Germany awoke to something wet on his face. He opened his eyes to see his large mastiff, standing on the bed and licking his face. He grunted in annoyance to being woken up, then realised someone was in the bed next to him.
Wearing no clothes.
"MEIN GOTT! Italy, if you're going to sleep in my bed at least do it wearing clothes!" He jumped out of bed, nearly stepping on his dog.
Italy, ever the deep sleeper, barely heard him, but his eyes still fluttered open to Germany's voice.
"V-veh... Luddy? I... I don't feel so good..." He curled up into a ball under the covers.
Germany frowned. "Italy, you know we have an important training session today. Come on, you need breakfast before we go." Italy's stomach churned at the thought of food and he didn't move. Germany began getting impatient.
"Italy!" He grabbed the covers and ripped them off of the small Italian, forgetting, of course, that the brunette was naked.
Italy squeaked as cold air washed over him, and curled up tighter. Germany sighed, grabbing his small ally's arm and heaving him up.
"Now Italy. Go get dressed, then meet me outside of the house in twenty minutes. We're trying out a new running route." With that, he exited the room.
Italy was left alone, shivering, in Germany's room. He stumbled to the closet where he kept his spare uniforms and put one on. His fingers were trembling and it took him ten minutes of fumbling with the buttons on his jacket just to do it up.
After he was dressed, he stumbled down the corridor to meet Germany.
"Okay Italy. Our new running route goes through the woods behind my house, then over a few hills, then across three fields. Any questions?" Italy's hand slowly rose. "Yes Italy?"
"Doitsu... I... Still don't feel so good... Can we skip training today? Please?" His stomach churned again and he shivered.
Germany sighed. He wasn't sure if Italy was faking; he's done this before.
Twice
Three times.
A lot.
'His acting is getting better though...' Thought Germany as he began the long jog.
Italy trudged along behind him, slower than normal. Germany sighed again. They were approaching the first hill... He grinned.
"Italy! The British are coming!" He yelled at the smaller man. Italy stumbled forward, starting to run slightly faster, but still not catching up. Germany sighed. He really didn't want to do this.
"... And he brought scones!" He called out.
To this, Italy's head snapped up and he started sprinting.
Italy felt awful; his head was pounding, his throat was raw and his muscles were screaming in pain. He barely heard what Germany had said, but he heard the words 'British' 'Brought' and 'scones' and that was more than enough to get him to move.
Coming to the peak of the hill, Italy began slowing down as his legs started shaking. Panting, he came to a slowed stop, swaying slightly. He looked up to the sky, wincing as the sunlight glared into his eyes- then his vision started blurring.
Germany looked up to see Italy standing still and staring at the sky.
"Italy! Come on, you have pasta at home!" He called, shielding his eyes from the sun. He watched as Italy's gaze dropped from the sky, to them- then his eyes widened as Italy leaned to one side and toppled off of the hill.
"Wha... ITALY!" Germany pelted up the hill to see his small Italian ally tumbling down the hill, crashing into ferns and bushed before coming to a half with a sickening crack against a tree.
Germany quickly came to his senses and started running down the hill, shouting his friend's name while stumbling through plants. He finally reached Italy and grabbed his shoulders.
"Italy Wake up!" He brought the shaking nation into his arms. The small body convulsed, limbs jerking and shaking uncontrollably.
Germany managed to stop Italy flailing about by trapping his arms and legs (by pinning them down with his own) and was now calling Italy's name, trying to wake his small... friend? up.
After several agonising minutes of this, Italy's thrashing slowed, then stopped all together. Germany, who was still on top of him, fell to the side, then jumped up and checked the small Italian's pulse. He was still alive... Good.
Wrapping his arms around Italy's small body and lifted the limp figure up, holding him close to his chest. He began to run home.
Reaching the front door of his house, Germany busted the lock by repeatedly kicking it, then carried his Italian friend in and laid him on the floor, putting a cushion under his head for comfort. He then ran to the phone, quickly dialling Austria.
"Hello?" Austria's annoyed voice came out of the receiver.
"Hello, Austria? I need your-"
"What the hell do you think you're doing, calling me at this hour?" Germany winced as Austria's posh voice shot into his ear and echoed around his head.
"What? Its..." He looked at the cuckoo clock on the wall. It was 5:30AM.
Whoops.
"Oh... Sorry Austria, but... Theres something wrong with Italy, he-"
"Oh god, what now? That kid was always trouble when he- ah- hey! What are you-" There was a crackling noise and several muffled thumps, then-
"Hello, Germany? Whats wrong?" Hungary had wrestled the phone off of her ex husband and was sitting on his back, holding the phone in one hand and holding Austria's face to the floor with the other. Germany breathed a sigh of relief. Even though she was so much manlier, Hungary was much easier to talk to than Austria.
"Ah, Hungary, thank goodness. Somethings wrong with Italy! We were training and then he stopped running and then fell down a hill and kept shaking and now he won't wake up and-"
"Germany! Calm down!" Hungary whacked Austria's head to the floor to stop him from struggling. He passed out. "Now, what is wrong with Italy?" Germany took a deep breath and explained what had happened slowly.
After a few seconds of silence from Hungary following the explanation, she spoke.
"I see... I feared as much." Germany's blood ran cold.
"What? Whats wrong with him?" Germany clutched the phone so hard it b egan to crack and splinter. Hungary drew in a breath.
"Since Ita-chan was very young, he's had a problem with epilepsy. It got so bad that he had several fits a week at one point, being rushed to A&E several times. Since then he's almost grown out of it, but if he gets ill it starts up again. Sounds like a pretty serious attack this time..." Hungary sighed, fiddling with the unconscious Austria's hair flick absent-mindedly.
"So? What do I do? He's still unconscious, I laid him on the floor with a pillow under his head, what do I do?" Germany was beginning to panic. Hungary began shushing him gently.
"Shh, Germany, calm down. First, roll him onto his side in the recovery position. Also open his mouth and check theres no danger of him swallowing his own tongue." Germany did so.
"Okay, what now?" Hungary thought for a minute.
"Keep him warm until I and Austria get there. See you soon." With that, she hung up.
Germany let his hand holding the phone fall to the floor with a clatter. From Austria to Germany... That journey took a good few hours at least. Meanwhile he had to keep Italy warm. Then it struck him.
It was winter. It was cold. Italy was unconscious. How was he supposed to keep him warm? Unless...
Awkwardly, Germany lay down beside his small friend, wrapping an arm around him from behind them pulling his large thick coat over the both of them. Exhaustion from worry and exercise took over him and he was soon asleep.
"Germany? Germany!" The said German jolted awake to see Hungary kneeling beside him and an annoyed looking Austria standing beside her.
He sat up, gently laying Italy on the ground, then turned to Hungary.
Who was holding a camera.
"What the- Hungary, I thought you were going to see how Italy is?" He blinked at the woman, who smiled.
"I already did! You sleep like a log. Anyway, Ita-chan will be fine. His fit was triggered by a bad case of flu, he should be better in a few days. I'll leave his medicine for you." She placed a container on the lampside table then stood up. "Every few hours give him and injection and if he has another fit call us. We have to get going now."
"Wh-what? Can't you stay?" Germany staggered up, wanting the two- well, maybe just Hungary- to stay.
She smiled. "Sorry Germany, but Austria and I-" She snaked an arm aound the man's shoulders. Austria seemed to whimper slightly, knowing what was coming his way that night. "- Have stuff to do."
After Austria and Hungary had left (Austria terrified at what state he would be in tomorrow) Germany placed the still-unconscious Italy onto his own bed before turning to get his medicine from the living room. As he left, he began to wonder where the warm feeling in his chest had come from.
Germany grabbed Italy's medication and the bag of sterilised needles then ran back upstairs, banning his dogs from his bedroom.
Italy lay limp on the be, a blanket tossed over his bottom half. Germany sighed, placing Italy's medication on the bedside table, before unwrapping one of the needles and filling it with the medication. After flicking it a few times to make sure it was free of air bubbles, he numbed Italy's wrist then inserted the needle.
Italy felt himself floating back into consciousness. He remembered the horrible tightening feeling in his chest that had spread through his body until he consciousness.
The small man opened his eyes to see Germany sitting next to him, concern in his blue eyes. Italy looked down- and saw the needle in his arm. He screamed and jumped, startling Germany, who's hand slipped and the needle tore through the thin, delicate skin on his wrist.
Red spilled onto the bed.
Italy had nearly passed out when he saw the blood, but had come back to his senses as Germany gripped his arm tightly to stop the flood flow, then cleaned and bandaged the wound. The whole time Italy had been whimpering in pain and it was making Germany's heart hurt.
"G-Germany... It hurts..." He whispered to the larger man, who sighed. Then he remembered what Prussia had done whenever he himself had returned home, covered in cuts and bruises.
"G-Germany, you're not angry at me for-" Italy stopped talking and looked down to see the tough German leaning down and gently kissing the bandages that covered the wound.
"Germany?" He whispered. Germany looked up from his friend's wrist.
"Why would I be angry at you?" He murmured, still holding Italy's hand in his own. "I... I should have remembered about your condition... Especially after what happened last time." The last part of the sentence Germany mumbled.
Italy blinked. "Huh? But Doitsu, I haven't had a fit since I was very little... How do you-" His small mouth dropped open as he remembered something from so long ago...
~Flash*Back~
"Veh~ Shinsei Roma, where are you~?" Chibitalia skipped down the street, looking for her sweetheart. It was getting dark and she had to find Holy Rome before she went home.
"Veh~ Shinsei Roma? Are you- Ah!" The little girl saw a kitten sitting on a wall. "Kitty! Ciao kitty! Have you seen Shinsei Roma?" She ran up to the cat, who purred and leapt off the wall, runnign down an alley. "Veh~ wait kitty!" She ran after it.
"K-Kitty, slow down! I can't keep- Ack!" Chibitalia fell to the ground on her hands and knees, clutching at her chest.
"No... Not here, ple- ah!" The tiny girl began shaking and convulsing, clutching her throat and trying to calm her thrashing limps, but it was hopeless. Her eyes slowly closed as her small body repeatedly spasmed. In her last few seconds of consciousness she thought she heard someone call her name... But how could that be?
"... You're lucky you found her in time, if she had stayed out in the cold she would have caught her death. Give her a week or two of rest and she should be fine."
Chibitalia's eyelids fluttered at the unfamiliar voice. She felt... Warm? Comfortable? How... The last thing she remembered was chasing the kitty, then... Darkness.
"Thankyou, that is a real relief." Someone sighed from beside her. She... She knew that voice..
Shinsei Roma?
~End*Flash*Back~
Italy gasped at the sudden realisation, then stared at Germany.
Germany was still holding Italy's hand while staring at the ground sheepishly, blushing.
"Y-You... Are you really..." Germany stared into the smaller man's eyes, piercing blue eyes being gazed into by brown. His blonde hair was messy and lying about his face, his blue eyes suddenly soft and he was smiling gently at the Italian.
"Shinsei Roma?"
"Ja ... Ich liebe dich, Chibitalia. Es tut mir leid ich ging, ich schwöre, ich werde nie wieder zu verlassen."
Italy's eyes filled with tears and his lips began to tremble.
"Sh-Shinsei Roma, I waited, I waited so long, you-you're finally back! Ti amo Doitsu! Ti amo ti amo tiamo!" He repeatedly cried before throwing himself onto the German, sending them both crashing to the ground. Germany laughed softly as Italy showered his face with soft, love-filled kisses, then caught his lips with his own and deeply kissing his long-lost-love.
Tears streamed down the brunette's face and onto Germany's chest as Italy buried his face in Germany's neck, still sobbing.
After several minutes of silence Germany sat up, still holding the small Italian close to his chest. He then stood, carrying Italy bridal-style, taking him to the living room and laying him on the sofa, then lying next to him. Italy, worn out from crying, clung to his chest sleepily and snuggled into him. Germany smiled and brought his muscled arms around the Italian, smiling as he buried his face in the auburn hair, carefully avoiding the curl.
Just as he was dozing off he heard a small mumble from his love.
"Mmm... Si prega di non lasciarmi..."
Germany smiled.
"Ich werde immer hier sein."