Awakening
is a fanfic written for Hetalia: Axis Powers, by Gemini Star01. The story starts with the Soviet Red Army's liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration-extermination camp, but Russia discovers a pair of twin Nations at the camp. The fic mainly alternates between flashbacks and the twins' recovery.
The following Tropes are relevant to Awakening:
- Affectionate Nickname: Between the North American twins, we have "Al" for America (from Alfred) and "Mattie" for Canada (from Matthew).
- Big Brother Instinct: The North American twins are ready to assault the Nazi guards to prevent one of them to be taken away for experiments. They also try to cheer the children imprisoned with them.
- Even Evil Has Standards: England insists that Germany couldn't know what was happening at the camp, or he would have stopped it. And he's right — when the war ends, Germany learns the fine details and is immediately horrified.
- Eye Scream: Does dripping blue dye into purple eyes count? Well, it probably does if Canada had to wear an eye patch for three weeks after the bandages were removed.
- Fast-Forward to Reunion: After Chapter 10 began in October 1946, we time-skip forward to almost a decade later, to the heartwarming reunion between the North American twins and Alyshea and Anastasia.
- Flashback Nightmare: The main plot supplied enough literal Nightmare Fuel (both in-universe and on a meta level) to cause the twins to have Recurring Dreams about it, though it got less and less often as years passed.
- Freak Out: When the North American twins are rescued from the camp, they need urgent surgery from the Allies. America regains consciousness on the operating table and immediately descends in a panic attack, believing he's about to be experimented upon further.
- Instant Sedation: Averted when America starts to struggle and have a panic attack when operated by the Allied countries, since England makes him breathe Knockout Gas and he still bumbles his way through a small conversation before dropping out. However, the gas is mentioned to work quickly because America is hyperventilating and getting a higher dose than usual.
- Strapped to an Operating Table: Both America and Canada find themselves strapped to a cold marble table in order to suffer Eye Scream, vivisection without anesthesia and pox injections.
