Disappearing.
Sometimes, that's what it felt like.
Feliciano Vargas, representative of Repubblica Italia Veneziano, combed slight fingers through his copper-brown, unwashed hair. He was lying in bed, having slept alone that night.
He went to Germany when he had the nightmares. Ludwig always felt safe... Always felt like home.
Of course, if he couldn't get to Germany (which was unusual), there was always his brother, Lovino. Lovino, his surlier, darker twin. Lovino, who hadn't always been there. Lovino, who would always comfort him, though not always willingly.
He felt it, too. Feliciano could tell. A connection, Ludwig had once told him, that twins have.
They were disappearing.
Feliciano couldn't tell you the exact date the feeling had started. They had worked so hard to free themselves. Three wars, they fought together. They were cowards and they were weak, but they gave everything to be free.
Then came the unification. il Risorgimento. It was the happiest day of his life. It had to be.
The memories were growing fuzzy.
Feliciano crawled out of bed. He needed a shower, a long, hot shower. He also needed breakfast.
-.-.
"Eh? Not feeling well?" Italia Romano, his dear twin, bent over at the waist to scrutinize him. He was wearing an apron over his clothes and held a spatula in one hand. He was using the other hand to check Feliciano's temperature. "You don't seem warm..."
A mother hen, when he wasn't irritable. "No, Lovi! I'm just really sleepy."
"You're always sleepy!" Lovino frowned. Their amber eyes met, and Lovino's softened. "Is it that damn nightmare again? Nevermind, don't tell me. I need to finish cooking, you can tell me over breakfast."
But Feliciano was gone long before he finished cooking. Lovino cooked when he was upset. Feliciano painted.
-.-.
"That doesn't look like any of your normal works." a deep voice sounded from behind, and Feliciano jumped about a foot into the air. Ludwig stood in the doorway of the attic. It was Feliciano's favorite place to paint, and he had a canvas set up right in front of the window.
"Ah! Germany!" Dropping the paintbrush and palette, Feliciano jumped into Ludwig's arms. If he hadn't been used to the gesture every time he saw the boy, Ludwig would have toppled over. "When did you get here?"
"Lovino just let me in." Lovino wasn't very fond of Ludwig. If he let Ludwig in, Feliciano thought, it must mean that he's worried. The large grin on Feliciano's face dropped for a milisecond, but it was quickly replaced with a smile just as big. "Are you feeling all right?"
"Of course, Ludwig! Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because you're painting a battlefield."
Feliciano glanced at the canvas. A messy sketch of charcoal smudged with bits of color showed a gruesome battle in a large valley. One army was losing ground, both fighting viciously. "It's just history, Ludwig! Don't you remember the Battle of Custoza?"
Ludwig remembered tales. Germany had been unified in 1871, and the battle took place five years prior. Prussia loved to talk about how badly he had beaten Austria and how he'd "even helped those little Italian brats after they got their asses handed to them at that Custoza place."
Feliciano snuggled closer to Ludwig, burying his face in Ludwig's neck. Ludwig just sighed, and put the nation down. "We should go downstairs. Lovino said breakfast was nearly done, and that he wanted me to bring you downstairs."
-.-.-.-.
Author's Note: I'm planning to make this a sort of companion-piece to this kink meme fill I just read ( http:/ hetalia-kink . livejournal . com ?thread=14468056#t14468056 )... I don't really know where I'm going with this. :| It's also based a little on The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku.
Btw, according to my online translator, Scomparendo means disappearing.
il Risorgimento is the Resurgence according to Wiki and is referring to the Italian Reunification.
The Battle of Custoza was fought by Italy and Austria in 1866. Italy lost, but thanks to its allegiance with Prussia, was able to gain a little land nevertheless. I have no idea what Custoza looks like.
Also according to wiki, the "state known as Germany was unified as a modern nation-state in 1871" and that puts him at five years after the battle. Germany was a bunch of unified Germanic states, except for Austria, and I assume that's because Prussia was one of the largest powers and Prussia was still gloating over his victory.
I'm sorry that their names are used so much and that it switches between human and country names. ;A;