Day 1: Flowers
Hello! This is my (super late) piece for @aphrarepairweek2020 ‘s event for Day 1: Flowers. This is the first chapter of what will be a multichapter fic with each chapter based on prompts from the event, starting from when they’re both kids up to modern day!
Pairing: Hungary/Ukraine
Word Count: ~2,000
AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24851509/chapters/60118951
Part 2
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Spring is usually a good time for a beginning. The cold dead winter is over and the world slowly starts to thaw. Flowers push up through the soil and new life is born. It’s a good, solid metaphor for the start of something new. For the start of something that would span centuries. Through turmoil and peace, it would bring two women together to share a love that was something akin to magic – at least to people like them.
For those blessed – or cursed, depending on who you asked – to roam the earth representing their people through countless hardships, it was something special to feel such a bond with another like themselves.
This story begins with an eldest sister, a young warrior, and a handful of flowers.
13th Century AD
Ukraine was out in the forest collecting firewood when she heard a hustle of bushes from behind her. She held her breath, arms tightening around the wood, and preparing for the worst. She may not seem like much as her body was no older than a child’s, but being a nation, she’d learned plenty over the years protecting herself and her siblings from invaders.
Suddenly, someone charged through the trees and towards her, knocking her to the ground and her bundle of twigs and branches flying in all directions. The two of them scrambled around on the ground until Ukraine finally got the upper hand and sat on top of her attacker, pinning them to the ground.
That was when the two of them finally got a decent look at the other.
Looking down, Ukraine did not recognize the small, armored brunette staring up at her. And from the confusion on the other’s face, they didn’t recognize her as well.
“Hey! You’re not Russia!” the other said dismayed. This worried her, it seemed like every day that someone new tried to attack her little brother.
“No! I’m his sister,” Ukraine tried to seem intimidating, but that was never her strong suit. “Who are you and what do you want with my brother?”
“I’m Hungary! I’m your new enemy!”
The brunette seemed to try and puff up but chance of that was obliterated by the fact that this Hungary person was still pinned beneath her.
“Let me go at once! My friend Prussia will come looking for me and then you’ll really be in trouble.”
Ukraine had heard of this Prussia trying to attack her brother. He was serious business. Loud and as obnoxious, but still knew how to use a sword.
“Only if you leave my brother alone,” Ukraine relented, crossing her arms.
“UGH, FINE! Just let me go!” The other country beneath her tried to wriggle their arms free but couldn’t. “C’mon, lemme go I don’t need Prussia seeing me like this.”
Ukraine hesitated.
“And you have to say sorry.”
“What? Why,” the other pouted.
“Because I worked hard all-day gathering firewood and now it’s everywhere!”
“Fine! I’m sorry. Now let me go.”
Ukraine climbed off of the other and immediately Hungary sprang up and dusted themselves off. Ukraine heard someone calling off in the distance for the other nation.
“Well, that’s me. Catch you around, not-Russia!” the other child gave her a crooked grin and half a wave and ran off through the forest.
Ukraine just sighed and started gathering the scatter firewood. She knew there was no way this was going to be the last time she heard from the annoying other nation.
**********
And it wasn’t.
Or at least Ukraine was pretty sure it wasn’t.
Not at first though. When she first noticed the small bundle of wildflowers outside her tent, she thought maybe her brother or sister were just being nice. But when she asked them about the flowers later that afternoon, they didn’t know what she was talking about.
Ukraine just brushed it off, not really thinking about it.
Until a few days later when an even bigger bundle showed up outside her tent this time accompanied with a note:
Sorry for knocking you over the other day.
The handwriting was barely legible but it was obvious that it was from the nation that ran into her earlier that week. She couldn’t tell if this was some sort of veiled threat by showing up at their little campsite while they slept or if they were being sincere. She figured there was no point in worrying her siblings by telling them about it.
A week passed before she heard from the other again. Frankly, he’d almost forgotten about it, and figured the next time she’d see them would be on a battlefield or something.
But no, that wasn’t the case.
It was the day after she, Russia, and Belarus had spent the day wandering the forest in search of sunflowers. There was a farmer nearby that supposedly grew vast fields of them but their search came up fruitless. For siblings who fought about nearly everything else, the specialness of sunflowers was the one thing they all agreed on. And hunting for flowers was like a day off for them. Between fighting off invading nations and struggling to keep themselves well supplied, it was starting to take its toll. But summer was coming soon and she wanted to enjoy the warm sunlight while they had it.
There was a perfect dozen of them placed neatly outside her tent the next morning. Bound in twine and a vibrant black and yellow. These came with a note as well:
I heard you like sunflowers. Is it because they’re almost as pretty as you are?
Ukraine flushed a bright pink and shoved the note in her pocket before her siblings could wake up and see it. She wasn’t hiding it per se, but this was just for her.
Even though it was definitely a ploy to distract her from the fact that the nation had obviously been spying on her and her siblings. Watching them and waiting to attack.
That was it. She had to be more vigilant from now on.
Perhaps she would set up a watch. Wait for her new enemy to show up and attack while they didn’t expect it.
Over the next week she tried to stay up at late as she could. Putting off sleep in the small hours of the morning, in the hopes of catching the other nation in their own game.
She was able to stay up for the first couple days but the lack of sleep was getting to her and it became impossible stay awake and to still be useful enough that her siblings wouldn’t catch on.
She still didn’t tell them about the flowers.
She just didn’t want to worry them!
It had nothing to do with the previous note or the note that was left with the new bundle of flowers left outside sometime after she passed out, completely missing her chance to catch the other nation in the act.
I saw these and I thought of you.
She gently grabbed the small bundle of wild roses, careful of thorns, but she noticed that each of the thorns had been carefully sliced off. The tiny buds letting off a beautiful fragrance and she brought them to her face to smell.
She cradled them gently in her arms, careful not to crush them.
Any thoughts of espionage or surprise attacks, not even a thought in her mind as she tried to figure out the best way to press them so she could save them forever.
Then next week, Ukraine got up very early in the morning before anyone could possibly be awake and crept outside her tent. She stationed herself behind a nearby tree and thought that perhaps the chill of the morning would keep her awake enough to catch her not-so-secret admirer.
But of course, this didn’t work as the chorus of birds waking up in the forest became her lullaby and she soon drifted off back to sleep. She woke up an hour later with a chain of daisies around her head and another note in her lap.
You’re as sweet as a flower, and not a daisy goes by that I don’t think about you.
Ukraine gently touched the crown of flowers resting on her head.
She turned over the note to read what was on the back:
PS Prussia helped with this one. If it’s stupid, it’s his fault.
Ukraine couldn’t help the smile that lit up her face.
The next week, she finally had her victory.
The night before, she tied a thin rope from tree to tree surrounding her tent coming a half foot off the ground, hoping to trip up the sneaking nation and woken up from their fall.
And she was right.
Early in the morning, just as the sun was starting to rise Ukraine awoke to the sound of someone scrambling in the leaves and a soft oof.
She immediately crawled out of her tent and was met face to face with the strange nation she met in the woods. They just stared at each other for a moment. The other nation’s face glowing pink in the soft light as they scrambled to right themselves.
“I just –“ Hungary looked away shyly, and thrust out a bouquet of tulips at Ukraine. “I need to leave soon and go back to my country. I just wanted to give you something to remember me by. They’re my favorite.”
Ukraine reached out for them slowly. Almost afraid that moving too quickly would spook her new friend.
That was when she noticed the sloppy stiches embroidered on the hem of Hungary’s tunic. They were an attempt at the flowers she now held in her hands, along with birds and leaves and daisies – at least that was what she could make out.
When Hungary finally looked at her, she seemed to notice Ukraine looking at the needlework and blushed brightly.
“Prussia says it’s too girly,” Hungary said haughtily, breaking the silence. “But I told him that even though I’m a girl, I’m waaaay more manly than he is.”
Ukraine looked up at her.
“You’re a girl?” Ukraine asked but then winced at her bluntness. With the armor she’d just assumed…
“Yeah, totally. There’s no way a boy like that stupid, smelly Prussia could pick such pretty flowers,” Hungary started edging away, sounding uncertain. “You did like them, right?”
Ukraine could feel her cheeks heating as she remembered how much she loved the secret bouquets.
“Of course,” Ukraine smiled wide at the other girl, her face lighting up.
At that Hungary puffed up proud like a little rooster, with her hands on her hips and a toothy grin out in full force. Ukraine couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips. Hungary seemed delighted.
The other girl grabbed her face in both hands and said:
“See? I knew you were prettier than a sunflower.”
And pecked Ukraine quickly on the lips before jumping over her string trap and dashing off back into the woods.
“We’ll see each other again one day!” Hungary called behind her. “Don’t forget me!”
Ukraine just stood there stunned, holding her tulips and lifted a hand to say goodbye.
Ukraine watched as the other girl disappeared into the woods until she heard a rustling behind her. Russia stumbled out of the tent panicked, half dressed in armor and barely awake.
“Are we under attack?” He mumbled. She looked at his rumpled state and waved him back to bed.
“Go back to sleep, Russia. They just wanted to say goodbye.”
He looked at her puzzled, but did as she said and stumbled back inside.
That was the last Ukraine saw of Hungary for quite a while. Sure, there were times when she and her siblings would hear of the other nation, or run skirmishes, as bordering nations often did. But there was never any time where Ukraine would catch more than a glance at the other woman for centuries. Time went on until the pressed flowers Ukraine kept hidden were the only reminder that it ever happened at all.
