A/N: More from the kink meme for you guys. The prompt was as follows: "I really want to see Germania caring for his grandkids (HRE and Prussia) who are ill. They've got high fevers and he's tried everything he can think of to get them down but nothing's working. He's as close to a nervous wreck as a super-stoic guy like him can get. He's so preoccupied that when Rome comes over to harass him, he pretty much ignores him. At first Rome is pissed about this but then he finds out what has Germania in such a tizzy and decides to share an effective remedy from his house. Because if there's one thing with Germania that Rome can relate to, it's that deep love for his grandchildren. I'd love it if it ended with Rome helping Germania rock his sick boys to sleep"
Germania didn't realize that anything was wrong when he was awoken very early that morning by a small figure invading his bed. He cracked an eye open just in time to see a mop of messy fair hair obscuring his vision. Germania couldn't tell whether it was Prussia or Holy Roman Empire until the boy's small body cuddled up to his and he realized that the body was a little too tall to be Holy Roman Empire. He welcomed the child, his half-asleep daze preventing him for being surprised by the rarity of this visit. Prussia had always been fiercely independent and insisted that he was a big boy and big boys didn't need to sleep with their grandpas. Germania didn't mind this so much since Prussia was a "big boy" who, in addition to being quite a mobile sleeper, occasionally wet the bed.
When Prussia's head tucked itself under his chin, however, he immediately became aware that his white hair was damp with sweat and his little frame was shaking with chills. Germania was startled by the severity of Prussia's fever when his forehead rested against his collarbone and the little boy coughed against his chest. He hugged Prussia close to share his warmth.
"Where does it hurt, Prussia?" he whispered.
"All over…" Prussia moaned. "Ah… choo!"
Germania wiped Prussia's nose on the corner of his woolen garment and sighed. Going back to sleep now was out of the question; he was too worried about Prussia to just close his eyes again and put off tending to his fever until a more reasonable hour. He rolled out of bed, pulling the bear-pelt blanket up to Prussia's shoulders and went to get a cool cloth for his forehead.
Germania was just about to step out into the early morning darkness when his gaze fell on little Holy Roman Empire. Was it his imagination or did the tiny blond child's breathing sound strange? He approached him quietly. No, it wasn't his imagination; Holy Roman Empire was breathing through his mouth to accommodate for his stuffy nose and when Germania touched his forehead, he found it just as hot as his brother's. The concern that had already welled up in his chest upon discovering Prussia's illness doubled. He scooped Holy Roman Empire into his arms as carefully as he could and carried him over to his bed where he tucked him in next to Prussia. The poor sick child whimpered and cuddled close to his brother for warmth. Prussia's chubby little arms encircled Holy Roman Empire and the two of them huddled together, shivering pitifully.
The blond man scratched the back of his head nervously. What could he do for them? Laying cool cloths on their foreheads might ease their discomfort a little but it wouldn't cure them. He could try making them tea with berries and herbs, but wasn't sure the children could be persuaded to drink it. Perhaps he would need to call on the village elder to do some healing chants for them. Germania decided he would try the tea idea first; there was no need to bother the elder at this hour if it turned out that he could handle the problem on his own. He excused himself from the little wooden dwelling to gather the items he would need.
Germania sighed and sagged against the wall of his dwelling with fatigue. The sun was high in the sky and he had only now managed to get his grandchildren to sleep. It had taken lots of persuasion to get Prussia and Holy Roman Empire to drink the tea he had made but it hadn't seemed to have much effect. Even the elder's healing chants hadn't managed to quiet their weak sobs of misery. He'd tried to get a little food into their stomachs but Holy Roman Empire had thrown up what he had managed to get down and Prussia had said that his tummy hurt and he wasn't hungry.
Germania couldn't stand to see them like this. They really looked like they were in pain but he didn't know how to help. This wasn't like a physical enemy which could be bested by brute strength; whatever was afflicting the children couldn't be seen with the eyes. Germania felt terribly powerless. The only thing that seemed to bring them a little comfort were small sips of the cold water their grandfather brought them from the river. Finally, Prussia and Holy Roman Empire had grown exhausted from crying and coughing and had sunk into an uneasy slumber. Germania was deeply relieved; listening to them cry for so long and not being able to do anything to ease their suffering had broken his heart.
Suddenly the door flew open, a tall, muscular figure creating a dramatic silhouette in the doorway. "Yo, Germania!" his unwelcome visitor said in a cheerful, booming voice. "There you are, I've been looking all over for you!"
Great, it was Rome. Just who he needed to see right now. Germania gritted his teeth against his violently rising temper as Holy Roman Empire awoke with some painful sounding coughing and began to cry again. Prussia moaned wretchedly beside him.
"What're you doing, hiding in here when it's perfect hunting weather?" Rome asked, oblivious to what he had just done. "Listen, you're never gonna believe what happened last night! I totally beat the crap out of Syria! Man, that guy-"
Rome's yammering was cut off when Germania launched himself at him, grabbing him roughly by his toga. "Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get them to sleep?" he snarled, his nerves frayed by exhaustion and worry. "The second they close their eyes and you come stomping in with your usual crap that no one gives a shit about…! Just get the hell out, dammit!"
He shoved Rome as hard as he could and slammed the door in his face. Rome pouted.
"What the hell, Germania?" he whined. "I come all the way here to tell you all the juicy details of my latest glorious victory and this is the welcome I get? I know you're jealous but that's just rude!"
Germania threw open the door again and stormed past him, hurrying down to the river to get Prussia and Holy Roman Empire some more water. Rome peered curiously into the depths of Germania's house when he heard what sounded like a small child sneezing. Prussia sniffled miserably and wiped his nose on his arm as Holy Roman Empire's weary cries gave way to hoarse coughing. Rome stepped inside and squatted down at the children's bedside, observing them with a small frown on his normally smiling face. He touched Prussia's forehead and whistled quietly.
"That's some fever you got there, kiddo," Rome commented as understanding slowly dawned on him. "No wonder that guy's in a tizzy!"
A small affectionate smile tugged at Rome's lips. He had never seen Germania so worried. It was kind of cute, really. He reached out and stroked Holy Roman Empire's hair gently.
"Sorry I woke you guys up," he muttered.
"Are you still here?" Germania snapped as he stomped back to the house. "Get out! If you touched one hair on their heads, I'll—"
"Ah, my bad," Rome grinned apologetically. "If I'd'a known there were sick kids in the house I woulda been more quiet."
"It's too late for apologies now," Germania huffed, shooing Rome away and kneeling at the boys' bedside. "You've done your damage, now go away."
"What would you say if I told you I could cure them?" Rome asked with his most winning smile.
"I'd say you're full of it," Germania grunted, helping Prussia sit up so that he could tip a little water down his parched throat.
"I mean it," Rome pouted. "There's a miracle cure from my house; it'll fix these two kids up in a jiff!"
"I'll believe it when I see it," Germania replied aloofly.
"Right, I'll go get it, then," Rome promised. "Prepare to marvel at the wonders of the great Roman Empire!"
With that, Rome jogged out of the house.
Rome returned roughly an hour later with a bowl full of strange-looking liquid. Germania stirred it dubiously, noting its unusual viscosity.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Silphium juice," Rome announced proudly. "Greece showed it to me! It'll fix coughs, fevers, indigestion, aches and pains and even seizures. Pretty great, huh?"
"If Greece showed it to you, why were you bragging like you discovered it?" Germania asked irritably. "And why is it so soupy? Is it supposed to be like that?"
"Greece may have found it, but it was my people who perfected it," Rome said, flashing a cocky grin. "It tends to be a little bitter so I added some honey. Even my adorable little Italy, who's not good about taking medicine, will drink it when I mix it with honey."
Germania stirred the liquid again, still not quite looking convinced, but Holy Roman Empire sneezed and moaned pitifully, causing his chest to contract with sympathy. He turned suspicious eyes on Rome.
"You taste some first," he ordered.
"Eh? Why?" Rome asked. "I'm fit as a fiddle!"
"I have to know that you're not giving me anything strange," Germania explained impatiently.
The look on Rome's face changed from startled to more serious than he'd ever seen it before. "You really think I would feed something poisonous to two innocent sick children? Maybe it's slipped your mind, but you're the savage here, not me."
"Do it," Germania repeated. "I'm not taking any chances with my grandchildren."
Rome supposed he could see something admirable in that. Frowning, he picked up the spoon and tipped a small amount of the juice down his throat. Then he gazed levelly at Germania and held up his hands as if to say "See? No tricks."
Germania observed Rome for a moment more, then snatched the spoon away from him and dipped it back into the juice. Rome watched, a gentle smile blossoming on his face as he watched Germania tenderly administer the medicine to each child. To the relief of both men, the children held the medicine down and didn't complain about the taste.
"Grampa," Holy Roman Empire croaked, reaching out with his tiny hands. "Up."
Germania set the medicine bowl aside and took the child into his arms, cradling him against his chest.
"Me too," Prussia said.
With difficulty, Germania shifted Holy Roman Empire in his arms so that he could pick up Prussia as well. He leaned tiredly against the wall, pulled the bear-skin blanket into his lap and held his two boys. Rome came and sat down beside him, so close that their hips were touching. He looped his arm sneakily around Germania's shoulders, fully expecting to get an elbow to the ribs. To his surprise, it never came. Germania acted as if he didn't even notice Rome's arm around him. Perhaps it wasn't such a surprise though, considering how sleepy he looked. Emboldened by the lack of negative reaction, Rome coaxed Germania into leaning into him so that his head was half resting on his shoulder. He offered to take Holy Roman Empire from him but Germania hugged the children stubbornly to his chest.
"You look wiped out," Rome commented quietly, wondering if he would be pushing his luck to attempt to run his fingers through Germania's hair.
"Got up before the sun this morning," Germania mumbled. "Once I found out these two were sick, I couldn't go back to sleep."
"That's surprisingly cute," Rome teased gently. "I didn't know savages like you did cute."
"...I'll castrate you with my spear," Germania growled, though his voice was heavy with fatigue and not especially threatening. Besides, there was no way he would risk upsetting the two small children nuzzled helplessly against his chest just to chase Rome over something so trivial. The slight flush of embarrassment on the other man's fair cheeks in response to the compliment didn't slip by unnoticed by Rome. He laughed softly.
"You can rest now," Rome said reassuringly. "That miracle medicine will kick in any time now."
"Hn," the blond grunted indistinctly.
Rome smiled again as he watched Germania's pale eyelashes drift vaguely downwards to rest on the tops of his cheeks. He glanced down at the children in Germania's arms to find them also lingering in a state of only partial consciousness. The four of them sat in silence, aside from the occasional cough or sniffle. Germania's weight against his shoulder increased gradually as the blond slipped into a doze. Rome risked stroking Germania's long flowing hair and wasn't punished for it. He waited until he heard a soft snore before touching a kiss to the corner of Germania's lips.
"Good night," Rome whispered.