SOY: because I keep writing for Hetalia. :D
Brotherly love kind of fanfic, done to satisfy a prompt on the Hetalia kink meme.
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Rating: K+
Warnings: Historical facts, some Italian words (glossary is at the end of the fic).
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
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Brothers
One–shot
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1847, September – Genova
It was raining hard.
The sky was covered with dark, heavy clouds, gloomy and cold. It had been raining for a while, actually, and it surely did a lot to dampen the mood, so much that even the city of Genova, that was so beautiful, looked cold and unwelcoming.
A figure was standing still on the door of his house, silently taking in the weather, his thoughts just as gloomy as the sky, but apparently unperturbed by the raindrops falling on him. He looked lost in thought, a light crease of his eyebrows indicating his thoughts were anything but calm at the moment.
His name was Goffredo, twenty years old, son of an admiral in the Sardinian aristocratic military, and he was one of the many youths who had been lured by the speeches about unification that were so popular nowadays.
They all looked so… pointless, now.
When the rain fell like this, and news of the battles raging around reached his ears, and his neighbours talked about war, and the possibility of unification of all regions into a single one felt so far and unreachable…
Would they even grasp that dream?
Would it elude them, the more they fought, the more their extended arms tried to reach it… was it in vain?
Would there really be a single, united reality, when all of them fought against each other? The Kingdom of the two Sicilies, the Kingdom of Sardegna, the duchies of Parma and Modena… not to mention the Kingdom of Lombardia–Venezia, still under control of the Austrian Empire… they were all still monarchies.
And then, there were the Papal states. Goffredo had the feeling those would be the worst to fight against.
Would there be what Giuseppe Mazzini had hoped for? A reunification under a single flag, a single dream, everybody finally free and…
But he was starting to doubt it. What could they do? What could he do? He was a single, young man. If he didn't even know how to word his desire, what to base his own need for unification on, how could he hope to see it realised?
At times like these, it was hard to want to keep going.
Not to mention he was struggling hard to find a way to be part of this project. To make it a single, unified…
"Fermati, Lovino!"
The young man turned around towards the previously empty street, and saw two figures coming his way. He frowned, wondering who could be walking with this weather. The figures were almost equally tall, lithe, and wearing some kind of uniform he couldn't recognise. They didn't have weapons on them, and looked incredibly uncomfortable in those wet, dirty uniforms.
They did look like they had seen better days.
The closer the two got to him, the more he could distinguish their features, even under the heavy rain.
They were walking as if they were not bothered by it, but they were clearly tired, and limping.
First came the taller one (if only slightly), around twenty years of age, with a frown and gritted teeth; dark brown hair, with some sort of curl on the higher top of his head that didn't seem to be following any gravity law –standing up even with the rain– and bandages over his arm, darkened with blood.
The second one was almost identical, so they were maybe twins, but his hair was of a lighter tone, and there was a curl on the lower side of his head, sticking on the left. He was the one limping the most, too.
Were they… were they soldiers?
What were they doing here, all alone…?
"Please, brother, we should look at your arm now… it's better if we stop in Genova for the night, especially with this rain!" the second of the two almost whined, scrunching his eyes.
The older sibling turned around and stared at his brother for a second, scrutinising him before nodding tersely.
"Fine" he answered, as if he was reluctant in doing so. "There should be an inn we can stop at" he started looking around, shielding his eyes with his hand, and stopped when he noticed Goffredo standing there.
"Hey, you" he started off, rudely, stomping towards him. "Tell me where the inn is! Now!"
Goffredo almost backed away, surprised at such brusque attitude, but the other young man had already sprinted forwards, grabbing the non–hurt arm of his other brother and holding it. "Brother, don't be so mean…" he chastised, shaking his head.
Brown, bright eyes turned towards Goffredo, who found himself captivated.
"Ah, I'm sorry for my brother's words. He's not this mean usually, but we've had a rough day…" he laughed sheepishly, looking even more tired. "So, do you know where an inn is? Per favore?"
Goffredo nodded "Yes, yes, there's an inn up the hill, from here it's maybe a couple of miles… but… are you soldiers?" they were his age, and they were already fighting, whilst he was still at home. He was desperate for news. "How's… how's going?"
"Ah… well…" the younger brother shifted on his feet, looking at anywhere but at his brother, who was grunting. "Maybe… it's still way too early to…"
"Oh, damn you, stop this madness! It's not like it would change much in the end!" the older brother scoffed, much to the other's chagrin. "You coerced me into this!"
Forgetting they had company, the two brothers faced off, and it did look like they had been going through this argument a lot before. "But, brother, I want us to be family again…" bright eyes of the younger of the two tried to make the other understand. "I missed you so much when we were little, and I really want us to live together again…"
The older brother grunted and looked down, unable to stand the hopeful, hurt look of his younger sibling, but there was a light blush on his cheeks. "Yeah, whatever" he muttered.
"So… will there be battles coming to Genova soon?" Goffredo asked, feeling both excited and worried, and wanting them to answer his questions.
The two brothers looked at each other, fidgeting and serious, and Goffredo felt his cheeks redden in shame. Here they were, in need of rest, and he was holding them still.
"Scusate!" he yelled out, feeling ashamed of himself. "But if I can dare to say this… are you going to be able to walk to the inn?" he turned to the nicer, younger brother, scratching his beard. "Your leg looks like it won't hold up until the top of the hill. Why don't you come inside, I'll help you change the bandages and maybe the rain will stop so you can go to the inn then".
At least this way, he could get more news and not feel idiotic.
The older soldier looked about to refuse, but one look at his younger brother's hopeful eyes, and at his leg, he gritted his teeth and nodded.
"Thanks" the cheerful sibling smiled at Goffredo, who hesitantly smiled at him, too. "Oh, right, scusa, we didn't introduce ourselves… I'm Feliciano, and this is my older brother, Lovino".
Lovino grunted, looking away, and Feliciano smiled warmly again. Goffredo smiled back, offering his own name. He was glad they were accommodating.
"Come in then, let's get out of this rain" the young Italian ushered them inside, running to get some towels to help them dry up.
His mother wasn't home, she had been visiting a neighbour and would probably not come back until it stopped raining, so he had the house for himself; grabbing clean bandages and a small basin filled with water, he returned to the cosy sitting room, where he found the two brothers standing uneasily, not wanting to ruin the sofa with their dirty clothes.
"Don't worry, sit down" he stated, seriously. Dirt from soldiers was not dirt at all, just like his father used to say. It was honourable because it was dirt from desire for freedom and unity. "I'll clean afterwards, eventually".
Lovino flopped down without further ado, and Feliciano sat down slowly, hissing at the wounded leg. The dirt and the blood were staining the bandages, also drenched with the rain, but at least the bandages on Lovino's arm didn't' look as ragged.
Goffredo, finding himself at loss of words (they were soldiers, but they let off a strange sort of feeling he couldn't identify, either), ran off again, to get something to drink for them both. His family had some good wine bottles stashed up, and he took one of them.
Soldiers deserved the best.
Then, as an afterthought, he also grabbed some bread slices. They would probably be hungry, too.
When he returned to the sitting room, he found Lovino kneeling in front of his brother, who had his pants moved up; steely hands were holding a cloth, dabbing it in the water of the basin in order to clean up the wound.
Feliciano was hissing, but otherwise not saying anything, and Goffredo was once again taken by their composure and closeness, despite their earlier fight.
The older brother, despite his ruff exterior, was still being careful of not hurting his sibling, and Feliciano's eyes were fixed on his brother's hands, filled with warmth…
"It's not bad, Feli" Lovino murmured in the end, reapplying the bandages around the wound, that looked like it was already healing. "You'll heal…" then he added something in a lower tone that Goffredo didn't quite catch about losing a part of territory or something.
Even though Lovino had looked like he resented being with his brother before, he did tend to him with care. Goffredo wondered how good would it be to have a brother, too, but didn't dwell much on it.
Still not realising he was back, Feliciano motioned for his brother to sit again so that he could also check up on him, cleaning his arm's wound. Opposite to Feliciano, Lovino's reaction was quite loud, with hissing and complaining, but he was also flushing at his younger brother fussing over him.
It was clear they did care for each other.
"Here" he offered them the glasses, and the two drank gratefully, both clearly appreciating the nice gesture and the quality of the wine. "I'm sorry if I've been asking questions, but we've been short of news, and things are only edging up" he stated, sitting on a chair in front of them.
"Don't worry, amico, it's ok" Feliciano smiled warmly. "We've been travelling for a while now, fighting and trying to stop Austria from getting more territories, so…"
"Ah, you're standing for the Kingdom of Sardegna then?" Goffredo asked, leaning forwards. "You're fighting for Mazzini's dream, for all of this to become one".
Feliciano and Lovino exchanged a look, then nodded, albeit hesitantly. "Yeah".
Lovino sipped more of the wine, feeling quite refreshed thanks to it. As he watched the young human talk with his brother, he scoffed, even though he was inwardly glad for the hospitality. Since it was so late, probably at the inn there wouldn't be anything to eat or drink, so he did grudgingly appreciate the gesture, but still…
"Could you cut it" he huffed, feeling rather uncomfortable with the raising tone of the two. "I swear, Feli, you're such a bother–"
"Aww, bro" Feliciano pouted. "You're always complaining. I thought you would be happy to fight with me for unification".
Goffredo leaned forwards a bit, surprised. Yes, the two quarrelled like brothers alright, but indeed, Lovino didn't look so into the fight as Feliciano did. "What are you two fighting for?" he asked then, frowning.
Lovino grunted without replying, and bit down on the bread the young man had brought them. He didn't really want to talk. He just wanted to get going, but respected Feliciano and his need to make conversation with someone that wasn't him, so he didn't complain.
Even then, the question from the young human had upset him.
"It's how it should be, one nation for all of us" Goffredo continued, his eyes burning up with his own determination as he gave them his own reason.
The younger of the two brothers smiled at the Genovese's words, and some of the cheerfulness returned to his eyes. Lovino had to smile, since he had missed his brother's attitude during the last few years.
It had been Feliciano's decision to try and unify Italy into a single nation.
"Because I want to be with my family" Feliciano replied, his tone warm, and eyeing Lovino, who grunted and didn't look back at him.
He had been coerced into this unification thing. Feliciano had actually voiced his opinion and forced him to follow even though he had not wanted it.
Lovino had always been ok with what he had, under Spain's control (after all, he never did work that much, but at least the idiot Spain was nice and gave him tomatoes), not wanting to return to his younger brother.
It wasn't like he hated Feliciano, of course, but… North always had everything. The art, the commerce, and now, the spirits and the desire to be together with him.
"Because… because we're meant to be together" the words, spoken to a human, phrased so that they wouldn't sound strange, had still a deeper meaning for Lovino. Sometimes his brother didn't seem as stupid as he appeared. "Because… north, south… it's all Italy, you see? We're all brothers. We're all fighting for something we think is right, to gain more than just independence… it's not really about France, or Spain or Austria, and territories, in the end. It's because we're destined to be Italian. To be brothers".
So, it had been a fight in itself, the two of them fighting over unification or not. Lovino against it, Feliciano wanting it with all his might.
And Lovino had despised Feliciano for so long, during his life with Spain. And Afterwards. Feliciano was the one who got talent for art, and for commerce, and was cheerful and happy and the one who got the more friends…
But then, why couldn't he hate his brother?
The human apparently shared Feliciano's thoughts, because he was smiling brightly at them, eyes lit with passion.
"It's what family is, right? Strong together" the younger Nation added, returning Goffredo's smile and staring pointedly at Lovino. "I want this. He didn't at first… we fought against each other" he pouted at his brother, who grunted and flushed "but now he's warming up to it, aren't you, Lovi?"
South couldn't truly deny that assumption anymore, at least to himself.
It had grown on him. Travelling around with Feliciano, just because the younger of them had wanted to show him how good it would be to be… family. Living together, chatting up and fighting and… accepting each other.
It had taken a bit, but… Lovino had to accept it. He could settle down with his brother for company. They might fight, but it did feel more like family than ever before.
Laughing together, fighting together for a goal… it did make him feel less weak, less idiotic. Feliciano was his younger brother and was working hard to make them both happy, even stronger, going against what he felt –Lovino knew well how Feliciano hated war, and fighting…
And yet, for the two of them, he was willing to go and fight.
Watching his laughing brother, and feeling a smile brush on his own lips, Lovino inwardly cursed –because it was just then that he realised that he had grown to care for Feliciano just as much as his younger brother cared for him –and the damn North knew it.
He would protect his brother. Growing stronger with him, and make sure they would not fight anymore, so Feliciano would be happy.
Not that he would ever admit it aloud, though.
This… this unification… it wouldn't be that bad. Maybe.
Goffredo stared at them, at how warm and happy Feliciano looked when talking about the unification, and watching his older brother fidget and attempt to hide the same glint (albeit less strong) he felt his own determination rush back to him.
Yes, that was exactly what he was fighting for.
This same kind of feeling.
Everybody together. As…
"We'll better go" Lovino grunted, standing up.
He had lost his brother somewhere during the conversation with the human, even though he had clearly heard him mention his friendship with Poland (at least he had the decency to call him by his name, Feliks), and how the human himself had talked about his own connections to Polish people, and was getting bored.
Swallowing the last piece of bread –the rest was tucked safely in his pocket, to give off to Feliciano when he complained about not having tasted any– and stretching his back, he straightened up. "… Grazie per l'ospitalità" he added, more like a murmur than anything.
Feliciano stood up as well, holding his brother's arm and standing up to see if he could walk. "Yeah, I can't wait to sleep" he added. "Maybe tomorrow we can finally have some pasta~…" his eyes brightened up.
Goffredo chuckled out and led the two to the front door, feeling a bit sad to see them go.
Outside, much to his surprise, the rain had stopped. It was still cold, but it looked like it wouldn't rain anymore for the evening. The shadows were growing though, and it was the right moment for the two brothers to go, if they wanted to get to the inn before dark.
Checking his grandfather's clock, the young man realised he had been with the two for more than a hour already.
So much?
Feliciano and Lovino didn't even turn around as they walked away, uphill, and Goffredo watched them –two soldiers, two brothers, fighting for the reason that had enraptured him as well –finally, a unified nation, to stand proud.
Slowly, he made his way back inside the house, wandering upstairs where his room was; from the window in front of his desk, he could still see, if only barely, the two walking steadily up the road.
His eyes fell on the desk, where so many sheets of papers were scattered, in one of his sad attempts at writing a speech for his mates at the movement xxx, and stilled. Eyes running back up to the figures now gone from his sight, Goffredo grabbed his pen, hurriedly plucking it into the ink bottle.
Then he started writing, not even sitting down, pen rushing on the white paper.
He didn't even hear his mother coming back home, or her chatter as she prepared dinner.
He didn't look up from the paper, not even once, until he was finished. Then, he let out a shaky breath, his hand trembling slightly and dropping his pen, that rolled under the table.
Eyes read every line of the poem –of the song– he had written, inspired by two brothers that now were gone from his life, and a smile blossomed on his lips.
"Fratelli d'Italia" he murmured, reading the title of his poem. "Sounds perfect… I might not be able to fight, yet, but maybe I can make people understand what I feel for this battle through this poem…"
Fratelli d'Italia. Brothers of Italy.
Fighting together towards a common ideal, a common goal, striving forwards with all their strength and will and desire, hearts soaring together…
Just like those two brothers that were also fighting for unification, one with his heart and the other grudgingly, but with the same willpower.
Smirking down at the paper, he signed it, exiting the room.
'Fratelli d'Italia,
A poem for unity, composed by Goffredo Mameli, 1847.
Until we reach what we're dreaming of, we won't stop.'
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Historical references:
Goffredo Mameli (1827–1849) was a teacher at the Carcare's collegium in Savona, wrote the words for the 'canto degl'Italiani' (Song of Italians) during 1847, in a moment of political uncertainty as they fought for the idea Mazzini was parading –a unified Italia.
In 1846 he exposed the tricolour flag to celebrate Austria abandoning the territories, and after 1847 he actively fought and was then enrolled under Garibaldi's command. In 1848 he became also director of the 'Diario del Popolo', a newspaper.
He died because of an infection at a small accidental wound inflicted to him by one of his companions.
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Glossary:
Fermati – stop
Per favore – please
Scusate/Scusa – sorry (the first is in plural form, the second is singular)
Amico – friend/pal
Grazie per l'ospitalità – thanks for the hospitality