Crosspost from AO3
forgive the altered formatting
Prussia's mattress shifting underneath him woke Romano up in seconds. He groaned, trying to telegraph how displeased he was without opening his eyes, and got a rasping chuckle for his troubles.
"Go back to sleep, Romano," Prussia soothed. He sounded neither urgent or upset, and so Romano did as he was told and went back to sleep.
A few minutes later Romano sighed and rolled over, intending to lay his head on Prussia's chest. He got a face full of cold pillow instead. "Bastard?" he mumbled, reaching over and feeling at the empty sheets. Everywhere he could reach was freezing, so he pulled his arm back to his chest, shivering pathetically. "Hey, you moron, if you're playing computer games I'm gonna kick your ass." No answer.
Romano sighed and pushed himself up to sitting. Sleeping naked in Germany was obviously a mistake, even if it was early spring. He rooted around in Prussia's bed for the other nation's red hoodie and quickly pulled it on, zipping it all the way up and flipping the hood over his head before sliding out of bed.
The icy wooden floor almost made Romano change his mind about searching for Prussia, but he didn't want to go back to bed cold. He was a guest, god damn it! He moved as quickly as he could to the rug on the stairs up from the basement and then adjusted the overlong hoodie so it fully covered… everything. It helped to put his hands in the front pockets.
He opened the door slowly, peeking out into the kitchen just in case his boyfriend's younger brother or his own younger brother was getting a midnight snack. He didn't see anyone there but, upon closer inspection, he noticed the living room light was on. There were also low voices drifting through the doorway, one of them definitely Prussia's.
Romano weighed his options again. He could go back downstairs and freeze in bed, alone and frustrated, or he could eavesdrop just a little and try not to get caught. It only took a moment of thought before Romano resolutely crept forward through the kitchen and toward the front room. Nations were overwhelmingly nosy by nature; South Italy was no exception.
"And I know we don't usually do this," Prussia was saying, his back to Romano from where he sat on the couch. Veneziano sat next to him, not so close that Romano was instantly suspicious but close enough that Romano knew he was listening in on a secret. "But I had to ask."
Veneziano sighed. "No, I understand. I don't think he would be upset." Romano leaned in a little more. "This hasn't happened to him before."
"So you don't, um, mind?" Prussia asked, sounding more hesitant than Romano had ever heard him before. He rubbed at the back of his platinum blond head in an obviously nervous gesture and continued, "if I ask formally?"
From his slightly diagonal angle, Romano could see Veneziano's neutral expression change into a wide smile. "Of course not! Ask me!"
Prussia took a deep breath and sat up straight. "Veneziano," he said. Romano didn't think he could move any closer without actually being in the room. "May I have your blessing to marry Romano?"
Romano lurched backward, eyes wide, heart beating a million miles an hour. Luckily he slapped his hands over his mouth when he moved or he probably would have squeaked in surprise. M-marry? Prussia wanted to marry him? The closest most nations got to "marriage" was a commonwealth between them, like Lithuania and Poland had back in the eighteenth century. They lived way too long for something like romantic love to really matter… or so Romano thought. Prussia was older than him by centuries but apparently still believed in things like that.
Unfortunately, Romano didn't hear Veneziano's answer. He was too busy rushing back to the stairs, trying not to slam the basement door closed, and burying himself in Prussia's blankets. Maybe if Romano pretended he was still asleep Prussia would never, ever, ever really propose to him.
He waited for just a few minutes before he heard the door open again, and then he shut his eyes and pulled Prussia's hood tighter over his head. Prussia moved around for a while in the dark, probably pulling off his tee-shirt and putting it away, before re-taking his spot in bed. "Aw, you were cold without me, huh?" Prussia whispered to himself. Romano resisted the urge to kick him because that would definitely give him away, but it was a near thing.
Prussia quieted long enough that Romano eventually relaxed, assuming he went back to sleep. Just as soon as the thought crossed his mind, though, Prussia's arm tightened around his waist. "I do know the difference between sleeping Romano and faking Romano," he said, grin obvious in his voice.
Romano did kick him then, but gently. "Fuck off. Go to sleep."
"How much did you hear?"
Romano paused. "Enough."
"Gonna turn me down?" Prussia asked. His voice was low and half-laughing but Romano knew that, for once, he'd have to choose his words carefully.
"No, you bastard. I won't." Prussia kissed the back of his head through the hoodie and Romano felt like his entire face was on fire. "Just… give me some time."
Prussia hummed affirmatively and let it go. Now all Romano had to do was convince himself to not panic and say "no" when Prussia eventually asked. Something told him that wasn't as big a risk as he thought it was.