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Austria-Hungary had never expected it all to go this way. He hadn't wanted this, a long, gruelling war, nobody had, but they all got it, anyway. And they were paying in blood.
Austria-Hungary wasn't stupid, he knew that this war, this war of attrition, it would kill. He didn't know who would end up dead, but... His body ached. As if the pieces making him up had started to violently rip themselves away from him.
There were no winners here, only those that lost more.
He looked down at his hands. Thin, spider-like cracks were running over his palms, only further showing his growing instability. With a shiver of revulsion, Austria-Hungary pulled their gloves back on, hiding, hiding everything. Especially from German Empire, who had enough troubles even without Austria-Hungary making it worse.
...he wanted to live.
Countries did not often get this feeling, this visceral revulsion as if their entire being was rebelling against the entire concept of death, but when they did, it was intense. It felt like the feelings of all his people quantified and then fed to his person.
...he was afraid.
Austria-Hungary was truly, honestly afraid to die. He, as a singular nation was only 50 years old.
Hardly any time considering the components making him up.
Mortality had not been something Austria-Hungary had found himself considering.
Now he felt regret at not making peace with his possible end.
It had always felt like such a long time off...
It had felt unreal.
German Empire lost his right wing at the beginning of the war when he was attempting to go through Belgium and beat him into submission.
It had not been a good decision, and when they met again a few short months later, his expression remained a stone mask, eyes cold and full of exhaustion as he told Austria-Hungary of the plan his humans had. He didn't sound enthused about the idea. That had been the first sign that German Empire's eyes were opening slowly to the reality of their situation.
He told Austria-Hungary that he had been hit by a stray shell, and his wing had been too mangled to ever heal fully.
So he ordered an amputation.
Just like that.
He had tried to sound unaffected, called it 'trimming some dead weight', but Austria-Hungary knew him too well not to notice the slight tremor in his voice. For he wouldn't ever fly again, grounded.
When a bird broke its wings, even a magnificent one, like the great eagle, it would die of hunger or get hunted down by something else. Perhaps a lion coming from its little island.
It felt like a bad omen, back then.
It felt like a bad omen, even now.
Austria-Hungary had done his best to comfort German Empire, but the man didn't let him in. The German had closed off completely, and there were far too many humans for them to do anything more than gentle pats on the shoulder.
It felt frustrating.
Austria-Hungary couldn't help but feel something within him break at the sight of German Empire, so far away, so far out of reach of his caring hands.
That had only been the beginning.
Russian Empire had gotten himself together far quicker than expected and was now looming over both their shoulders.
It was unnerving, not to mention the desertion problem that Austria-Hungary had within his ranks.
Bohemia and Slovakia had disappeared from the Eastern front overnight, and they were nowhere to be seen.
Nowhere, of course, except for the enemy lines, but that was preposterous!...right?
German Empire lost his second wing near the end of the war.
It was no particular incident that finally broke him, simply all the little issues piling up and the stench of gunpowder and death in the trenches.
A bullet graze was all it took. A little issue growing ever larger. An infection, pain, fevers, agony.
Amputation.
And so, German Empire lost his wings.
And in the end would lose so much more.
Neither of them had much energy left to continue this god-forsaken war. But to break meant to die.
And Austria-Hungary was still so very afraid of death.
He did not want to perish, a simpler, more human part of his brain rebelling against the very idea.
But soon, it would not be in his control, regardless.
He was starving, they both were and despite the collapse of Russian Empire, things were not getting better. Because German Empire made his final miscalculation. He antagonized America. The currently strongest nation on Earth and troops were shipping to Europe.
They would lose.
It was inevitable now, even if German Empire wanted to try for one last time to perhaps break Britain and France before the capitalist got here, he would die regardless of his success.
They were alone for now, a rare moment of solitude.
Austria-Hungary leaned closer toward his lover. Tonight, German Empire did not resist his advances, did not push Austria-Hungary away. Indeed, the German instead pulled them ever closer. Their lips met in a last, desperate kiss as Austria-Hungary swiftly familiarized himself with the German once more. It felt like coming home.
Neither of them cared about sin anymore. It was far too late, their souls scarred with far too much agony to fear hell and heavenly retribution. All Austria-Hungary cared about now was memorizing every new scar that lined the German's body.
Gods, he was so skinny now... His ribs were almost poking through his skin. The starvation of his populace hit him hard, just as it had hit Austria-Hungary.
He placed a kiss on each silvery scar, looking up at German Empire once he could feel his eyepatches getting pulled loose. They shared a moment of eye contact. It was the German who looked away first. "Don't do this to me tonight..." He growled softly, exhausted. "I wouldn't dream of it." Austria-Hungary hummed back, pressing ever closer.
The Empire's arms encircled Austria-Hungary just like they did so many years ago, two desperate, broken people sharing one last moment of intimacy before their doom.
For they could not win this, and Austria knew that the German realized this. He wasn't stupid, he must know that this effort was useless. But German Empire simply couldn't give up just yet.
Eleventh of October, 1918.
Bulgaria broke first, followed by Ottoman, then Austria-Hungary, and at last, at five in the morning, German Empire laid down his arms and surrendered.
Austria-Hungary could feel the pull of the pieces, stronger than ever before, and he knew that soon, very soon, an end of an era would come, followed by a new beginning.
And it would come from the palace in Versailles.