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Fritz was very, very tired. The war had been going on for a while already, and he had to run around to all his fronts, protecting what remained of his country. It was, all in all, exhausting. He was rather surprised that the personification of his country, Prussia, was still doing relatively fine amidst the chaos.
Fritz, Prussia, and their men had arrived in St. Petersburg just the day before, to discuss the territorial changes .. or lack thereof. Yes, Fritz was glad he'd gotten his beloved Königsberg back, and he was sure Prussia was too, but Peter III's actions were very sudden and very different from Russia's political standpoint in Europe. Fritz was practically scolding the younger leader for abusing his new authority! Craziest of all, he almost felt bad for Austria and France ..
Just almost, though.
Fritz was coming back from a meeting with Peter when he spotted his country, Prussia, walking down the hall across the courtyard. Prussia's flitting eyes suggested that he was looking for something, or someone. Sure enough, the Prussian's eyes caught sight of something and he turned to the side, glancing over. A pair of long legs stepped out to reveal the Russian Empire with his signature smile—the smile that always rubbed others the wrong way. For some reason, it seemed a little more cheerful today, which was probably not a good sign. Fritz should worry about that.
And so he did. He waved Peter off, who was a little confused but obliging, and cut through the courtyard to get to them. Although he wasn't sure exactly what was giving him the shivers, his time on the battlefield had told him to be wary and do something.
Once Fritz was close enough to call out to Prussia, he raised an arm, intending to yell and wave him over. Right as he started gathering air into his voice, however, he saw a peculiar sight that made him clamp his mouth shut, lower his arm, and hide behind a pillar.
Okay, what the heck?
Fritz was always aware that the Russian personification had a thing for his country, much like how Peter III also had a thing for Prussia (the country, not the personification, Fritz hoped). He just .. didn't think it was this bad. He thought that the Seven Years' War would've maybe worn down whatever relationship it was that they had before, even if they ended the war on the same side. But with the way Russia was acting, Fritz would've assumed that he was the one that wanted to switch sides, perhaps even more than Peter. Especially after seeing such a scene ..
Prussia himself was standing upright. Meanwhile, Russia had pounced like a cat and immediately latched onto Prussia, haphazardly resting his chin on the top of the (relatively) short Prussia's shoulder. What an interesting situation. The whole scene vaguely reminded Fritz of himself during his younger days, when he was alone with Katte. The Russian pulled back soon after, releasing Prussia from their one-sided hug, but the image stuck in Fritz's mind for just a little longer.
He knew that it was probably unnecessary for him to hide, but he'd already done so, and a part of him was curious about the two's relationship. Fritz knew Prussia from a very young age, and the Prussian personification had always been the same: direct, strict, and rather uptight about everything. He didn't do things he deemed useless, and that alone had garnered him quite a bit of respect from people like Fritz's father. In any case, it was under Fritz's assumption that Prussia would never pursue a romantic relationship, unless it somehow helped him. To say that Fritz was surprised was an understatement.
The Prussian king decided to watch a little longer, though his morals told him otherwise. He'd always been a little curious about his country, who never seemed to speak, after all.
And so, Fritz spied on the two countries a little conspicuously nearby. If he strained his ears, he could hear their conversation.
".. and it was really irresponsible of you to let your new leader, Peter III, do such a thing. You and Elizabeth were on Austria and France's side, were you not? You have essentially betrayed them and put a target on your back, all because of .."
Prussia rambled, seemingly annoyed with the turn of events. Fritz mentally nodded along, agreeing with his country's rant about the sheer insanity of that whole situation. It appeared that the Russian personification, too, was getting an earful like his new tsar. Fritz almost laughed at how "Mom I'm sorry for eating the cookies" Russia looked at the moment.
".. so in short, you shouldn't do such a thing again, understood?" Prussia concluded, finally finishing his tiring tirade. Russia nodded carefully, keeping his golden eyes fixed on the other man—wait, how long has he been staring? Did Fritz just notice? Hmm.
Russia pursed his lips forward, muttering something neither Fritz nor Prussia could hear while looking off to the side like a teenage schoolgirl. Prussia ever-so-slightly frowned, questioning Russia with a prod. That little prod was all it took for Russia to unfurl and repeat his words. Fritz was mildly concerned at how easily his country could make the taller one talk, but he put it off for the sake of listening in to what Russia was saying. Needless to say, Fritz was a little more than mildly concerned now.
"I thought you'd be happy and thank me if I stopped fighting .. to be honest, I wanted to see you lose your composure after being defeated, but I was scared that you'd hate me afterwards if I did that .." Russia confessed. "Are you happy? Will you thank me?"
Fritz didn't know if he should bash his head into a nearby wall or thank the god he didn't believe in. Russia's words were very unreassuring. Instead of pondering, he resolved to peek over and see his country's reaction to this .. revelation.
Prussia was about as expressionless as usual, which seemed about right. Fritz had never quite learned the skill that he knew some people had, which allowed people to read Prussia's face. He was rather good at guessing, however, and his hypothesis for the day was that Prussia was in the middle of processing that information, and what it could mean for him. Fritz himself could spy quite a few upsides to knowing that the Russian personification was likely more than just interested in his own country's personification, but he could also predict a lot of less-than-helpful outcomes, especially for Prussia himself.
"I am .. a little happy, I suppose," Prussia said slowly, observing Russia's reaction. Russia, in response, grinned, a little widely and a little creepily (in Fritz's opinion). The almost-awkward persona of Russia had washed away like a murder scene on a rainy day immediately. He stepped closer, as if they weren't already close enough, and, with the most sly yet innocent of all smiles, cheerfully said, "So thank me! Thank me for saving you in this war!"
.. Fritz could almost commend Russia's blatant desires. It wasn't everyday that you saw someone outwardly express their wants so boldly, especially with such "innocent" obliviousness. With the words Russia had recently confessed, however, it was clear to Fritz that this childish man was anything but innocent. He could only hope that Prussia noticed and did something about it.
"C'mon, c'mon. Thank me for giving you back your beloved region and deciding to help you out in the war from now on. I had to convince Pyotr for this, you know? There were a lot of strings to pull, and I worked really hard! I think I deserve a thanks," Russia convinced, poking Prussia's arm with every point he made.
Prussia blinked slowly, raising his eyebrows. "You were the one that convinced Peter? Not the other way around??"
Russia scratched the back of his neck with a sly smile, not responding—which was basically confirmation. Fritz mentally curled into a ball as he felt his grey hairs get grey hairs. He couldn't believe that he was right in his offhanded guess. Prussia gave Russia a weirded-out stare before reluctantly sighing.
"I guess .. dankeschön, dummkopf. Thank you. It's easier to fight this war now that I have one less problem to worry about," Prussia said somewhat blankly. It was interesting to watch Russia perk up at such a lackluster response: his face brightened, his eyes sparkled, and he looked positively overjoyed at just two simple sentences.
Then, for whatever reason, Russia's smile turned a bit creepier than usual as he spoke: "Since I helped, dear Prussia .. don't you think I could get a little something in return?" His head tilted to the side like a doll.
Prussia, with a raised eyebrow, asked, "Just what are you insinuating, Russia?" It was obvious that he was suspicious of such a vague statement—and for good reason, because the way Russia worded it implied that he wanted something that Prussia could give. Fritz mused over all the possible requests he could come up with, but none of them seemed all that likely. Just what was Russia planning? If it involved Prussia getting involved in another conflict, when he was very much worn out from this war already, then-
"Can we go on a 'date?'"
...
...
Huh?
Fritz blinked. Prussia blinked. Russia stood there, waiting expectantly.
"Pardon ..?" Prussia finally asked. He seemed just as confused as Fritz. Why would Russia want to go on a date? And with Prussia, no less?? Was that really all he wanted, after apparently convincing Peter to suddenly switch sides in the war just as victory seemed nigh?
Prussia furrowed his brows, showing a bit more emotion than usual. "A 'date.' You want to go on a 'date' .. with me," he clarified, to which Russia nodded fervently to.
On one hand, this was good news for Fritz, because that meant that he and his country didn't need to owe the Russian Empire anything. On the other hand .. Russia had, as far as Fritz could tell, a little more than just a fleeting interest in Prussia. That could very well be a double-edged sword, and Fritz wasn't sure if even the great personification of Prussia could wield it properly. Fritz wanted to say something; however, he was only an observer, and he couldn't risk getting caught eavesdropping because he had this weird gut feeling that Russia would do something to him. Even though he was 90% sure Prussia had already sensed his presence behind the pillar.
Prussia straightened his back, looking the taller man in the eye. "I suppose, as a thank-you, I could take you out on a date sometime. Shall we discuss the details later? I'd like to rest, and I'm leaving St. Petersburg tomorrow anyway."
"It's a promise," Russia beamed, clapping his hands together. Fritz could've sworn he saw a hint of menace in that smile, before it faded away too quickly. "Oh, shall I walk you back inside?"
Prussia sighed, yet again, while glancing over with his still, blue eyes. He seemed a few years older after talking and dealing with this tall child. In the end, he merely muttered, "Do whatever you want, Russia."
-
"So. You overheard my conversation with Russia, did you not?" Prussia asked, crossing his legs.
"I very much did," Fritz responded, leaning back. "Are you really going to do what he wants though?"
Prussia shrugged, shifting in his seat. He seemed rather bored of the conversation already. "I mean, it's not doing any harm, is it? His actions don't hurt me, so it's fine."
Fritz gave his country the blankest stare he could muster. He didn't think it was nearly as okay as Prussia made it out to be. Did he not see the signs? Does he not notice how Russia stares at every chance he gets? Perhaps he should teach Prussia a little thing called "pushing people away." It would certainly prove helpful in nipping this in the bud. But with Prussia's attitude on everything and Russia's adamance on being close, Fritz didn't think this relationship of theirs, whatever it may be, could ever be a good one.
Fritz had a feeling Prussia didn't know what he was getting himself into.
.. oh well! That was Prussia's problem!