Brown is the Earth, Soil, and Dried Blood [CountryHumans]

Epilogue pt 2

Bundesrepublik Deutschland had a rather estranged relationship with his father, though perhaps it was a normal kind of estrangement. He had yet to meet an incarnation who had a vaguely positive relationship with their parents. 

Oh wait, that's right. There was his brother.

West Germany liked to think he was above the slight resentment he had of his father's unattainable standards. He was dead, he argued with himself, he didn't have to prove anything to him. As long as he did a decent job keeping his country afloat (and perhaps even thriving after the colossal damage his father had done) he would be content in that sort of "are you happy now father? I'm doing better than you ever were! Did I finally surpass your expectations? Will you finally spare me a moment of your time? Will you tell me you're proud of me…"

But no! He had to ruin everything for him! Deutsche Demokratische Republik! East Germany! West grit his teeth.

East never did anything bad to West, quite frankly he was very civil with him, a bit too nice and polite, smiling and laughing and joking around. The worst thing about it was that he looked just like father, if it weren't for his golden eyes. The country would flock to the Soviet Union after every meeting and West watched their casual exchange, so close and so… unassuming. No pretences and no formalities. No harsh criticisms and no random tangents about the importance of power and perfection that West couldn't help but be envious.

Did his father treat East the same way as he treated West? Was East close to Reich as he was close to USSR? He didn't really want to find out.

States laughed, breaking West's reverie, the superpower nodding his head while he adjusted the glasses up his nose. "Ah, so that's how it is. Weimar and Reich were the same person to begin with. Everything makes a lot more sense now."

He didn't want to know. He didn't want to know. He didn't— fuck it, he did. West turned his head, placing his pen on the table. "Do you know… do you have an idea what USSR and Reich's relationship was?"

The country laughed again, placing his hand on his forehead as he leaned on the desk. "Oh I know full well now. How stupid could I have been? It's so obvious."

"What do you mean?"

"They loved each other!" America exclaimed as if he finally found an answer to a question he searched for so long. "All those things Soviet did for him… the star he sought to reach, what a picture perfect couple behind closed doors, so tender and caring… and, God, East. They really kept him from the world, didn't they? Kept their relationship a secret. And they were at war with each other. No wonder Reich died like that! Reduced to dust scattered by the wind as he jumped from that building. He would commit the most atrocious betrayal against his nation, just for him…"

The most atrocious betrayal…

Incarnations, by definition, had to be unconditionally loyal to the things that made their being. Unconditional. Non-negotiable. Everything they did was all for their countrymen, their nation. Everything. There wasn't any room for conflict of interest, each and every incarnate knew that, and to go against the interests of the nation is not punished lightly. Obsoletion— death. It's not something any of them could risk. Selfishness was a word foreign to their kind. 

And love?

Love was selfish.

West kept quiet. 

He wished he didn't know.

"Thanks," was all he managed to say after a long stretch of silence. "Thanks for telling me." 

"You're welcome, I guess."

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