Headnotes: This was written for Fanime-Sensei's Hetalia Romance Story Writing Contest. The prompt of this month was PruHun. I don't have much experience with my pairing, though after working so hard to get myself into the mindset for it I totally love it! I can't believe I only just discovered this pairing!

There's also a conspicuous amount of Austria in the fix, just because I cannot bring myself to write about Hungary or Prussia without writing about Austria. And since this features Hungary and Prussia. . . well. xD It was inevitable, really. You're lucky the entire fic wasn't just about their wonderful three-way relationship.

I'm glad to be here for round three! Good luck to everyone! I hope you like the fic.

Reverse Development

rewind, replay

Their conversations inevitably devolved into arguments, which quickly turned into fights. Every fight ended with the same two lines, agreed between them over the centuries to be the end-all, last say for both. Nothing could be salvaged from any topic after the two lines had been exchanged.

"You were great once, Prussia, but not anymore."

"Run along home to your big strong man, Hungary."

Then they would turn and walk away. Sometimes Hungary adds an additional grievous injury onto Prussia's head.

.

He spied her out of the corner of his eye as Germany poured a tankard of beer on his head. He sputtered, scrubbed salty drink from his scalp and smiled, happy to see his brother again and overjoyed to find that his brother hadn't starved nearly as badly as he had, if the bulging muscles were anything to go by. He peered out of the corner of his eye again, and she was still there, sitting quietly (demurely, with her hands in her fucking lap like a lady) and observing the two of them.

He could barely believe his eyes, but she was smiling. She sat several meters away and there were crowds upon crowds of celebrating drunk strangers in between them, so she likely felt secure in expressing such. . . pride, and genuine good will.

Germany pushed a fresh tankard into his arms, spilling some of the best beer Prussia had tasted in a long time all over his shirt. Prussia grappled at the tankard for a while, asking Germany repeatedly when he would wake up because this had to be the cruelest dream he had ever had.

A few meters away Hungary stood, patted the back of her dress, and pocketed her camera as she left.

.

Prussia snuck over to Austria's house the morning after the wedding and hid behind a bush, where he could have a good vantage point of the front door.

He was furious at himself for doing something so pointless and stupid, but even more than that, he was furious with Hungary. If anyone had asked him, he would've said he didn't know why.

Just a few minutes in a bush outside their front door, and then he would leave. Well, okay, maybe fifteen or twenty minutes. Okay, maybe an hour.

At around noon, he finally mustered the willpower to tear himself away from the door and step out of the bush (because he was starting to get pretty hungry) when the door opened and he quickly hid himself behind the bush again.

He let out a sigh of disappointment when it was Austria leaving the house, and got ready to leave the scene before he was caught. Wait, what's up with that?

He repositioned himself so he could get a better look at Austria's retreating form, shuffling along in a clumsy sort of hobble with a basket on his arm.

Prussia put his roaring jealousy aside for a few minutes to smirk to himself. "Good job Hungary," he whispered.

.

"Motherfucker," Prussia growled. "Just what I needed! What the fuck are you doing here?!"

"Cleaning up some local garbage," Hungary said lightly. "I hear you've been bullying Austria lately, and I can't go having that."

"You sicken me!" Prussia cried. "Look at yourself! Look what he's made you into! You march into battle with armor over your ball gown? You had time to put fucking flowers into your long girly hair?! And you beat out your breastplate to show off your humongous girly rack!"

This earned him another heavy smack in the head with her heavy weapon. "Things grow," she mumbled darkly.

Prussia grit his teeth and yelped as he bit on his own cheek; he spat blood from his mouth and wiped blood from his freshly broken nose. "Of all things to hit me with, a fucking frying pan. You're a goddamn joke!"

"Say that to me again!" Whack! Whump!

During the ensuing bloodbath, Austria winced from his position in the sidelines and looked away.

"How bravely she fights for you," said the Archduchess as she dabbed blood from his forehead. "How bad could it be to stand in the arm of such a dedicated protector?"

He smiled bitterly. "I highly doubt she fights for me," he said.

.

He threw away the bouquet of roses ten minutes after he bought them.

"I shouldn't get so stupid about this," he mumbled to himself. "Hungary is still Hungary. You know better than to assume all women are the same. Snap out of it." He finished by slapping himself a few times.

He cleared his throat and stood up straight, eyes focused on an imaginary conversation partner in front of him. "Afternoon, Hungary! Hey, just wanna say you're always my best friend ever, even if you're a little different than I thought! Things like sex and gender are just labels anyway, right? Haha!" He slapped himself again. "Stupid, I can't say that! How horrifying!"

He had slapped himself into curled position on the ground, muttering to himself, before he was interrupted by a soft voice. "Prussia, what are you doing down there?"

Prussia's blood ran cold. He slowly craned his head to look at the face of the speaker, and his heart dropped into his legs at the sight.

Hungary brushed a strand of beautiful long hair behind her ear with a demure smile and swung the skirt of her modest handmaiden dress as she leaned over to offer him a hand up. "You mustn't lie in the dirt like that, silly. You'll dirty your clothes."

Prussia took her hand unwittingly and let himself be helped up. He stammered for a while before managing to spit out, "What's all this?" and making a vague gesture to her entire body.

"Do you like it?" Hungary fluffed her luxurious silky hair with a sweet giggle. "I've been trying my best to make this work. Sometimes it's difficult undergoing such a big change in image, you know?"

"It's revolting," Prussia spit out, and immediately put both hands over his mouth.

Hungary's smile dropped straight off her face and she lifted her fingers from her silky hair. "I. . . beg your pardon?"

"Oh god, why are you talking like that? What is all this?" Prussia found himself stumbling away from her; he felt his back bump into a wall and he spread himself against it. "It's so. . ."

"What's the matter with you? It's just a dress and a bit of soap, it's not like I've lost an arm-"

"It's so goddamn girly, that's what it is!" Prussia screamed.

They stood frozen; Hungary's eyes widening in shock and eventually fury, Prussia paralyzed with fear.

"I apologize if my change in appearance is too feminine to suit your taste," Hungary bit out coldly.

Prussia clenched his fingers into the wall behind him, nails cracking and breaking, sweat running down his arm. He twisted his brow and squeezed his eyes shut, heaving slightly. "Why would you do this to me?" he asked quietly.

"It's not always about you," Hungary snapped. "I wanted to make a good impression on Austria. I'm tired of everyone seeing me as a rogue, barbarian man!"

"You. . . you did this. . . for goddamn Austria?"

"I thought you would be a better friend about this," Hungary said. "I see now that I was wrong."

Prussia's eyes were too hot. He pushed himself against the wall in a dizzy haze of desperation, whispering "why why why why" under his breath. He clung to the grooves in the bricks; any minute the world would fall apart and he would drop into the vast unknown, where nothing could be certain anymore.

"Please don't leave me like this," he managed to say after a while, but when he got no response and looked up, Hungary was long gone.

.

Hungary had gotten to the point where she could finally pronounce words with a cultured tone, and smoothed her voice and vocabulary until she could pass for any mother walking down the street with a delightful child.

Makeup had taken a while to master; she had never learned much about it before, and it was much harder than the women - sorry, the other women - made it look. She spent weeks of disappointing humiliation in front of her mirror before she felt capable of leaving her house with a painted face.

When she did, though. . . it was like the sun had come up for the first time, and she truly understood herself.

Now it was no longer shameful for her to like beautiful things, and to like being beautiful. She could brush her hair for hours until it was so smooth and light it would float through the air, and nobody would look twice at her or pressure her about it.

No wonder she always bullied Austria growing up. It was unfair to see someone like him being so comfortable with his own love of beautiful and elegant things. She hoped this new change in image would convince him to let her into his world of extravagance.

Above all else, she couldn't wait to share her new personal experience with her best friend.

.

They were at the age where Prussia was gaining a lot of height. . . and, loathe as Prussia was to admit it, Hungary was gaining a lot of weight, and Hungary's body was starting to fill out in a frightening and wonderful way.

"Aw shit," Hungary said as he - no, she, Prussia corrected himself, Hungary is a she - stepped off the scale, patting her stomach self-consciously. "You think I'm getting out of shape? I never weighed this much in my life!"

"We're all gaining weight," Prussia supplied tentatively. "S-sometimes we get a little pudgier before the muscles really come in."

"Zat so?" Hungary scowled, and pinched at her hips and thighs. "Get this though, all this fat down here. I know I need lots of muscles in my chest, but who even needs this much muscle on the ass?"

"I, I don't know," Prussia moaned, curling in on himself. "Let's talk about something else. Like how tall you are. You're really tall now, Hungary."

"Aw man, you only just noticed?" Hungary chortled and gave Prussia a few healthy whacks on the back. "I was taller than you for centuries, man. To be honest I think you're kinda late to the party."

Prussia sputtered himself away from her reach. "N-No I'm not! None of the other boys have even had their growth spurts yet!"

"Other boys?" Hungary asked, tilting her head.

"N-no, no, I didn't mean. . . What I was saying was. . ."

"Nevermind, anyway, when're you gonna show me that dick of yours?" Hungary asked suddenly. "You lying about that? You said you had it forever but mine hasn't even come in yet, what the hell."

"Aaaahhhhhh let's please talk about something else please!" Prussia screamed, running out of the room.

Hungary happily chased after him, guffawing loud enough to scare away all the nearby birds. "Ya wanna tag? First one to trip and fall has to skinny dip! That means you, Birdhead!"

.

"I'm almost starting to feel bad for the guy, Hungary. Almost." Prussia patted his tunic primly in his lap as he took his usual seat beside his friend.

Hungary snorted loudly, laughing at Prussia's statement while indiscreetly adjusting a chain mail wedgie. "Ya don't need to, man. You see the way Austria waddles around hiding behind Switz all the time? He can take it." There was an evil glint in Hungary's eye. "Take it up the ass, that is! Am I right?"

Prussia winced and drew his shoulders together, laughing weakly with Hungary's loud guffaws. "Oh, uh. . . yeah. He could. Right."

Hungary punched him in the arm. "Hey, something wrong? Usually that'd sound awesome to you."

Prussia squirmed a little, moving his feet from under his butt because they were falling asleep but keeping his stiff posture. "Got, uh. . . scolded by my boss. Yeah, that's it."

"What, ya can't make dick jokes anymore?" Hungary pouted, and Prussia looked away quickly; those lips were far more luscious than they had any right to be.

"Something like that, yes! Yes, I can't make dick jokes anymore, and you can't make them either, so, so stop."

"Well I ain't gonna." In a flash, Hungary was standing up, making suggestive hip rolls. "Damn, but I love me a good dick joke! 'Specially about Austria!" Prussia curled into himself as Hungary let out another hearty laugh. "Man is that guy asking for some good, thick-"

"Actually I just remembered, I haven't eaten today," Prussia mumbled quickly, struggling clumsily to his feet. "I'm gonna go do that, great talking to you, see you tomorrow!"

Hungary raised an eyebrow, arms crossed, staring after the hurriedly retreating Prussia; Hungary could swear Prussia had never run away from anything so quickly before.

.

"That's five-nothing to me, I win hands down!" Hungary yelled into Prussia's face.

Prussia gave an energetic struggle from where he was pinned under his friend. "Never! You're cheating! Nooo!"

"Ya know what that means!"

"You don't win until you beat me six out of twelve rounds!"

Hungary leaned over to whisper, hot breath tickling Prussia's ear. "You already changed it the last five rounds," Hungary said, and Prussia could feel Hungary's smile against his ear, warmth trickling from it all the way down his spine in a pleasant tingle.

Hungary moved suddenly, to shout into Prussia's face. "Tickle time!"

"Nooo!" Prussia screamed, too late; laughter broke into his scream as Hungary ran his strong yet nimble fingers all over Prussia's body. Prussia felt his muscles involuntarily spasming, limbs contorting, body convulsing; he gasped for air as he pushed at Hungary, trying to make his friend stop the onslaught. "No, stop it, stop it!" he screamed, his voice full of far more pleasure than he was comfortable exhibiting.

"Say you're a chicken-butt! Say it!"

"No! I won't! No no no HAHAHA no!"

Hungary shifted lower down Prussia's body and licked a warm stripe up Prussia's neck, and Prussia let out a long shriek. "I'm a chicken-butt, I'm a chicken-butt, stop that, stop that!"

Hungary pulled his fingers away and rolled off to the side; as soon as the tickling stopped, Prussia's smiles and laughter vanished and he curled up, gasping, shaking.

"Hey. . . you okay?" Hungary asked softly.

"No," Prussia whispered.

"What's wrong?" Hungary scooted closer to Prussia's curled body and peered down at him. "Ya don't look too great."

"You licked me," Prussia mumbled.

Hungary huffed and crossed his arms. "Yeah, an' I spit on ya an' I chew on ya," he said.

"Licking's different," Prussia insisted. He uncurled slightly to twist his head toward Hungary, hand on his neck. "Feels different."

Hungary rushed forward to tease Prussia further, but Prussia continued: "I don't think it's okay for you to lick me, Hungary."

Hungary sat back on his butt, stumped for words, and watched Prussia slowly push himself into an upright sitting position, still rubbing his neck. "Did you hate it?" Hungary asked hesitantly.

Prussia bit his lip, refusing to meet Hungary's eyes. He pulled his hand away from his neck, and his fingers lingered ephemerally on the surface. "N. . . no," he admitted.

A slow smile crept upon Hungary's face and he shifted closer to Prussia. "You're sweet. Ya kissed anyone yet?"

Prussia recoiled from Hungary at the question. "Are you kidding? Of course not!"

"Wanna try?" Hungary whispered, moving closer to Prussia again. "It's a lot of fun, I promise."

"I. . . I can't," Prussia said, trembling all over, but not moving away this time. "I shouldn't."

Hungary leaned in. "But it's me. It's okay if it's me, right?"

Prussia bit his lip, looked everywhere around him, and then nodded. "Yeah, it is."

Hungary was the kind of person who kissed people so hard that they fell over, apparently; Prussia was soon back on his back, unsure if he could understand what was happening and knowing he would hate himself for giving in but wanting more and more every minute. Hungary was heavy and tall, and made no effort to lighten his body weight like when they wrestled, so Prussia could barely move his torso. That didn't stop Hungary from running one hand along the side of Prussia's body and fisting the other hand into Prussia's hair, consuming clumsily like a monster. . .

Then Hungary suddenly rolled off him, like Prussia had cried chicken-butt, and laughed at Prussia's disappointed whine. "At the size we're at now, it ain't gonna work for longer than that," he said.

Half of Prussia wanted to demand what on earth that was supposed to mean, and half of Prussia wanted to pull Hungary back. Instead he lay on the ground and waited for his head to clear, hand on his flushed forehead, slowly catching his breath.

Then Hungary kicked him lightly on the side. "Hey, you're such a total novice. Get up. You got a penalty challenge."

Prussia whipped his hand away from his head. "I got a what?"

Hungary was grinning the wicked grin of a devil. "For begging for more! You gotta put a bird on your head for one month!"

"What!" Head suddenly clear, Prussia pushed himself off the ground and grabbed at Hungary. "You're insane! Nobody can do that!"

Hungary laughed at him and danced out of his reach. "That's why it's a penalty!"

"You're cheating again! Cheater!"

They played tag the rest of the afternoon.

.

"The heck is that around your neck?" Hungary asked, grabbing at the shiny new pendant around Prussia's neck. It was so much bigger than him that it hung down to his feet, where it swung clumsily between his legs as he walked.

Prussia batted Hungary's hands away and huffed. "It's my new cross! My boss said I gotta wear it now so I learn my lesson."

Hungary crossed his arms and sighed. "That it? How boring. I don't see's how we did anything weird or nothing, anyhow."

Prussia curled into himself a little and looked at his shoes. "It's sex," Prussia said, looking around suspiciously as though he could be beheaded at any moment just for speaking the word. "When we were playing with those girls the other day. That's wrong."

"What? Laaaame." Hungary grabbed at the pendant again and tried to lift it over Prussia's head, but Prussia grabbed onto it adamantly. "We didn't do nothing, just maybe brushed against them by accident sometimes."

"How can you be so calm about that?" Prussia said, his posture twisting further. "What we did was wr-wrong! And they're. . . g-girls!"

"Now what's your problem with girls?" Hungary asked, raising an eyebrow. "You were frozen stiff when we saw them yesterday, too. I get if touching 'em is something ya aren't allowed to do, but being near them definitely can't be forbidden."

Prussia folded his hands and ducked his head. He rocked on his feet, making a game out of swinging his pendant between his legs. "They're kinda. . . I dunno. . . scary." He frowned. "You hang out with women sometimes, Hungary, but I never see 'em. I don't know anything about them!"

"Ya never see any women?" Hungary guffawed into Prussia's face. "You're pulling my leg, right? That's impossible!"

"There's no women in my house!" Prussia reminded him.

Hungary pouted and kicked at a stone near his feet. "Then what're ya gonna do when. . . I dunno. . . when you get bigger? When you wanna. . . you know." He made vague movements with his fingers.

Prussia gagged. "I can't do that! I'm not allowed to do that! I'll never do it!"

Hungary scoffed. "Ha! Shows what you know. When you get bigger you'll wanna do it, even if you think you won't. That's how it always is."

"I'll. . . . I'll want to. . .?" Prussia's eyes widened into saucers and he hunched over; the pendant scratched against the ground. "How. . . how could I. . . with a girl?"

"Hey!" Hungary frowned and punched Prussia lightly in the shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with girls, if you get used to them!"

"If, if I have to, does it have to be with a girl?!" Prussia asked insistently, hugging himself tightly.

Hungary stopped to consider this. "Well. . . I s'pose not." He shrugged. "Could be with a guy if you want, I guess. Some people do that."

Prussia spent another moment thinking of that scenario, and shuddered. "No, never! That's almost as bad! I'll never do that!"

Hungary huffed and crossed his arms impetuously. "Oh? Is it so bad? Even just kissing?"

Prussia put his hands over his ears. "Please stop talking about this! Kissing is bad! I don't wanna kiss any girls or boys!"

Hungary pulled Prussia's hands off his ears and forced Prussia to look at him. "What about if it was me?" he asked, voice as serious as it had ever been.

Prussia studied Hungary's face, trying to find any sense of sarcasm or joke in it.

Hungary slowly put Prussia's hands down, and they fell limp at his sides.

"Well if it was you, um. . ." Prussia blushed and looked away. "If it was you, I guess it'd be okay. Since you're the awesomest and everything."

Hungary smirked and pounded his chest triumphantly. "You bet I'm the awesomest! I win over everybody else!"

Prussia pushed him. "Get lost! Like I'll ever wanna do any of that anyway!"

Hungary pushed him back. "Oh, like I'd do it with you! You're better as an awesome friend."

"No, you're better as the awesomest best friend!"

"No, you!"

They laughed and pushed each other until they got tired. Then they lay on the ground and swung Prussia's new pendant over their heads, imagining the shape of the wonderful future ahead of them.