All turned to dust 8/17
“I'm very very worried,” Russia says. “What if Lithuania is in a house somewhere and gets buried alive? What if I can't find them?”
Prussia shudders, it didn't cross his mind what a curse almost immortality would be in a situation like that. Then it hits him.
“Actually,” he says. “I think I do know where Lithuania and the rest may be.”
***
The house Prussia suspects the nations are held in have a few guards Russia quickly dispatches of. He is incredibly fast and it barley looks like he is aiming. Prussia doesn't have the time to protest that they should offer them the chance to give up first.
“They should not touch my friends and family,” Russia says and lets Prussia unlock the door to the bomb shelter for them.
Prussia was right and they don't only find the Baltics Russia is so interested in. Czech and Slovakia too, as well as a France who looks like he hasn't been sleeping in weeks. France is the only one who doesn't look unharmed, he has a large but almost faded bruise on his face. And then there is Austria. Prussia is kind of amused, Austria mustn't have been as helpful as Germany had hoped. They have sleeping bags spread over the floor and strangely enough communist slogans written all over the walls. One of them is “for Stalingrad!”.
It's pretty impressive that Germany actually has managed to hold them all this long.
Czech and Slovakia high five each other when Russia enters.
“Told you Russia would get here first,” Czech says. “You owe me.”
“And now we get to be communist too,” Slovakia says.
“Sweet,” Czech says.
The twins' expressions are so innocent that it is impossible to tell if they are sarcastic or not. Russia doesn't care either way since he is busy hugging Lithuania. Latvia and Estonia get a quicker but just as intense hug that almost incapacitates Latvia.
“I like your walls,” Russia says. “They make me feel welcome.”
Lithuania looks horrified when Russia stops looking directly at him. Prussia keeps a close eye on both him and Austria so they won't slip away.
***
Russia's people go a bit bug-eyed over the large number of personified countries suddenly in their care.
Czech and Slovakia are well received, their army has fought with Soviet for a long time now. They demand vodka to celebrate and want stories of how well their people have done. Almost everyone is enamored by their enthusiasm.
No matter how much Russia loves his Baltic neighbors they are not accepted with as much love, since they are not fighting by his side the way the Czechoslovakia twins are. To Prussia's surprise they are quickly and quietly shipped off to Moscow. It makes no sense after Russia has gone on and on about how much he misses Lithuania.
France is the only one they send home imminently while Austria is treated like a captured enemy and detained.
***
Prussia wants to find out what he can about Germany from Austria and is surprised to find Russia looming over him already. Austria still looks defiant but very nervous, he sits handcuffed on a chair while Russia threateningly circles him.
“What are you trying to get from Austria?” Prussia wonders.
“I want to know where Germany is,” Russia says and puts a hand on Austria's shoulder, lightly and without applying any pressure yet. “My boss wants to know about Hitler.”
“I really do not know,” Austria quietly says.
“I can talk to Austria,” Prussia offers.
“Do that,” Russia says and lets go of the other nation. “You helped me find everyone, of course you can have some time alone with Austria. All the alone time you want.”
“And here I thought the rumors about you joining the Bolsheviks were lies,” Austria says. His voice betrays no feelings on this.
“I'm always on my own side,” Prussia says. “Do you know the stuff Germany did?”
“Of course not,” Austria sneers. “Everyone is happy to tell me now but I really did not know. Did you not notice that I was just as imprisoned as the others? Yet I am the only one treated like a pariah. I am not sure what you people expect me to tell you. Should I tell you what I think about the quality of Germany's tea? The pointless things we discussed in Germany's bomb shelter while we were told nothing of what was actually going on?”
Austria's arrogance drives Prussia up the wall. He's not as much innocent as he is useless.
“Don't be so fucking rude. You are the only proper axis power except me Russia managed to catch. That's not so good for you.”
Austria raises one eyebrow in a most annoying gesture of disdain.
“You if anyone knows what an enthusiastic axis power I made. You were leading armies and failing miserably while I and France were picking weeds from Germany's garden. You are the one they should question.”
Prussia grumblingly accepts Austria's point and almost hopes that Russia won't.
“Germany did threat us with Russia,” Austria admits. “That Russia would not come and save us as much as come to claim his spoils. And that is true, is it not?”
“What was up with the communist propaganda if that's how you feel?”
“Czech's and Slovakia's way of defying Germany. I was never sure of how serious they were. You can be certain Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were very worried and did not like it.”
The important thing is how Germany is doing and the answer is not so good. Austria's opinion is that Germany began to lose it after Italy left. Things deteriorated fast after that, with constant bombings of the capital and a mix of hysteria and anticipation of the approaching Red Army. Germany had yelled and threatened them with how much worse everything would be with Russia and tried to order them to have their people fight the red army instead.
“Our mad dictator is very upset with both me and Germany,” Austria says. “And mentioning you is close to a punishable offense. I doubt he still wants Germany around.”
But Austria hasn't seen Germany for over a week, not after the incident with France. Prussia almost slams his own head against the table when he learns that France began to flirt with Germany and Germany must have thought that would be a good way to comfort himself. Then France stabbed him repeatably with a scissor when he let his guard down. It should have been a surprise to no one.
“I think you should try to think of me as a liberated country rather than something to occupy,” Austria says, interrupting Prussia's thoughts.
It makes Prussia want to hurt him again. There is no reason that Austria should be allowed to walk away unscratched from this.
***
“Too bad,” Russia says when he finds out that Austria knows nothing. “But it will be over soon either way.”
“Why am I here and not Lithuania?” Prussia asks because it drives him insane to try to figure this out.
“Lithuania is very important to me,” Russia says. “But If I gave Lithuania a weapon and set him loose here I don't think he would come back... He wouldn't understand this.”
They sit together in silence for a while and drink German beer Prussia prefers to not think where it must come from.
“Sometimes I miss the times when I was an empire and had so much of my family and friends living with me,” Russia says. “But I think I will end up like that again. Only better, because now we are a union where everyone is equal. We will all be very happy. Lithuania is going to understand that too sooner or later.”
Russia's definition of saving isn't going to be what the others allies expect.
Austria not being involved at all is totally Hetalia based, not history canon. On the other hand hanging around and being disdainful and doing nothing isn't exactly impressive.
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