Antonio?" she asked and Elizaveta had to do her best to hold in her chuckle at the spaniard's crushed look of confusion. "You--you--I knew it! Bastardo, ti odio! Vai a cercare qualche pomodoro, coglione!"
"Ah, 'Reina, why do you never speak spanish to me like you used to?" Antonio pulled her close, ignoring her sputters and punches. "You're so cute when you're angry, 'Reina! Like a tomato! A cute, cute tomato!"
"Stop calling me that!" Andreina screeched and Elizaveta felt she should go, and would have slipped away but Andreina spotted her and called out, loud. "Hey! You! Girl! Tell this idiot that if he was truly sorry he wouldn't have looked at another woman!"
"Is that what this is about?" Antonio pushed her out at arm's length and laughed, stroking her cheek. "Senorita, I would have no other woman but the one I am holding right now. You are my sun, my moon, my everything. You..." he paused and grinned, a good deal of mischief in it, "you are my tomato!"
"I hate you," Andreina shoved him away and latched onto Elizaveta, who swallowed and looked at the Italian on her arm. "If you meant that, idiot, then why do you always fawn over other women and laugh when they giggle, hm? I bet you'd like this one too!"
"What did I do?" Elizaveta wondered, but was cut off by Antonio's waving, his face distressed.
Reply
"Polite only goes so far, ass! Putting down your coat so they don't get their feet wet is past polite, it's downright cheating on me!"
"Wait, didn't that happen last month, 'Reina?"
"Doesn't matter, you still did it!"
"Dios mio," Antonio moaned and Andreina fumed. "'Reina, I love you, and only you. Now let the poor woman go and come to me, hm? I will sing you songs of my homeland and we will prepare for the work that is ahead, or have you forgotten? I swear that I will be less polite towards others, even though I do not understand why that is a problem."
"You wouldn't," Aldreina grumbled but did as he asked, folding her arms and swatting away the hand that tried to grab hers. "Don't think I've forgiven you yet! I just didn't want to hold onto the woman anymore! That's all!"
"I love you too, 'Reina," Antonio smiled and kissed her hair, tweaking her curl and turning to Elizaveta as Aldreina grew red. "Miss, please excuse my 'Reina, she is an Italian. You understand how they are, si?" he shrugged, a little helpless. "She is my angry tomato~!"
"Bastard, stop calling me a tomato! While you're at it, stop making excuses for me!"
"It's alright," Elizaveta cut in before there could be another fight, waving a hand, glad to have a chance to speak. "I think you two are adorable," she grinned. "How long have you two been together?"
"Ah, ten years now!" Antonio beamed, wrapping an arm around Aldreina. "I met her in Italy when I was seventeen and I knew that I would never return to my homeland as long as I had her, and look! Now we are going to America to try and find Feli!"
"He's an idiot, so he doesn't know when to introduce himself," Aldreina informed Elizaveta. "He's Antonio Carriedo, and I'm Aldreina Vargas. My brother is Feliciano Vargas, and Antonio, you jerk, stop caring more about Feli than me!" she kicked Antonio and he looked at her much like a wounded puppy. Elizaveta placed a hand over her mouth to hide her giggle. Was this what a loving relationship was like? True, Aldreina was cruel, but there was something in her eyes...
"Ah, are you here alone?" Antonio blinked and looked around, waiting for someone to pop out of the metal wall. When that did not happen (and Aldreina hit him) he beamed at Elizaveta. "You should come with us to the first-night party that is being held! I hear it is going to be a lot of fun, and no rich people allowed. They wouldn't understand, anyway. It is going to be downstairs, and my tomato and I are also going!"
"I'm not gonna go if you keep calling me that," Aldreina protested. Elizaveta smiled, nodding once.
"I would love to go to the party with you both," she said, extending her hand. Antonio stared at it, confused, before dragging her into a hug and kissing both of her cheeks.
"Bastard! I told you to stop doing that!" Aldreina hit Antonio again as he pulled away and recoiled. "I swear, I don't know why I'm still with you half of the time! All you do is hit on other women!"
"No, that's Francis," Antonio protested. "I am forever sworn to you, my tomato!" Aldreina hissed and dragged him, with a cheerful Antonio waving at Elizaveta. "The party's at midnight tonight! It'll be on the lower deck! I hope to see you there!"
"Bye!" Elizaveta waited until they were out of sight, and Aldreina's shouting could no longer be heard mixing with Antonio's laughter. She then returned to the sea, biting her lip. That, what Antonio and Aldreina had, was what she wanted. Love without strings, with the purest form, even if that purity was terrifying in its intensity. Even if one partner was angry and verbally abusive, it was still love, and she could see it in them. Roderich... would he be like that? She doubted it. All of her suitors were emotionally challenged.
Reply
Elizaveta pushed off the wall and walked into the ballroom, staring at the people dancing and laughing. What did they understand? Antonio was right. Royalty and nobility did not understand the plight of those with little to no money, but as she observed them dancing and laughing, she realized that maybe they understood something of their own. Some couples ignored each other in favor of others, while some only had eyes for each other, dancing close together with small smiles on their faces.
"Miss?" a voice said, a hand gripping her shoulder, and Elizaveta looked up to see a smiling man. He had a captain's bar on his shoulder and she smiled back, ignoring the slight tightening of his hand. "I hate to say this, but some of the others are staring," and indeed they were, women in beautiful gowns and adorned with jewels, men with suits that practically gleamed. Elizaveta had seen prettier and more expensive before--she was a noble--but she took the hint and slipped out gracefully.
"Miss?" it was another voice now and she turned her head, watching the man come close to her. He had unruly brown hair with a curl that seemed to want to be a part of his hair again, a small mole near his chin. "I could not help but notice, but you seem as if you would like to join the party. I would be more than happy to accompany you so the captain does not throw you out so rudely again."
"No," Elizaveta said with a huge smile, "I have no interest in it, but thanks for the offer," she turned back to the sea and he joined her, though he did not rest on the rail as she did. "May I ask for your name, since you seem set on staying?" she asked, finally, turning her head to stare at this other man. He was a noble, certainly, but from where she could not say.
"My name? May I have yours first?" he asked and she blinked at his rudeness. When no apology followed she shrugged and smiled.
"I'd rather not," she said, turning her head back to the sea. "There will be people searching for me, and I would rather remain anonymous until I know they can no longer find me."
"Roderich Edelstein," he offered after a long pause and she tensed. "I, too, am searching for someone, though I doubt I am one of those who are searching for you," he turned away with a small smile, one Elizaveta did not miss. "If you ever meet an Elizaveta Hedervary, you will let me know?"
"Sure," she said with a too-careless shrug. He tilted his head before disappearing back into the ball. Elizaveta ran as soon as he was out of sight, trying to hold back the tears. She was a noble, yes, but she was a warrior first. She could wield a sword as well as some men, fight as quickly as some soldiers, and had enough skill to best her teachers in fencing. So why was it that seeing the man she had been meant to marry undid her?
Unaware of her surroundings, Elizaveta was unsurprised to find herself knocking into a young man, falling with him. It was surprising to take in his red eyes, and that his hands landed in such an awkward position.
"Ow," the man groaned, shoving her off onto her butt. "So, uh, in a rush?" he asked and she felt the tears slip past her barriers as she ran, disappearing into the hall.
She could barely face herself, in these rags that she had stolen, let alone someone else.
Reply
Guten Morgen, gnädige Frau, mein Herr! Bitte, wenn du könntest, gib mir und meinem kleinen Bruder nur ein bisschen Geld, alle können Sie schonen. Wir haben wenig zu Essen auf dieser Reise zu bezahlen: Good morning, ma'am, sir! Please if you could give me and my little brother a little money, all you can spare. We have too little to pay for food on this trip
Podsolnechnik: Sunflower
Señorita, mi poco de tomate, ¡Te quiero! :Miss, my little tomato, I love you
Bastardo, ti odio! Vai a cercare qualche pomodoro, coglione!: Bastard, I hate you! Go find some tomatoes, jerk!
Senorita: Miss
Dios mio: My god
Si: Yes
Yes, that was the first chapter. Numbering fail! After this, it'll be 2a, 2b, etc.
I kind of got away from the request a little--I apologize for making Gilbert a stow away rather a gambler. I also apologize for tiny!Ludwig, but I couldn't resist. Kid's just so cute!
Yes, there is a bunch of gender switching in this. Romano, England, and America got the treatment.
Names and ages time!
Hungary: Elizaveta Hedervary-22
Austria: Roderich Edelstein-25
Prussia: Gilbert Beillschmidt-20
Germany: Ludwig Beillschmidt-10
Rome: Captain Augustus Lombardi-40
Germania: First Mate Guntram Schiffer-35
Spain: Antonio Carriedo-27
Romana: Andreina Vargas-24
France: Francis Bonnefoy-28
England: Emma Kirkland-26
Russia: Ivan Braginski-30
America: Scarlet F. Braginski-Jones-28
Pairings!
Gil/Elizaveta
Roderich/Elizaveta
Francis/Emma
Ivan/Scarlet
Augustus/Guntram
Antonio/Andreina
Hope this is what you wanted, OP!
Also, if the translations are off, I blame Google.
Reply
;)
Reply
Thanks, though!! (Scurries to fix in own copy)
Reply
Reply
Reply
"Pequeña tomate"? It just sound so... wrong :|
But whatever...
Reply
Reply
Reply
I thought I'd just point out that Antonio should be introduced as Antonio Fernandez, not Antonio Carriedo. Spanish naming customs would dictate that Carriedo would be the mother's surname, while Fernandez would be the father's surname. And as it stands, it would be a little awkward to introduce oneself with their mother's surname.
Reply
Hmmmm... If his mother's maiden name is Carriedo, and he's supposed to be Fernandez 'cause of his dad's name, then I have a plot point! Yay! Thanks for the info!
Reply
Leave a comment