Germany scraped a small pat of butter against the crust of bread he was eating for breakfast and took a bite. He listened to the footfalls over his head as Prussia undoubtedly prepared for his next prank against France, who was staying in Germany's house uninvited. He chewed methodically as he watched the ceiling, anticipating the next barrage of screams and shouts to begin any minute. He didn't have long to wait when he heard a door hinge creak, and the sound of splashing and metal hitting the hallway floor above.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! FUCK what the hell is that!"

"Dammit France, did you just take a piss right here in the hallway? Don't you have toilets in that backwards country of yours?

"Someone put a bucket of urine on my door! This smells terrible … fuck!"

"You better get that cleaned up before West finds it, you know how he is about keeping this house clean."

"Merde! You bastard you did this!"

"Me? How dare you! Move in here without asking first then blame me when you run around here fouling up my brother's house? "

"Where's the mop?! I will need to shower before I can leave now."

"In the closet at the end of the hall with all of the other cleaning supplies. Better hurry up!" Prussia shouted as he jogged down the stairs to the kitchen grinning. "Good morning West! How is your bread?"

"Tasteless." He replied, tossing the uneaten portion back on his plate. "What are you doing to my house now?"

"Moi?" Prussia laughed, placing his palm on his chest. "France is the one spilling piss all over your hallway. Filthy pig!"

Germany closed his eyes and counted to ten, listening to France open the hallway closet door, slam it shut and then run water to mop the floor. He would wait until France left before heading up there to do a more thorough job of cleaning. He looked at his older brother grabbing a plate out of the cupboard. "What have you heard about the French government issuing their own currency in the Ruhr?"

"They decided against it." Prussia said, sitting down at the table and slicing off a piece of bread. "Seems things aren't working out the way they hoped. That and Belgium wants to leave." He shrugged as he haphazardly smeared a thick slab of butter across his bread.

"Belgium didn't realize France had every intention of annexing Rhineland?"

"Nope, and she's pissed now. Thought they would just waltz in, collect some money and go home." Prussia gave a snort of laughter. "Then the bastard went begging to England for help, and he told him to get stuffed. So much for the 'Entente Cordiale.'" Prussia said, with a thick French accent.

Germany listened to France cursing as he mopped. "Have the Prussian government officials begun evacuating as ordered?"

Prussia answered by taking a huge bite out of his bread and rolling his eyes at his brother. Upstairs they listened to the hallway closet door slam shut again and France stomping in the direction of the bathroom. Germany and Prussia looked at each other while listening to France turn on the water in the shower and they both grinned at the same time. Prussia stuffed the rest of the bread in his mouth and as quietly as possible tip toed up the stairs. Germany followed his brother until they stopped in front of the water closet in the upstairs hallway next door to the bath.

Inside the bathroom, France had begun singing to himself. Prussia opened the door to the toilet and grabbed the chain hanging next to the water tank. He looked at Germany expectantly. Germany stared at the bathroom door for a few more moments, and then nodded his head. Prussia pulled the chain and as soon as the screams started Germany grabbed the mop bucket - left in the middle of the hallway he noted irritably - and set it in front of the bathroom door. He jumped out of the way just in time for France to come running out of the bathroom screaming "YOU FUCKING ASSHOLES!!!", step into the bucket and trip, sprawling naked and covered with soap across the hallway floor. He let out a loud 'OOOOF' when his chin hit the wooden floorboards.

"Jesus Christ what a klutz." Prussia said, letting France see his huge smile before heading back downstairs, whistling the same tune France had been singing in the shower. France looked up at Germany who leaned against the doorway with an expression on his face he didn't even want to speculate the meaning of.

"Shouldn't leave things in the hall like that, someone could get hurt."

France wiped the wet, soapy hair out of his eyes and fumed at the other country, who pushed his shoulder away from the doorjamb and followed his brother down the stairs. "Oh, nice ass by the way." He said and disappeared from France's view.

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Author's Note: I finished up the last chapter with Prussia commenting that while France occupied Germany's industrial region they made his life a living hell. This was my way of acknowledging the policy of passive resistance the Germans adopted while the French and Belgians occupied the Ruhr valley. Unfortunately I started imagining some of the things Prussia and Germany would have done to make France's life hell and well … this short fic is the result.