Chapter Text
“Kulta, let’s go.” A light squeeze on his hand and a tender reminder dragged Michael straight back to the present, he sighed a little as he reciprocated the man’s loving grip, the light breeze of Hamburg mixed with the rumbling of the train engine made him sweat a little more than he’d prefer. So, with a tightened grip on his suitcase, he followed his blonde prince onto the train, still a little unsure about whatever this steel creature would throw toward them. If he could, he would never leave his country, especially in its state of depression and shame.
The leather suitcase was heavy in his hand, the gentle clanking of the metal buckles crept into the crevices of his senses as he walked closer with the crowding passengers, mindlessly humming to himself as he took worried but sure steps with Mika right by his side. Sure, he had never left Germany, and sure, he had never thought about actually living in Finland until two weeks ago, but what else was there to do? There was nothing truly “planned out” when he was with Mika. They met on a humid Thursday afternoon, fell in love in less than an hour, and now, they were waiting to get on a train to his newly-wed husband’s homeland. The simple little silver ring felt comforting, he had gotten it a couple months ago with Mika, and that was his first attempt at understanding eternity — if it existed, Michael was determined to keep the ring on for the entirety of it.
He still remembered the cooling sensation of it that made him flinch a little as Mika gently slid it onto his finger. It was way less cinematic than he would’ve imagined — they were leaning on the fence of their new, comfortable townhome, staring quietly at the circling stars. There were no words exchanged, nothing spoken, just the two of them standing under the moonlight, silver as ever. To be honest with himself, Michael never truly envisioned marriage for himself, or even with Mika. For the latter, it wasn’t because he didn’t care, but rather, marriage meant nothing in the face of everything that Mika stood for in his life. He could embrace Mika, call him everything, kiss him, ruffle his platinum blonde hair, poke at his cheeks, and if he could do that without marriage, there was nothing wrong with that. Still, all of that shattered when Mika got onto one knee, revealing the slick, elegant and discrete ring of pure bliss in his palm, beaming at him with that nervous, slightly lop-sided smile he always had. He remembered that surge of warmth, that rush of pure joy and excitement as he was a nodding and crying mess. His newly engaged fiance had to pry him out of the embrace to actually put the ring onto him — something he completely forgot about.
The light irritation and rubbing of Mika’s matching ring on his hand gave him a little more comfort, no matter how miniscule.
Boarding wasn’t too difficult, it was the waiting that was irritating. Everyone was clearly eager to leave, some were pushing, shoving, squeezing and bumping as they made their way around — and throughout all of this, all Michael could really think about was Mika’s hand. Mika’s broad, tough, but gentle hand that held so tight to him. Home was where Mika was, it was where he could follow this man to. His long coat and scarf looked rather comical next to Mika who was only wearing a shirt, a vest, and a thin blazer, but who was to blame him? He was from Cologne, for the Lord’s sake, anywhere else would be cold! Mika laughed at him for it, but who could blame him for preparing for the unknown? It wasn’t like he was stupid and didn’t know that Finland was so cold he wouldn’t survive in a day. Michael was a child of the sunshine, birthed out of the syrup-like golden silhouettes of fluttering rays of sunlight, he wasn’t one for dimming that. Mika, on the other hand, was a child of the snow, a child of the crisp frost on the junipers. The sunshine never fails to melt the snow.
Michael tucked the smaller case under his seat as Mika hurled their larger pieces of luggage onto the carrier cabinets, the rustle from the crowd never seemed to end. “Mika? Come sit down already.” Michael spoke, staring at his… Husband? They weren’t married by law, but it wasn’t like anyone could ever pry them apart. Mika was clearly less stressed, but not at all calm, he had sent letters back and forth to his parents as soon as he realised things would go horribly in Germany, but all the planning was still so last-minute. Nonetheless, having the security knowing that there was a home waiting for them in Vantaa was beyond comforting, and that was enough. With that in mind, Mika sat down on the seat, shifting around slightly at how hard the dusty cushions were.
But it’s okay. It’s all okay. He thought, slowly intertwining his fingers with Mika’s slightly broader and wider ones, their rings gently pressing against each other’s hands. It’s okay, it’s okay. He leaned back. Sure, it was possible that he could never touch the soil of his homeland. Michael turned to stare out the window – the sky was uncharacteristically blue, reminding him of the port that he’d always cycle around. Hamburg was still as beautiful as he remembered. There was always something enchanting about this city, about the way he breathed in its air and strolled under the oak trees lining the streets. Maybe he should’ve given it a last farewell before stuffing himself onto this train. Maybe this was the last look he gave it, who knows? Suddenly, no scene could get him to calm down. There was something wretching and writhing deep within him as he shifted in his seat, trying everything to do nothing but observe the movement of the wind through the swishing clouds, intermixing with the steam.
There was nothing that could possibly comfort someone from leaving their home, and that was the truth they had to deal with. It was only at this moment that he really felt this dreading yearn for somewhere that he had just left a few hours ago. Their brand new home, their little house, the rooms, the fresh smell of paint. The war had already been gruelling on Germany, Michael’s friends had starved, some had caught the flu, and he couldn’t help but feel a dreadful guilt – how dare he leave? How dare he, so privileged, find an escape to his dying country, But it was for the best, that was all he could do.
Home is where the heart is. Mika. Mika was his home. Mika carried all his love, and perhaps, his love for Hamburg as well. His platinum hair, his greyish blue eyes and pale skin, he was all Michael needed. He didn’t need the sky, the port, the clouds, the birds, the trees, the swaying waves of the Elbe river; Mika was all that. They were so young and so in love, there was just so much about Mika that there was to love about, an intelligent man that he knew he could leave his life upon the hands of. Every time he turned to Mika as they silently read the papers together.
Wilson Leaves Paris: Sails Sunday Germans Pledge to Good Faith
Germany Accepts Terms Unconditionally: Protesting She Yields to “Superior Force”: Treaty Likely Signed by Friday
Signing of Treaty Brings to End: Five-Year Period of Devastation: China the Only Nation to Hold Back
PEACE TREATY SIGNED.
Headline after headline, papers were taken from newsstands in crumbling shacks and the frantically waving hands of paper boys. The blocky ink inevitably displayed the final news. News that everyone, including Michael and Mika, were relieved yet devastated by. There was never peace, never something truly easy to complete after the war. It was all just chaos from there.
Every time they had to turn away from the protests on the street, there was something that pained him. He was German, his heart ached for his country, his country that had to endure all of this shame and consequence. Now, he was escaping like a coward with his husband, almost like the type of wealthy omega they’d write dramatic tabloid articles about.
Did he really think this through? Did he really want to leave his country and his people for them to suffer? The answer was a definite negative. But was there a choice for anything else? Well, as he heard the horn rip through the air, he knew that regret had to be nothing but an afterthought. There was no time or need for regret – he knew that if he even expressed a word of discomfort, Mika wouldn’t hesitate to break them out of the train and run back to Hamburg on the tracks. All if Michael wanted. All if Michael just said one word that meant his slightest discomfort. He shouldn’t, and wouldn’t, because if there was any valid reason for them to stay, they would’ve.
The platinum blond on his mind was holding his wife with one hand and the most recent paper on the other, scanning the words and mumbling under his breath. From what Michael knew, Mika hadn’t had enough time to learn German fluently enough before travelling for studies, so he always had to sound out every word – of course, in an accent that Michael would always laugh about before Mika questioned his Finnish levels.
“Mika.”
“Hm?”
Michael looked at the man’s clear blue eyes – nothing in them except for him. There was that sort of frosty layer he used to settle down with, but below that, Michael could feel something almost burning to the touch.
He took a deep breath and his eyes creased into a familiar smile.
“I love you.”
There was always that cheeky touch to everything Michael said, including this. So Mika let go of the newspaper, spread it on his lap, and used the now-free hand to cup Michael’s face, giving him a peck on the lips. It’ll all be fine… as long as they were together, nothing mattered. Michael didn’t need to miss his home, he didn’t need to, because his heart had already melted into their intertwined fingers and someone would have to carve him out of the man’s arms. Mika was a child of snow, yet, he was always so warm, and Michael felt like nothing but snowflakes melting away at his skin.
Michael laid back into the seat, breathing out. The smell of coal, old leather, sweat and perfume filled the air, it was uncomfortable. Michael leaned on Mika’s shoulder gently, enjoying the rise and fall of the man’s shoulders as he breathed. At the final honk of the horn, he closed his eyes. It was really happening, he was really leaving Cologne all behind, and he knew he couldn’t do anything about it anymore. What about Ralf? What about his parents? One of his hands formed a fist on the thick fabric of his pants, holding on as if he was all this thoughts. But it’s going to be alright.
It’s going to be alright.
As the train slowly drove into motion, Michael could hear the running and goodbyes by the windows, the flurry of colour rolling by the window. Behind the closed window and with his head still on Mika’s shoulder, he stared out at the window. The sound of cries and the sight of reaching hands filled his mind, some lovebirds leaned out of the windows to kiss each other goodbye, cherishing some warmth as the cold metal creature broke through the reaching arms. Slowly, the shapes of people merged in with the trees as the sky melted into the window. Cologne was just too beautiful, he couldn’t help but smile. The vast plains glistened like emeralds under the sun, the shape of the wind carved into them. Trees stood tall and alone amidst the fields, birds flutter to and fro while dozens of people wander around, only diverting their attention as a reaction to the large puff of steam and deafening sound for a brief moment.
The internal bustling was now the only noise filling the space up, some were still mourning the embrace of their loved ones by the platform just moments ago, and some were settling their luggage down, shouting at any passerby which accidentally kicked the old, peeling briefcase. As the train fell into its old-fashioned motion, the lullaby of its horn fell into the distance, soothing the train carriage into order. There was nothing to lose, nothing to take back. They were to go to Finland, settle down, and spend their life accompanied by the fleeting yet gentle seasons. Sure, life of that sort seemed rather boring, but to even survive, not to mention live was such a privilege that he couldn’t say anything. Maybe he’ll have two of Mika’s children and live by the countryside, raising his children up between the breeze of the trees. Whenever they had time, his husband would always tell him all about Vantaa, about how life just seemed too blissful to be true. He was to meet Harri and Alia, his parents-in-law, and spend time hopefully relieved at their kind demeanors. Sure, they were both just young people in love, nothing to have aside from the humble yet stable lives their family had provided them, but he wanted more… he wanted the world with Mika.
With that thought, he looked out the window, letting the train rocking him into dreams. The idle whirring slowly fell into the vignette of his eyes, the blue sky seeping into the landscape and dripping through the fingers of the mountains, their peaks, the valleys, the trees. Mika was his world, and perhaps that was enough. He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of his husband’s skin on his cheek, and a gentle hand intertwining with his dark blonde hair.
Slumber was… delightful, especially because of the darkness and silence that it brought. The body becomes too light for any sober body to bear. It was when he closed his eyes and drifted that he felt truly at peace. Michael didn’t have to worry about anything for a while, his chest rising and falling gently.
Michael was quiet as a doll. Mika had always took notice of how animated and sweet Michael always looked, his eyes filled with some sort of wonder that captured the world itself within them. They were the purest blue, reflecting back at Mika like the water of the Rhine. Now, they were hidden beneath gentle, fluttering curtains, fair skin so pale that every blood vessel seemed prominent enough. Of course, Mika preferred Michael awake and speaking, always making a witty remark about something or a stupid joke about something else. A sense of emptiness would creep up on the Finn whenever his partner fell quiet or obedient, it sent some sort of unease down his spine. Michael had never been the stereotypical omega, and Mika had much preferred it that way.
Smooth skin, soft hair, and that smile that he wore even in his sleep, what else was there to ask for? He shook his head, laughing at his very own pathetic tendencies. They were so in love, and it just truly seemed like nothing else could go wrong. The ring on his hand sparkled as brightly as ever, and there was nothing that could break him from it. The sky and plains spread themselves into the horizon all for them. It will all be fine when they get to Finland. All will seize to bother them.
Mika turns to find Michael’s breath rhythmically quiet. He smiles, and spreads the newspaper onto his lap again, scanning idly through the headlines. For the first time, there wasn’t anything unsettling or devastating for the either of them. It was just all that came with constructing a new government. Sure, Mika had to pull Michael off the streets during a protest, tape up their windows to stop them from shattering at stray rocks. But all was good. The twenties have been a tumultuous time for the nation and for the pair of young lovers, the invasion of the Ruhr had weighed so heavy on Mika’s mind that he had to urge Michael to leave no matter what. Michael never backed down, but when he did, it had always been for Mika. The Finn was dense, sure, but he could feel the gentle tremble in his husband’s voice. There was hesitation, there was anticipation, there was fear, but it was alright.
For an omega, although rather unique, Michael had a surprisingly smooth life in such a tumultuous time. There was the odd cat-caller, but Mika was standing right behind him reciprocating the stare back at the men, shoving their words back down their throats. Michael would then hold his hand with a cheeky smile, kiss him on the cheek, and Mika would put a broad, slightly cool hand on the former’s nape. Scent represents were not a part of their daily life, if anything, the subtle smell of an apple’ juices merged with the freezing earthy scent intertwined int something so… primitive. It wasn’t a secret that they had been bonded, anyone with a nose and eyes could tell. It was almost like you could see the plump fruit, bright red in all its fullness and solace, laying quietly in the snow. At that thought, Mika ran a thumb down Michael’s cheek, smiling at the subsequent, lethargic dissatisfaction that floated on the man’s peaceful expression.
They spent winters enjoying the cold – although Michael always subtly tugged Mika indoors whenever given the opportunity. The crisp snow would crumble under their feet, melting away and whispering to them, providing some sort of comfort just enough to ease away the blazing heat of a raging war. Mika intended to forever bind himself to this omega, he may lie down in the snow and for death to embrace him, but that would never freeze his love. For this moment, it seemed that all is on track. Mika closed his eyes for a brief moment, breathing in the faint smell of apples.
Till death do us part.
The steel creature soared through the plains to a far-away place that itself could never comprehend, leaving behind the love and longing of hundreds and thousands as it breaks itself free from any urban restraints.