[Fanfic] The Kid: Chapter 23/24
Title: The Kid
Author/Artist: MoyaKite
Character(s) or Pairing(s): Mainly Prussia, Canada, Romano, and Freddy (little kid!OC), buta lot of characters turn up. (In this chapter: Freddy, Prussia, Canada.) Also, Canada and Prussia are now sort of an item.
Rating: PG-13 (just to be safe)
Warnings: Allusions to serious illness; some cuteness, but with an underlying angst. Potential future character death.
Summary: Simply put, Prussia goes backpacking across Europe and finds a kid. What sort of a dad would Prussia be, anyway?
Author's Notes: The original (which started on the kink meme) is here. I greatly appreciate all of your comments! Even though I'm 41 messages behind right now (yikes), I do intend to respond to all of your comments! Next week, when I post the last chapter, I'll be starting the week long practicum that wraps up my summer classes. I'll still be busy after that--I only get two weeks or so of summer vacation--but I'll at least reply to all of you. I really hope that you enjoy this chapter!
Prussia eased himself gently into his chair. His joints creaked, but the pain wasn't unbearable at the moment; even better, his eczema was under control, so he wasn't itchy. He let out a long breath, settling into his chair.
“Good morning,” Canada said brightly, setting a platter of fresh, hot pancakes in front of him. Prussia examined them suspiciously.
“You didn't forget overnight that I'm allergic to basically everything now, did you?” Prussia asked. The scent of the pancakes made his stomach growl. Freddy clamored into the chair across from Prussia-at ten, he was just starting his first real growth spurt, and his pants only came down to a bit above his ankles. Prussia smiled as Freddy saw the pancakes and gasped.
“Pancakes!” Freddy whooped, pumping his fist into the air. “You're the best, Dad!”
“I didn't forget,” Canada said, setting a plate in front of Prussia and settling into his own seat. “Wheat, milk, and eggs are out of the question, and you're kind of sensitive to soy. This recipe doesn't call for any of that.”
“They aren't your usual pancakes, Dad?” Freddy asked. He prodded the stack he'd just piled onto his place, sniffed them, then shrugged. “They smell good, anyway.”
As Freddy grabbed the syrup and started digging in, Prussia and Canada shared a look. Five years ago that morning, Prussia had gotten his first serious diagnosis. He looked down at his pancakes and grinned.
“That'll show 'em,” Prussia said, setting some pancakes on his plate. “Hah! I'm still kickin'.”
Prussia noticed Canada panic and look at Freddy, but Freddy was utterly unfazed.
“You're gonna make it to my thirteenth birthday, right, Pops?” Freddy asked.
“Like anything could stop me!” Prussia laughed. He took an experimental bite of pancake-not Canada's usual stuff, but good. They had bananas or something in them, and tasted a little too healthy for Prussia's liking, but if he added enough maple syrup, that didn't matter. “Even if I did kick the bucket before then, I'd just chill out as a ghost until your party. I don't go breaking promises, kiddo.”
Canada looked at him pointedly, but Prussia just grinned at him.
“These are delicious,” he said, his mouth full. “Thanks, Mattie.”
“You sound like Uncle Al!” Freddy laughed. “Mmrph marr muh-riff-ish. Slurrrp!”
Canada cracked a smile, but Prussia knew the real problem. They'd gotten in the latest tests, and it looked like he wouldn't last one year, let alone three. But Prussia had always been a stubborn little pest, and he was determined to outlive the doctors' predictions. He was doing it already-they'd expected him to be dead by today, and here he was, eating pancakes. Darn good pancakes, too.
His back ached, but he knew by now that it wouldn't feel any better to crack it, so he let it be.
“How's school, Friedrich?” Canada asked him. Freddy grinned.
“Great,” he said. “Lexi says her dad is getting transferred to Ontario next-I didn't tell her that Uncle Al arranged that, so don't make that face, Dad-so we'll finally be able to catch up in person instead of through Skype.”
“That's wonderful,” Canada said, reaching for the syrup. “Sometimes it's hard to believe that you two were only in the same class for a week.”
“I bet I wouldn't have kept in touch if you hadn't suggested Skype, Dad,” Freddy said. “It'll be weird to see her in person again.”
“What about your friends at school?” Prussia asked. Freddy just shrugged, taking another bite of pancake. “Don't kids your age have sleepovers and stuff?”
“I like staying here better,” Freddy said, a bit evasively. “Parties are for teenagers.”
Prussia narrowed his eyes at Freddy, but Canada spoke first.
“Do you two want to go see a movie tonight?” Canada asked. “I think that there's an action flick, a romantic comedy, and a new Disney movie.”
“Any horror movies?” Freddy asked, leaning forward eagerly. Canada grinned, and Prussia shuddered.
“Japan sent us some that haven't even been released yet,” Canada admitted. Freddy beamed.
“Let's set up the projector and watch them in the basement!” Freddy shouted, punching his fist into the air. “That would be so awesome! Please, Pops? Dad won't do it unless you say that you want to, too.”
Prussia grinned, then effected his very best Canadian accent, “I think that I would prefer to see the romantic comedy, eh,” he said. “I heard that it's about-” Freddy made puppy eyes at him, and his composure broke; he cracked up. “Oh, fine,” Prussia said. “Bring on the horror flicks! But only if we invite Al and Lovino; every horror movie is better when Al is freaking out about it.”
“You're awful,” Canada said, covering his mouth to hide his laughter.
“Yeah!” Freddy shouted, jumping to his feet. “I'll go call Lovino right now! What time is it in Rome?”
He darted out of the room, half a pancake still steaming on his plate. Canada got up to refill the pitcher of water and elbowed Prussia.
“Stop encouraging him!” Canada said, rolling his eyes.
“Aw, I can't help it,” Prussia said, turning to watch Canada fill the pitcher. The sound of his back cracking as he breathed in a little too deeply was drowned out by the faucet. “You know he's had that crush for forever. You and Lovino may pretend that he's forgotten all about proposing to Lovino, but did you know that he stops and looks at the wedding magazines at the store when you're not looking? Or that he keeps a stack of lines for wedding vows in his sock drawer? He's not kidding, Mattie. Let him be in love.”
“You're not going to be around to see him get rejected,” Canada sighed. Prussia laughed, and Canada rounded on him. “I mean it, Prussia! You're putting Romano in-”
Prussia stood up and kissed Canada. His joints protested, but he wrapped his arms around Canada's waist.
When he pulled back, Canada looked exasperated.
“You can't just kiss me to shut me up, you know,” Canada said. “I know all about your wily ways.”
“It was worth a shot,” Prussia grinned, kissing Canada's cheek. He adjusted so that Canada was bearing some of his wait as his bones creaked ominously. “Let an old man have his fun.”
Canada rolled his eyes.
“You don't look a day over twenty-five,” Canada said, but he turned to support Prussia's weight anyway. “Do you need your Viagra, old man?”
“Fine, fine, I'm not that old,” Prussia laughed. “I take a lot of pills nowadays, but Viagra isn't one of them!”
Canada laughed as he helped Prussia walk slowly-painstakingly-toward the living room. Freddy's excited voice floated through the kitchen, and Canada sighed.
“I know that it seems innocent,” Canada said, “but don't you think that it's going to hurt Freddy in the long run?”
“One of these days,” Prussia replied, “Freddy is going to be the right age for Lovino. If my calculations are right, it's gonna be around the the time that Lovino starts to age. It took me a good seventy years to start turning human, and that was after I was actually dissolved officially as a state. Lovino has a lot longer life ahead of him than I do, Mattie.”
“He's going to mourn-”
“But not forever,” Prussia said. “And do you really think he wouldn't mourn, anyway?”
“You're going to break both of their hearts if you don't cut it out, Gil,” Canada sighed. He looked weary.
“It's between them, that's all,” Prussia said. “And it makes Freddy happy, and Lovino likes hanging out with Freddy. It's good for Feli to get used to not having him around all the time, too.”
“What if he doesn't start aging?” Canada demanded.
“Then nothing much changes, does it?” Prussia answered, shrugging. They stood outside the living room door as Prussia caught his breath. His back and wrists and fingers ached, but his knees weren't so bad today. He breathed in and out, in and out.
Freddy was walking around with the cordless, a brilliant, lovesick grin on his face.
“Also,” Prussia said, “Lovino had a crush on Antonio like that back in the day. You're underestimating him. I think it's good for things to come full circle.”
Canada sighed for the third time, but Prussia caught the smile lurking at the edges.
“Now!” Prussia said, pulling away from Canada to stride into the living room. “Who's up for some horror flicks?”
Chapter Guide: ( Ch. 1) ( Ch. 2) ( Ch. 3) ( Ch. 4) ( Ch. 5) ( Ch. 6) ( Ch. 7) ( Ch. 8) ( Ch. 9) ( Ch. 10) ( Ch. 11) ( Ch. 12) ( Ch. 13) ( Ch. 14) ( Ch. 15) ( Ch. 16) ( Ch. 17) ( Ch. 18) ( Ch. 19) ( Ch. 20) ( Ch. 21) ( Ch. 22) ( Ch. 23) ( Ch. 24)
Author/Artist: MoyaKite
Character(s) or Pairing(s): Mainly Prussia, Canada, Romano, and Freddy (little kid!OC), buta lot of characters turn up. (In this chapter: Freddy, Prussia, Canada.) Also, Canada and Prussia are now sort of an item.
Rating: PG-13 (just to be safe)
Warnings: Allusions to serious illness; some cuteness, but with an underlying angst. Potential future character death.
Summary: Simply put, Prussia goes backpacking across Europe and finds a kid. What sort of a dad would Prussia be, anyway?
Author's Notes: The original (which started on the kink meme) is here. I greatly appreciate all of your comments! Even though I'm 41 messages behind right now (yikes), I do intend to respond to all of your comments! Next week, when I post the last chapter, I'll be starting the week long practicum that wraps up my summer classes. I'll still be busy after that--I only get two weeks or so of summer vacation--but I'll at least reply to all of you. I really hope that you enjoy this chapter!
Prussia eased himself gently into his chair. His joints creaked, but the pain wasn't unbearable at the moment; even better, his eczema was under control, so he wasn't itchy. He let out a long breath, settling into his chair.
“Good morning,” Canada said brightly, setting a platter of fresh, hot pancakes in front of him. Prussia examined them suspiciously.
“You didn't forget overnight that I'm allergic to basically everything now, did you?” Prussia asked. The scent of the pancakes made his stomach growl. Freddy clamored into the chair across from Prussia-at ten, he was just starting his first real growth spurt, and his pants only came down to a bit above his ankles. Prussia smiled as Freddy saw the pancakes and gasped.
“Pancakes!” Freddy whooped, pumping his fist into the air. “You're the best, Dad!”
“I didn't forget,” Canada said, setting a plate in front of Prussia and settling into his own seat. “Wheat, milk, and eggs are out of the question, and you're kind of sensitive to soy. This recipe doesn't call for any of that.”
“They aren't your usual pancakes, Dad?” Freddy asked. He prodded the stack he'd just piled onto his place, sniffed them, then shrugged. “They smell good, anyway.”
As Freddy grabbed the syrup and started digging in, Prussia and Canada shared a look. Five years ago that morning, Prussia had gotten his first serious diagnosis. He looked down at his pancakes and grinned.
“That'll show 'em,” Prussia said, setting some pancakes on his plate. “Hah! I'm still kickin'.”
Prussia noticed Canada panic and look at Freddy, but Freddy was utterly unfazed.
“You're gonna make it to my thirteenth birthday, right, Pops?” Freddy asked.
“Like anything could stop me!” Prussia laughed. He took an experimental bite of pancake-not Canada's usual stuff, but good. They had bananas or something in them, and tasted a little too healthy for Prussia's liking, but if he added enough maple syrup, that didn't matter. “Even if I did kick the bucket before then, I'd just chill out as a ghost until your party. I don't go breaking promises, kiddo.”
Canada looked at him pointedly, but Prussia just grinned at him.
“These are delicious,” he said, his mouth full. “Thanks, Mattie.”
“You sound like Uncle Al!” Freddy laughed. “Mmrph marr muh-riff-ish. Slurrrp!”
Canada cracked a smile, but Prussia knew the real problem. They'd gotten in the latest tests, and it looked like he wouldn't last one year, let alone three. But Prussia had always been a stubborn little pest, and he was determined to outlive the doctors' predictions. He was doing it already-they'd expected him to be dead by today, and here he was, eating pancakes. Darn good pancakes, too.
His back ached, but he knew by now that it wouldn't feel any better to crack it, so he let it be.
“How's school, Friedrich?” Canada asked him. Freddy grinned.
“Great,” he said. “Lexi says her dad is getting transferred to Ontario next-I didn't tell her that Uncle Al arranged that, so don't make that face, Dad-so we'll finally be able to catch up in person instead of through Skype.”
“That's wonderful,” Canada said, reaching for the syrup. “Sometimes it's hard to believe that you two were only in the same class for a week.”
“I bet I wouldn't have kept in touch if you hadn't suggested Skype, Dad,” Freddy said. “It'll be weird to see her in person again.”
“What about your friends at school?” Prussia asked. Freddy just shrugged, taking another bite of pancake. “Don't kids your age have sleepovers and stuff?”
“I like staying here better,” Freddy said, a bit evasively. “Parties are for teenagers.”
Prussia narrowed his eyes at Freddy, but Canada spoke first.
“Do you two want to go see a movie tonight?” Canada asked. “I think that there's an action flick, a romantic comedy, and a new Disney movie.”
“Any horror movies?” Freddy asked, leaning forward eagerly. Canada grinned, and Prussia shuddered.
“Japan sent us some that haven't even been released yet,” Canada admitted. Freddy beamed.
“Let's set up the projector and watch them in the basement!” Freddy shouted, punching his fist into the air. “That would be so awesome! Please, Pops? Dad won't do it unless you say that you want to, too.”
Prussia grinned, then effected his very best Canadian accent, “I think that I would prefer to see the romantic comedy, eh,” he said. “I heard that it's about-” Freddy made puppy eyes at him, and his composure broke; he cracked up. “Oh, fine,” Prussia said. “Bring on the horror flicks! But only if we invite Al and Lovino; every horror movie is better when Al is freaking out about it.”
“You're awful,” Canada said, covering his mouth to hide his laughter.
“Yeah!” Freddy shouted, jumping to his feet. “I'll go call Lovino right now! What time is it in Rome?”
He darted out of the room, half a pancake still steaming on his plate. Canada got up to refill the pitcher of water and elbowed Prussia.
“Stop encouraging him!” Canada said, rolling his eyes.
“Aw, I can't help it,” Prussia said, turning to watch Canada fill the pitcher. The sound of his back cracking as he breathed in a little too deeply was drowned out by the faucet. “You know he's had that crush for forever. You and Lovino may pretend that he's forgotten all about proposing to Lovino, but did you know that he stops and looks at the wedding magazines at the store when you're not looking? Or that he keeps a stack of lines for wedding vows in his sock drawer? He's not kidding, Mattie. Let him be in love.”
“You're not going to be around to see him get rejected,” Canada sighed. Prussia laughed, and Canada rounded on him. “I mean it, Prussia! You're putting Romano in-”
Prussia stood up and kissed Canada. His joints protested, but he wrapped his arms around Canada's waist.
When he pulled back, Canada looked exasperated.
“You can't just kiss me to shut me up, you know,” Canada said. “I know all about your wily ways.”
“It was worth a shot,” Prussia grinned, kissing Canada's cheek. He adjusted so that Canada was bearing some of his wait as his bones creaked ominously. “Let an old man have his fun.”
Canada rolled his eyes.
“You don't look a day over twenty-five,” Canada said, but he turned to support Prussia's weight anyway. “Do you need your Viagra, old man?”
“Fine, fine, I'm not that old,” Prussia laughed. “I take a lot of pills nowadays, but Viagra isn't one of them!”
Canada laughed as he helped Prussia walk slowly-painstakingly-toward the living room. Freddy's excited voice floated through the kitchen, and Canada sighed.
“I know that it seems innocent,” Canada said, “but don't you think that it's going to hurt Freddy in the long run?”
“One of these days,” Prussia replied, “Freddy is going to be the right age for Lovino. If my calculations are right, it's gonna be around the the time that Lovino starts to age. It took me a good seventy years to start turning human, and that was after I was actually dissolved officially as a state. Lovino has a lot longer life ahead of him than I do, Mattie.”
“He's going to mourn-”
“But not forever,” Prussia said. “And do you really think he wouldn't mourn, anyway?”
“You're going to break both of their hearts if you don't cut it out, Gil,” Canada sighed. He looked weary.
“It's between them, that's all,” Prussia said. “And it makes Freddy happy, and Lovino likes hanging out with Freddy. It's good for Feli to get used to not having him around all the time, too.”
“What if he doesn't start aging?” Canada demanded.
“Then nothing much changes, does it?” Prussia answered, shrugging. They stood outside the living room door as Prussia caught his breath. His back and wrists and fingers ached, but his knees weren't so bad today. He breathed in and out, in and out.
Freddy was walking around with the cordless, a brilliant, lovesick grin on his face.
“Also,” Prussia said, “Lovino had a crush on Antonio like that back in the day. You're underestimating him. I think it's good for things to come full circle.”
Canada sighed for the third time, but Prussia caught the smile lurking at the edges.
“Now!” Prussia said, pulling away from Canada to stride into the living room. “Who's up for some horror flicks?”
Chapter Guide: ( Ch. 1) ( Ch. 2) ( Ch. 3) ( Ch. 4) ( Ch. 5) ( Ch. 6) ( Ch. 7) ( Ch. 8) ( Ch. 9) ( Ch. 10) ( Ch. 11) ( Ch. 12) ( Ch. 13) ( Ch. 14) ( Ch. 15) ( Ch. 16) ( Ch. 17) ( Ch. 18) ( Ch. 19) ( Ch. 20) ( Ch. 21) ( Ch. 22) ( Ch. 23) ( Ch. 24)