Well, an anon reviewer asked if I'd do Lovino and nyotalia!Prussia.
Let me tell you something, this turned out a little more depressing than I originally planned. I couldn't help but cry at some points because it hurt my heart to write something like this. I know. I'm probably pathetic. But anyway, here is the requested piece.
I hope it doesn't disappoint anyone.
The mood in the World Meeting was somber.
It was like someone sucked the energy right out of everyone somehow. There were hardly any arguments. Hell, there was hardly any talking involved at all. People seemed pretty content with just mumbling to each other about whatever. If someone had decided to step up to the plate and make a presentation about the events and how to make things better then there was a lack of focus. Romano glanced around the room in an attempt to read someone's expression, perhaps find a bit of information about what was going on. If there was one thing he was good at it was reading people. When you were the less noticed brother then you had time to do whatever you wanted.
America wasn't screaming about he would be the hero and create a giant superhuman with ridiculous powers that could save them all from the sudden doom that didn't exist. No, he had his head resting against England's shoulder, which that in itself was strange. The English gentleman was just sitting there in his chair, one hand idly petting the obnoxious nation's hair. His other hand was tightly gripped in France's. The scary Frenchman wasn't making any moves on anyone, which was fine with Romano but it was just so weird to see him look so depressed. Next to him was Spain, the usually happy go lucky nation who always smiled and made a joke. Not right now though he wasn't. He just had his head resting on the table, one hand gripping onto France's freehand. The sight of a sad Spain tugged on his heartstrings, but he wouldn't admit that out loud.
Even his stupid brother wasn't screaming about pasta and asking his precious potato bastard to save him.
Romano glanced to his left. Feliciano was actually resting on Germany's shoulder with one of his skinny arms wrapped around the blonde's buff one. His usually bright amber eyes were sad and filled with tears that had yet to be shed. The German himself wasn't trying to shrug the Italian off. He just had his head bowed low, his free hand covering his face. This was all extremely unusual. The older Italian then looked down where his brother was holding onto his hand. His younger half was weak but right now his grip was practically bone breaking and he was shaking like a little leaf in the wind.
What the fuck is going on with everyone? What am I missing?South Italy wondered as he pulled his phone out with his other hand. No new messages. No missed phone calls. No nothing. It was a little unusual since a certain albino had a tendency to blow up his device while he was at a meeting.
Romano wouldn't admit out loud because it was practically sacrilegious in his mind but he had a pretty decent relationship going on with Germany's sister, Julchen Beilschmidt. She was better known as Prussia and some still called her that. Romano would tease her and treat her like everyone treated Canada; always asking 'who are you again'. The woman would get so flustered but he liked seeing her get mad because her face was turn such a bright shade of red. He could see why Toni called him a little tomato if his face ever got that red.
That stupid girl is probably sleeping in again. Typical Germans! Romano huffed as he tucked his phone back into his pocket.
Finally, someone seemed to take pity on them all and called for a break. Everyone filed out of the room. It was almost like they were marching to their death. Romano was about to tell his brother that they were going to have lunch together but Feliciano was hanging off of Germany and there were tears falling down his cheeks. What was strange was that the blonde was holding onto him tightly, his buff shoulders shaking and face was buried into his little brother's hair, his glasses abandoned on the table. Romano reached out and touched his brother's shoulder, gaining his attention. If anyone ever said that older Italian didn't care about his baby brother they would have gotten a punch in the face and a visit from the mafia. Yeah, Veneziano wasn't a pain in his ass sometimes but that didn't mean he loved his brother any less.
"What's wrong with you, Feli?" Romano asked. "What's wrong with everyone today? You're all acting so, so depressed!"
"Romano..." Feliciano choked out before releasing the German and hugging onto his brother tightly. Romano blinked as his hands came to rest on his little brother's back. "It's Prussia!"
"What about Prussia?" Now Romano was curious.
"She's- She's sick and she's not getting better! Ludwig thinks she's not going live! He thinks people are starting to forget her." Feliciano looked up at Romano. His amber eyes were filled with such a heart shattering sadness. Even the normally stoic South Italy found his own heart breaking at the sight. "I don't want Prussia to go away! She can't go away! She's our friend! Friends don't away!" Romano couldn't believe his ears. And so he laughed a little.
"Nice joke, Feli. But it's not a very funny one. I'm sure that stupid potato is just pulling your leg! She's always playing dirty tricks like this! I'm sure she's just got a cold or something and soon she'll bounce back and claim she's too awesome to be sick!" That's what Julchen always did. She was too awesome for anything, even death. Right?
Of course I'm right! I'll even prove it to Feli! I'm going to call her!Romano gently pried away from his brother and pulled out his phone. Feliciano was questioning what he was doing but he ignored him as he pulled up the albino's information and proceeded to call her phone. He completely ignored Germany as the potato bastard claimed his sister wouldn't answer the phone.
One ring. Two ring. Three ring. Four ri-
"Guten tag, Lovi."
"Ha! I knew it! Feli and your stupid brother were lying! Damn it, Jules. They've been telling me you're dying! That's fucking ridiculous!" Romano looked pretty smug. At least he did until the woman on the other end broke out into a coughing fit and then there was gagging. He thought he heard her whisper about bloodstains on her awesome sheets. The Italian didn't want to believe he just heard that.
"Oi, Lovino, can I call you back in a minute? I've got to do something." Before he could even answer the line went dead.
Romano stood there with the phone still pressed to his ear. His eyes were wide and he could feel a familiar stinging sensation at the corner of his eyes. The last time he felt this way his grandfather had- No. Julchen wouldn't die like his grandfather did. He had made a promise to himself that he wouldn't ever lose anyone like that again. That's why he struggled to keep Spain alive during his own civil war and why he always protect Feliciano when there was a war; sure, the both of them got hurt but Romano always made sure to take the majority of the hits. Prussia couldn't-
"She can't go away," He whispered softly. Feliciano moved closer but before he could even touch him the older Italian was down on his knees. His phone slipped from his hand and fell to the floor. The younger brother immediately embraced his older half and they cried. Romano clung onto his brother tightly, cursing and screaming in Italian; 'it wasn't fair', 'this shouldn't be fucking happening to her', 'she said she was too awesome to die'.
That was the sight everyone returned to.
Spain was the first to break away from the group and hug the Italy brothers. Germany soon joined them on the floor. One hand resting on Feli's lower back and the other- Ludwig was shocked when Romano grabbed his hand in a tight grip but he said nothing as he squeezed right back. It was painful to watch. The strong faces everyone put on cracked. Some like France and England joined in comforting the brothers while others like Russia and Austria stayed behind.
No one said anything.
There was nothing to say.
I can't believe I'm doing this. Can I do this? I don't think I can. But I have to, don't I?
Any other day Romano would have avoided Germany like it was a plague on the world. He would have claimed that the food was bland and horrible, their coffee tasted like sewage and their people were terrifying. He would have never stepped foot in the nation. But Ludwig and his little brother claimed that this would be good for him. So, now he was sitting on a plane with Feliciano and they were on their way to Germany. The younger half was resting with his shoulder on Romano's shoulder while the older brother sat silently and read a book that was in his lap.
Julchen had sent it to him as a joke gift on April fools. It was about the so-called awesome history of Prussia. Romano was going to throw it away but instead he had kept it on his nightstand in his room. Whenever the mood struck him he'd pick it up and actually read it. He would admit that there were some pretty interesting facts about the nation. There were no pictures of the great nation herself but there were a lot of the man she spoke fondly of. Romano chuckled softly as he read one of the side notes that Julchen hand wrote in the margins. There was a giant arrow pointing to Old Fritz and the note said:
You see this man?! He's awesome, right? He took good care of me,
though the books don't say that! Stupid bastards! Fritz, he was a great
guy. Always looking out for me... even when I was at my lowest point.
And damn did he love his potatoes! Not that you care, tomato jerk!There were more notes like it.
Do you know how much it sucks they didn't put any pictures of me
in here?! Those losers! Roma~ you should totally write a book and
make sure you use lots of awesome pictures of me! Hey! Hey! I'll even
let you paint one of me for the cover! You can use that fancy oil paint!This next one was his favorite.
Hey, Lovi. This is the best part. This is when I was a pirate on the seas.
You were just a little thing at this time and you were living with Spain too.
But I remember when France, Spain and I would come home and you'd be all
sad because we were hurt and you'd tell Bella and Netherlands to help us or
you'd kick their asses. You were so cute. I also remember that sometimes we'd
sit and drink and tell you stories because you loved hearing about our adventures
and how we'd kick England's ass! Because that damn eyebrow's never stood a chance
against the Bad Touch Trio!
The girl was so eccentric, especially when it came to her own history. She was very animated and sometimes she'd reenact the battles, much to her brother's annoyance. But damn did her eyes shine when she talked about Prussia and Old Fritz and her Teutonic days or her days out on the sea. He had seen pictures of her in both her pirate uniform and her knight uniform. The Italian could remember joking about how she looked like a cross dresser and asked if she wished she were a man. Julchen just huffed and stuck her nose in the air as she claimed he was jealous of all her awesomeness. He remembered wrapping one arm around her shoulder and pressing a kiss to the top of her head and mumbled softly into her platinum locks,
"You'll always be my awesome knight. Just don't fucking tell anyone I said that or else I'll kick your ass."He could feel more tears starting to sting the corners of his eyes and started to blink in hopes of keeping them at bay. Just as he was about to reach up and wipe them away a hand grabbed onto his. He looked to the right and saw it was an elderly woman. She looked like she had seen a lot of things and could probably tell a story or two. Romano tilted his head.
"I've met her, you know." The Italian became confused. The woman released his hand and pointed at his book. "I've met that woman, the eccentric nation of Prussia. She's a firecracker, I tell ya." The woman laughed softly. Romano smiled too. It wasn't uncommon for them to meet and talk to normal people. No doubt Julchen made that part of her everyday routine. The old woman reached into her purse and pulled out a small journal and opened it to a page. There was a very old picture inside.
"My husband met her once during his time in the service. It was when she was known as East Germany and they took this picture. He said she was a fox and he was right. She is quite the little vixen." Romano leaned over and stared at the picture. There was an older gentleman dressed in his uniform standing next to a few more soldiers and then there was Julchen. She was holding a pole that had two flags, one was German and the other Prussian. She had her trademark grin on her face. "But he said she was the sweetest and strongest girl he'd met, putting up with Russia's abuse, defending her people while the wall was up and just sacrificing everything for her brother, West Germany."
"She's definitely a tough girl," He mumbled softly as he gently touched the picture with the tip of his finger.
"You, you're Italian, aren't you?" The woman asked. He nodded his head and told her that he was South Italy and that his brother who was still sleeping peacefully was North Italy. She chuckled as she reached up and patted his cheek. "You're strong just like her. But your problem is that you don't know when to drop the act. You feel you always have to be strong. But let me tell you something, child. Tears are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign that you are human, just like us. You might not have to face death but you feel pain and sadness and happiness and love."
Romano realized that she was right. He was immortal and that could be seen as a blessing or a curse but he still did have emotions like any other human being. He couldn't deny that he was scared and upset and so lost. And yes, he was in love. But he had never directly said it. It was always packed away in little comments or actions. That should have been enough.
It is enough, right?
When they arrived in Germany the air was thick.
Romano felt like he was suffocating. Feliciano couldn't stop crying.
The Southern half of Italy half expected Julchen to be standing there beside her brother waving like a maniac and laughing about how Romano was worried over nothing but she was happy to see him anyway. He had been waiting for her to run at him and wrap him up in a neck breaking hug that would take away his breath. She'd demand he return the hug and they would talk about what she had been doing recently; probably playing with Gilbird or going out with her two best friends and doing ridiculous things would piss off her little brother because according to her it was a sport now.
But none of that happened. There was no one beside Ludwig. There was no hug. There was no one claiming she was awesome loud enough for everyone to hear. There was just a lonely and broken German standing there alone with his head bowed down. He was dressed in his finest clothes. Feliciano bolted forward and embraced him tightly and sobbed louder. They remained like that for just a few moments. When Ludwig looked up and his blue eyes connected with Romano's greenish-hazel ones that the truth sunk in.
Julchen wasn't here. She wasn't anywhere, except in their memories.
Romano nearly fell to the ground but Ludwig and his brother were quick to catch him. He normally would have pushed them away and screamed but instead he brought his trembling hands up to the tall German's shoulders and clutched tightly as another painful realization sunk in. This one stabbed him pretty deep.
"I never told her that I loved her," He whimpered.
Julchen Beilschmidt, the Kingdom of Prussia had passed.
And all that was left behind was a monument that had been built in her honor.
Ludwig had been kind enough to drive the Italy brothers to the site. It was in a pretty isolated area in a park. The blonde German had informed them that the land it had been built on was once part of Prussia's territory. They parked the car and walked along the pathway. When it was within sight Feliciano had hung back with his German partner while Romano walked towards the statue. It was made of white marble and was standing on a black platform. She was dressed in her military uniform. Built into her grip was a metal pole with two flags, one for Prussia and the other for Germany. Her facial expression was the same: a proud smirk and eyes that seemed to stare into your soul. The cute detail was that there was a Gilbird on her shoulder. He knelt down and read the plaque:
Julchen Beilschmidt
The Kingdom of Prussia
It went on and on about her history as a Teutonic Knight and into her days as a pirate and finally into her time as a soldier of East Germany. Romano's eyes scanned the words over and over but not one mention of how awesome she was. It was a little heartbreaking because no one would ever know. His hands formed into fists. A hand on his shoulder startled him. It was Ludwig. He knelt down beside the older Italian. Feliciano was on his other side, cuddled into his side, still crying softly.
"I wanted to overuse the word awesome because that's what she would have done. She always wanted the world to know how awesome she was, even when she was falling apart. But my leaders decided against it. I figured she'd at least appreciate the statue that tells her story," He whispered softly. Romano glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and noted the sad smile. "We at least knew how awesome she was."
"I just- I can't believe she's gone," Romano whispered as his fingers reached out and traced the letters of her name.
"Romano, I know you and I don't get along and I know you might not believe me but all she talked about was you. Every breath she took in her final hour was used to tell me how it would... awesome if she recovered all of a sudden and then you two could laugh this off. Then she'd make you take her to Rome and show her your sights because you never did but you always bragged." Ludwig chuckled. "She always wanted to go to that carnival in Venice. She laughed because she never wanted you to believe she liked Feliciano because of that and that the only way she'd ever go was if you invited her." The German's words were tugging at his heartstrings and soon the tears were back.
"I would have invited her but I was scared." His voice was cracking. "And now I can't even do that."
"If it helps, she knew you loved her." Blue met greenish-hazel again. "She always knew."
"Of course that stupid potato knew," Romano said as a small smile appeared on his face as he looked up at the statue. "She was just so fucking awesome like that." He guessed it was now or never.
"Ti amo, Julchen."
Time had ticked by painfully slow for everyone.
But now winter was slowly disappearing and it was time to embrace Spring.
Feliciano pitched an idea. Romano had been hesitant about it at first but soon he gave in; his little brother could be very convincing with his tears and innocent smile. They were going to invite all their friends to the Venice Carnevale. Feliciano said it would be a lot of fun if everyone could get together and see each other outside of a world meeting. So as the plans and preparations were started on the big event, they started to send out the invitations that were decorated colorfully. At first he hadn't realized what he was doing until he was finished: He had made an invitation for Julchen. Romano stared at it sadly before tossing it aside.
"Romano, what's this?" Feliciano asked as he picked it up.
"It's nothing, you idiot! Just throw it away! I made it by accident," The Italian growled out as he continued to make invitations. Feliciano pouted as he looked it over but then he smiled and put it in the pile with Germany's. It could be put on Julchen's statue as an offering, an invitation for her spirit to join her friends at the festival. The next batch of letters had been sent out.
And when Germany saw two in his mailbox he smiled.
The Carnevale had come upon them so quickly.
Everyone was there.
They had all cleared their schedules and traveled from near and far to their favorite Italian brothers; even though Romano was such a sourpuss everyone still loved him. They were dressed in their costumes and masks but the nations could tell each other apart no problem by their masks for they were colored in the same colors of their flag; though France, America and England argued whose was better. Some people had come up to Romano and embraced him tightly, asking him how he was and if he was holding up alright. Apparently his relationship with Julchen had been so obvious. He just smiled and said he was fine. But there was one nation who didn't believe him.
"Ya know, ya don't have to lie." It was surprisingly Turkey. Romano's first thought was to run but Turkey's hand came to rest on his shoulder. "Hey, I know we didn't get along in the past but hear me out, okay? Don't hide how ya feel. It'll just hurt more in the long run and the pain isn't worth it."
"What would you know?" Romano asked coldly. He was unsure if he wanted to hear the Turk's answer but he stuck around anyway. The taller man pointed at someone. It was Greece and he was with Japan and as usual, there was a cat on his head.
"I love him. I've always loved him, ever since he was under my rule. But back then he was just a little thing and I knew it would have been wrong to make a move on him. Not that he would have let me anyway. I killed his mom, Ancient Greece. That created a huge distance between us. Time passed and I tried to make things right but I always came off strongly and he didn't like that, so it was like I was pushing further him away. When it came time for him to gain his independence I threw all my cards onto the table and in the end I lost it all." The Turk removed his mask. Romano's eyes widened. There was nothing hideous or traumatizing beneath the mask. No, there was just raw emotion in those olive green eyes.
"I lost the love of my life and I never even got the chance to tell him. I could tell him now, ya know? But it wouldn't be right. There's too much damage done to our relationship. But if I were ever to get a second chance, I certainly wouldn't let it slip through my fingers. Just remember that, kid. Don't let chances slip away if they should ever appear." The mask was back in its rightful place and the Turk disappeared into the crowd.
That was the strangest fucking thing ever. Romano thought as he crossed his arms. He shook his head and decided to ignore it. It was time to mingle even though there was a part of him yelling at him to run away into the shadows. Julchen should be here with them but she wasn't. He could just hear her now.
"Lovino! Come on! Dance with me! It'll be awesome! We could so dance circles around fancy-pants Austria!" "Isn't my mask awesome? I made one for Gilbird too! He wanted to come celebrate with us!" "Are there fireworks? If there are we better get the best seat before West and Feli, Lovi!" "Lovi, what are we doing here? Hey! Hey! What are you doing?"
Lovino blinked as he looked around and saw he was now standing on a bridge, far away from his brother and all their friends. He sighed softly and looked down into the water. He could see the lights and buildings of Venice on the surface. It was beautiful but not nearly as beautiful as his Prussian knight. He honestly didn't know what he had done to deserve her but obviously she had seen something in him that made him worthy of her attention.
"You've done nothing to prove you are worthy of her," He growled at his own reflection. "You're pathetic! You call yourself South Italy? Romano? You are not deserving of those titles! You're weak! Feliciano deserves to be Italy. All of it. He's a coward but he's an honest and loyal one. He had the balls to tell that damn potato how he felt! I couldn't even tell Julchen that I loved her to her face! Maybe... Maybe things would have been better if you died."
"Don't say things like that, fratello!" Romano whirled around and Feliciano standing there. There were tears in his eyes and his hands were clenched into tight fists. "Prussia wouldn't want you to be dead! Nobody here wants that!" He motioned to their friends that were standing nearby.
"I certainly don't want that! You're my brother and I'd be so lost without you! Who would protect me from the dangers of the world when Luddy can't? And don't say that I have all my friends because no one could ever replace you, Lovi!" Lovino was a little startled by his brother's outburst. But he still had to ask,
"What are you doing here, fratello? I thought you would be showing off your city to everyone."
"We came here because there's something you should see, brother." Feliciano walked over to the crowd and they parted like a sea. The young Italian reached out for something and then walked back towards his older brother. He was holding Ludwig's hand. "Brother, Ludwig had something for you."
"What is it, potato bastard?" Romano asked. The German smiled and just stepped aside. The jaw of South Italy dropped. Standing there was a small girl. She had long platinum locks and bright red eyes. She was wearing a Teutonic Knight costume with a little sword on her belt. Her mask was black and white. Perched on her shoulder was a small bird that also had a little mask. She had an innocent smile on her face as she stared at Romano.
"Is this some kind of joke? If it is, it's not a very good one!" He thought he had stopped crying but clearly not.
"This is no joke. I wouldn't joke about something like this. As long as we're remembered then we are able to exist." Ludwig stepped forward and pulled a newspaper out of the folds of his coat. He showed it to the Italian. His eyes scanned over the article until they landed on a familiar picture; the one that the old woman on the plane had showed him. "This woman, her late husband served in East Germany. Their daughter and son-in-law teach a class in a few of our colleges about the fallen kingdom. They're thinking about expanding to other nations if it goes over well. But you know, people started visiting Julchen's memorial and the offerings at Old Fritz's grave have increased greatly."
"So, does that mean this is-?" Romano whispered as he looked at the girl.
"My name's Julchen Beilschmidt!" The girl snapped as she put her hands on her hips. She was clearly tired of being ignored. "My big brother, West says that you invited me here and here you are being a horrible host! That's not very awesome!" She stomped forward and showed him the invitation he had accidentally made.
"I thought I told you to throw this away, Feliciano!" Romano glared at his brother.
"I was going to but I decided to send it to Luddy so he could put it on Prussia's statue! As an offering!" The glare was now on Ludwig.
"I was going to put it there but then- Well, she was there. She was sitting on the statue and minding her own business until I approached her. She yelled at me about how I made her wait and then she took the invitation from my hand and-" Romano held his hand up to silence the stuttering nation. His gaze softened as he stared at the pouting girl.
"Do you know who I am?" He asked.
"Yeah, you're Lovino Vargas, the southern half of Italy and sometimes you're called Romano! But I'm going to call you Lovi because that's way more awesome!" Her grin was just like his Julchen's, toothy and filled with confidence. For the first time in a long time he cracked a smile as he put his hands on her waist and rose to his feet, taking the girl with him. She didn't squirm or scream. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Are we going to go back to the festival? I want to dance! And you're going to dance with me because everyone here sucks but you seem like a pretty awesome guy who knows how to treat a lady!"
"We can do whatever you want, Jules." That was his nickname for Julchen. She always hated it, apparently even now because the little girl made a sour face but she didn't tell him to stop calling her that.
"We better or else I'm not going to be happy and you won't like me when I'm unhappy! It's not a very awesome experience! Just ask West." The albino girl huffed as she rested her head on Romano's shoulder. They passed by Turkey and the taller nation shot him a smile. His words echoed in the Italian's head.
"But if I were ever to get a second chance, I certainly wouldn't let it slip through my fingers. Just remember that, kid. Don't let chances slip away if they should ever appear."
This was his second chance and he certainly wasn't going to screw this up.
They reached a crowded area where the music was loudest and everyone paired up to dance together. Romano even noticed how Turkey shyly went up to Greece and asked for a dance, which the younger nation complied to. It warmed his heart a little to see that he wasn't the only one getting a second chance.
"Hey! Dance faster! This is no slow dance," Julchen demanded as she tugged on Romano's coat.
"Alright, alright. My apologies, princess." He did his best to dance circles around Austria, much to Julchen's delight. She giggled and squealed whenever the Italian swung her around or even tossed her into the air. People would cheer and clap and every now and then he'd catch someone taking a picture of them. Sometimes they'd make funny faces at the cameras. When no one was looking, or when they thought so, he'd slip her a few sips of the finest Italian wine. She claimed that the juice tickled her nose.
"Julchen, don't you want to dance with moi?" France was offering her his hand but the girl wanted no part of it. She slapped his hand and turned her back to him. "I am offended, little one. You've been spending all your time with Romano. Why not give the man a break?"
"He doesn't care if I hang around him! He loves my awesome presence! Together we're the most awesome people here! You're just jealous!" Julchen glared at France over her shoulder as he tried to make another move. "Lovi's my awesome tomato knight and he'll kick your butt if you try to take me away! Won't you, Lovi?"
"Of course, my Teutonic princess." Romano chuckled and played along as he took a knee, bowing to the girl. "You have my word when I say that I will protect you from stupid France." Some of the other nations laughed at the Frenchman's reaction. Ludwig chuckled as he took another photo. He never got to know his sister when she was little, he only heard the stories that were told. Not only was this Romano's second chance, this was his too and he wasn't going to miss a second of it.
"Good! Your princess demands you rise and take her to get something to eat for she and Sir Gilbird of the Teutonic Order are hungry." She held her arms high over her head. Romano scooped her up and carried her through the crowd. "You better keep your word, Lovi."
"Don't worry, Jules. I'll keep my word and do you know why?" He started to choke up a little but he wouldn't let her see his tears. He needed to be brave for her, just like she and Spain were always brave for him when he was a little kid.
"Why?" She asked innocently.
"Because" He started. "Ti amo,Julchen. Forever and ever."