(no subject)
Title: East to West
Author: mccarthyism
Characters/Pairing: Prussia, Germany, implied Austria/Hungary
Rating: PG-13 for language.
Summary: 1989. Prussia has no idea that he's about to get what he wants in a way he never would've guessed. or Prussia and the fall of the Berlin wall
August 23rd, 1989
Prussia just stares at his TV because what the fuck just happened.
A few minutes later and he's dialing Hungary's number faster than he can think it because he still can't -- does she even know what this means, does she fucking know what his people are going to do now?
"Pick up, pick up, pick up you communist bitch or I'll--"
"Hello?" Her voice is fuzzy, broken up, but it's there, she's talking to him even if she sounds half awake.
"Hungary! Hungary you crazy bitch, what the fuck just happened."
"Oh. It's you." He frowns at her tone -- what is she doing, sounding put out like that. But he moves on because there are more important things to talk about.
"Seriously though. What the hell. I mean it's not like I'm not thankful because I am, really. Thanks, by the way, but what the hell."
More muffled sounds, and he thinks he can make out something about 'that idiot' in Hungarian but he doesn't know and hey that other voice sounds familiar but he can't-
"If that's all, then goodnight Prussia."
"Hey wait, isn't that Austr-"
"Goodnight Prussia. And you're welcome."
He stares at the phone long after she hung up and somehow, somehow he feels like smiling for the first time in god knows when.
Things, he knows, are going to change.
-
October 18th
If there's one thing he can say about his new boss it's that he hides his surprise well. Not that he really gives a fuck about what his new boss thinks, even if he's giving him a look that could kill.
"They told me about you."
"Oh did they? Well good for them." Prussia doesn't move from Krenz's chair, nor does he take his boots off the paperwork. He's comfortable where he is, thanks.
The man takes the hint and sits in one of the other chairs, and Prussia can feel a smirk coming on. This, he thinks, is going to be a damn fun time.
"I don't suppose you could do something about the riots."
"Hell no. And they're protests. Peaceful ones."
Krenz frowns, and Prussia's smirk widens.
"Let me be sure I understand you correctly. Your people are leaving. There isn't enough manpower to keep the GDR together and you're willing to sit back and let yourself die?"
Well when he put it like that -- still, America had a slogan for these kind of things, didn't he? Better dead than red. And that bastard wasn't even communist yet.
"Yes."
"Then we have a problem."
We've always had a fucking problem, is what Prussia really wants to say, really wants to beat that into the guy like he used to do, back before war became a fucking chess game and everyone still had the balls to do something about it. Then again, no one had the power to destroy the fucking world just by pressing a goddamn button back then, so maybe it's an even trade.
But it sure as fuck doesn't feel even.
-
November 4th
Alexanderplatz is swarming with people and he can't believe someone got permission for this, not that he's complaining. How can he complain when he's surrounded by his people -- not from East Berlin but from all of East Germany -- chanting and waving and marching because they've had enough of this, he's had enough of this.
So he shouts "We are the people!" next to an old woman and a kid that looks like he should be in school but fuck it.
They are the people, and he's gonna help them be heard even if it kills him.
-
November 9th
His dinner is burnt and he doesn't think the brats deserve to be called brats but he's hungry and the news is late. Trust his brother to put off news for a football game. Not that he should be complaining because he's not supposed to get ARD in East Germany. Nor does he know a single East Berliner who doesn't, which says everything about that.
"This ninth of November is a historic day. East Germany has announced that, starting immediately, its borders are open to everyone."
Prussia drops his fork, drops his mouth and stares at the broadcast as they cut to Berlin. Someone's saying something about how there's no one at the border crossing they're at but he's not fucking listening anymore. He's already halfway to the door and down the steps, not bothering to shut the door.
He's nearly to the Bornholmer Gate but he's not the only one -- he can see at least a hundred other people already there, can see even more making their way to it. There's something in the air, something he can't name but it fills him, lifts him up and whatever it is, he decides he likes it.
Someone tells him that they heard it was open since seven and someone else adds that they've been letting people through since nine but only a few and one at a time. And that's when he hears it, a deep rumble through the crowd and someone starts chanting "Open the gate! Open the gate!" and Prussia quickly takes it up and so do the people beside him and the people behind him until they're all speaking as one -- "Open the gate! Open the gate!" -- and god damn he hasn't felt this awesome in at least forty fucking years.
He doesn't know what time it is, doesn't fucking care what time it is, but he knows exactly when they opened the gates because there's a cheer from the front, and everyone moves forward as one and he can barely breathe, can't stop moving until he passes under the gate and suddenly there are people everywhere and the noise washes over him -- crying, cheering, laughter, everything and he almost can't take it anymore.
Almost, because he's still looking for him, knows he has to be somewhere because he better fucking be here and he's standing on his toes, looking and there! Fighting through the crowd towards him and he'd recognize his little brother anywhere.
"West! West!"
Germany's head turns and his eyes widen in shock and Prussia can't help it, he just laughs and laughs and laughs. Holy fuck, he tells himself, elbowing the crowd apart so he can get to his brother. But he can't stop laughing and smiling and goddamn he feels fantastic.
And then he's there, standing in front of him and the idiot looks insanely lost so Prussia just wraps an arm around his shoulder and punches him in the arm.
"Man, this is awesome isn't it! You haven't changed a bit, what, are you still putting your hair back? That just makes you look bald and have I told you how fucking good it is to see you?"
"Prussia..."
"I didn't even know this was going to happen! I mean I knew we were going do something with the borders because there was no way Krenz would let us lose as many people as we were. He called it a brain drain or something, I don't know-"
"Prussia!"
Prussia shuts up and looks up at Germany who is looking down at him and Prussia swears he'd be smiling if he had the muscles to.
"It's good to see you too."
It's then that Prussia knows, without a fucking doubt that the future is going to be nothing short of awesome.
-
Everything you need to know and more.
The timeline of the events on the 9th is based on this article.
Author: mccarthyism
Characters/Pairing: Prussia, Germany, implied Austria/Hungary
Rating: PG-13 for language.
Summary: 1989. Prussia has no idea that he's about to get what he wants in a way he never would've guessed. or Prussia and the fall of the Berlin wall
August 23rd, 1989
Prussia just stares at his TV because what the fuck just happened.
A few minutes later and he's dialing Hungary's number faster than he can think it because he still can't -- does she even know what this means, does she fucking know what his people are going to do now?
"Pick up, pick up, pick up you communist bitch or I'll--"
"Hello?" Her voice is fuzzy, broken up, but it's there, she's talking to him even if she sounds half awake.
"Hungary! Hungary you crazy bitch, what the fuck just happened."
"Oh. It's you." He frowns at her tone -- what is she doing, sounding put out like that. But he moves on because there are more important things to talk about.
"Seriously though. What the hell. I mean it's not like I'm not thankful because I am, really. Thanks, by the way, but what the hell."
More muffled sounds, and he thinks he can make out something about 'that idiot' in Hungarian but he doesn't know and hey that other voice sounds familiar but he can't-
"If that's all, then goodnight Prussia."
"Hey wait, isn't that Austr-"
"Goodnight Prussia. And you're welcome."
He stares at the phone long after she hung up and somehow, somehow he feels like smiling for the first time in god knows when.
Things, he knows, are going to change.
-
October 18th
If there's one thing he can say about his new boss it's that he hides his surprise well. Not that he really gives a fuck about what his new boss thinks, even if he's giving him a look that could kill.
"They told me about you."
"Oh did they? Well good for them." Prussia doesn't move from Krenz's chair, nor does he take his boots off the paperwork. He's comfortable where he is, thanks.
The man takes the hint and sits in one of the other chairs, and Prussia can feel a smirk coming on. This, he thinks, is going to be a damn fun time.
"I don't suppose you could do something about the riots."
"Hell no. And they're protests. Peaceful ones."
Krenz frowns, and Prussia's smirk widens.
"Let me be sure I understand you correctly. Your people are leaving. There isn't enough manpower to keep the GDR together and you're willing to sit back and let yourself die?"
Well when he put it like that -- still, America had a slogan for these kind of things, didn't he? Better dead than red. And that bastard wasn't even communist yet.
"Yes."
"Then we have a problem."
We've always had a fucking problem, is what Prussia really wants to say, really wants to beat that into the guy like he used to do, back before war became a fucking chess game and everyone still had the balls to do something about it. Then again, no one had the power to destroy the fucking world just by pressing a goddamn button back then, so maybe it's an even trade.
But it sure as fuck doesn't feel even.
-
November 4th
Alexanderplatz is swarming with people and he can't believe someone got permission for this, not that he's complaining. How can he complain when he's surrounded by his people -- not from East Berlin but from all of East Germany -- chanting and waving and marching because they've had enough of this, he's had enough of this.
So he shouts "We are the people!" next to an old woman and a kid that looks like he should be in school but fuck it.
They are the people, and he's gonna help them be heard even if it kills him.
-
November 9th
His dinner is burnt and he doesn't think the brats deserve to be called brats but he's hungry and the news is late. Trust his brother to put off news for a football game. Not that he should be complaining because he's not supposed to get ARD in East Germany. Nor does he know a single East Berliner who doesn't, which says everything about that.
"This ninth of November is a historic day. East Germany has announced that, starting immediately, its borders are open to everyone."
Prussia drops his fork, drops his mouth and stares at the broadcast as they cut to Berlin. Someone's saying something about how there's no one at the border crossing they're at but he's not fucking listening anymore. He's already halfway to the door and down the steps, not bothering to shut the door.
He's nearly to the Bornholmer Gate but he's not the only one -- he can see at least a hundred other people already there, can see even more making their way to it. There's something in the air, something he can't name but it fills him, lifts him up and whatever it is, he decides he likes it.
Someone tells him that they heard it was open since seven and someone else adds that they've been letting people through since nine but only a few and one at a time. And that's when he hears it, a deep rumble through the crowd and someone starts chanting "Open the gate! Open the gate!" and Prussia quickly takes it up and so do the people beside him and the people behind him until they're all speaking as one -- "Open the gate! Open the gate!" -- and god damn he hasn't felt this awesome in at least forty fucking years.
He doesn't know what time it is, doesn't fucking care what time it is, but he knows exactly when they opened the gates because there's a cheer from the front, and everyone moves forward as one and he can barely breathe, can't stop moving until he passes under the gate and suddenly there are people everywhere and the noise washes over him -- crying, cheering, laughter, everything and he almost can't take it anymore.
Almost, because he's still looking for him, knows he has to be somewhere because he better fucking be here and he's standing on his toes, looking and there! Fighting through the crowd towards him and he'd recognize his little brother anywhere.
"West! West!"
Germany's head turns and his eyes widen in shock and Prussia can't help it, he just laughs and laughs and laughs. Holy fuck, he tells himself, elbowing the crowd apart so he can get to his brother. But he can't stop laughing and smiling and goddamn he feels fantastic.
And then he's there, standing in front of him and the idiot looks insanely lost so Prussia just wraps an arm around his shoulder and punches him in the arm.
"Man, this is awesome isn't it! You haven't changed a bit, what, are you still putting your hair back? That just makes you look bald and have I told you how fucking good it is to see you?"
"Prussia..."
"I didn't even know this was going to happen! I mean I knew we were going do something with the borders because there was no way Krenz would let us lose as many people as we were. He called it a brain drain or something, I don't know-"
"Prussia!"
Prussia shuts up and looks up at Germany who is looking down at him and Prussia swears he'd be smiling if he had the muscles to.
"It's good to see you too."
It's then that Prussia knows, without a fucking doubt that the future is going to be nothing short of awesome.
-
Everything you need to know and more.
The timeline of the events on the 9th is based on this article.