Gilbert and his dorky friends had gone to a club within Frankfurt that was popular amoung the all night dancers. It was called Das Rot Kleid, and it was a central for all night raves. It was most popular for it's bright neon strobe lights and glow sticks. Prussia always wore a crown he made of glow sticks, glow stick bracelets all up his arm, and a few necklaces to compliment his look. When he went to it, he wore a lot of light, which looked cool under the ultra violet lights that they had inside of the club.
Usually Prussia kept his phone off in his pocket. This was the night he forgot to do so. While he was dancing with a young girl from Berlin that he did not know the name of, his phone went off, surprising him completely. It blasted the song that he and his friends had wrote when they were drunk one night. "Jiyuu no jouso. Shiritai kai? Itsu datte ore wa tomaranee~"
It caught him by surprise, and he about fell on his butt if the unnamed girl hadn't caught his arm.
"I'm sorry, Frauline, but I think I may have to take this," he said, walking out of the crowd. Something told him he had to take this. Otherwise he wouldn't have. Something important happened. He just knew it.
When the volume became quieter where he was, he plugged one of his fingers into his ear and started speaking into the phone. "Ja, hallo? This is Gilbert Beilschmidt."
"Hello, Gilbert Beilschmidt? You are the legal guardian of a woman named Monika, are you not?" the woman on the other end of the phone asked, the sound of papers shuffling next to her a distraction against her voice.
"Ja, that is the awesome me, Gilbert. Why do you ask, Frauline?"
"We need you to report to intensive care immediately. Your sister is in a critical state," the lady on the other end said. It was as if the loud blaring music in the background was no longer there. Nothing was in Prussia's ears anymore. Only the sound of Monika crying when she was a child.
It was true that his sister wasn't the top person on his list. The list of people he liked. He had hoped for a brother when he was younger, not a sister. Girls were stupid, like Hungary. She was the only sister-like person he ever wanted. When he found out about Monika, he put the idea in her head that she was supposed to be born a boy. Then the whole phase where she began shaming herself for being a female happened. She pretended to be a man. She had said on several occasions to himself and their boss that her sex change better be soon. That she was tired of hiding her gender. She wanted to be more expressive. It was tiresome to hide her breasts nearly every day of her life.
Now he felt like he should have been supportive of her. She, for what ever reason, was in the hospital, suffering. She wouldn't die, he knew that, but he still felt like this who situation she was in was his fault, though he didn't know what the situation was.
"Yes, thank you frau. I'll be there as soon as I can manage." He hung up the phone and stuck it back in his pocket. He gulped, scanning the large crowd for Antonio and Francis. They would be angry with him if he just left. He would have to tell them.
He spotted Francis across the way, sitting at a bar stool with a beautiful girl with orange hair and freckles. She was smiling and laughing with him, and Prussia could tell by her posture she was surely drunk. Francis also appeared that way.
The albino country walked over to his blonde friend and tapped him on the shoulder. For once in his life, Prussia had a serious look in his eye.
"Oh~ Gilbert, I see you came over to join the fun, mon ami. Ohonhonhonhon~ This is Julie Kathe. She's an artist. Befitting for someone who belongs on display in a famous museum, no?" he flirted, earning a giggle from the red head.
"Ja, ja, sure, let's go with that. Look, France- Francis, whatever, we need to talk."
"Oh, what is it? I can tell by the look on your face this is something serious. Did a girl finally reject you? Need help from the love expert?" Francis offered, throwing his arm around Prussia's shoulder.
"What? No, look- Monika is in the hospital. I have to leave right now-"
"Monika, huh? Since when did you get a girlfriend, Gil?" Francis gasped in between, "and you were flirting and dancing with that beauté over there. Shame on you!"
"What? No, just...listen, Francis. I have to leave. It's serious. Do you know where Antonio is?" he asked, looking around the crowd as if Antonio would magically appear.
"Oh, he'll be back in a few minutes. He went to the restroom," Francis answered. "But Gilbert, if Monika is not your love, then who is she?"
"Just wait until Antonio gets here. Then I can explain everything." Prussia looked around nervously again. He had been best friends with those two dorks for years. And yet not once did the conversation of Monika's gender ever come up. But now, he felt he needed to tell them. He needed to be the older brother Monika deserved. What if they were human? What if she could have died?
"I see him coming right now," Francis said, waving Antonio over as the Spaniard, surprisingly not drunk, smiled over at them. He followed the hand wave, coming up next to Gilbert and Francis.
"Si? Is everything alright, mis amigos?" he asked, placing an arm around both of their shoulders. "Gil, you look pale. Are you okay?"
"No. I have to leave. Monika is in the hospital. I have to go."
"Oh, since when did you get a girlfriend, Gil? Congratulations. Is she beautiful? I bet she is. But why is she in-"
"If you were to shut up, maybe you would find out?" Gilbert interrupted, seeming to snap. The other two fell quiet. "This is going to be something that you never knew, okay? And you can't tell anybody else, promise?"
Their moods seemed to switch from laughter to seriousness. "Of course, mon ami. You can trust us."
"We're your amigos. Of course you can."
"Monika is my sister." And with that, Prussia explained everything.
When it became an hour, that's when Feliciano got worried.
Germany said he would return within ten minutes. It was already the span of six ten minute walks to the store and back. Something had happened. Something Feliciano did not want to know.
Did Germany abandon him? Did he not want to hang out with him like Prussia said that he did? Was he annoying? Did he get hurt? What was it?
He was curled up with Blackie and Berlitz on Germany's couch, the couch the dogs were not supposed to be on, eating pasta flooded with tomato sauce. He felt comforted by it.
Felciano watched boring things that were on. Nothing seemed to entertain him while he was waiting for Germany. He settled for watching America's comedy show, The Middle, laughing at parts that were funny. But there was that worry inside of him that wouldn't go away.
After two more episodes ( another two hour later ) the door opened, somebody coming inside. Excited and confused, Italy dashed up and ran to the door. "Germany~ Germany~ You're finally back..." He was interrupted when Spain stood there in the doorway, frowning, his hair a mess.
"I'm sorry," was the first thing he said to the Italian. "Germany's not coming home any time soon."
Italy's heart dropped in his chest. What was wrong with Germany? Why couldn't he come home?
"Italy, there's something we need to talk about. You have to promise me to be strong," Spain said, walking into the house after standing in the door way for a few minutes. France followed in after him, a serious expression on.
"Ve~? Big brother France? Spain?" he asked innocently, a sense of worry clouding over him. Something was wrong. Did Germany disappear? Was he hurt? Italy felt like crying.
Spain ushered him into Germany's living room, making sure to pause the television before the two sat across from him on another couch.
"If somebody asked you what Germany's gender is, what would you say, Italy? Be honest," France asked, a look of concern in his eyes.
"Germany's a man. Everybody knows that."
"Everybody knows wrong, Italy." It was Spain to speak this time. "It's hard for you to understand, but Germany has been hiding her gender for years. Or sha'll we call her Monika."
Italy's eyes widened. Germany, no, Monika, had been his friend for years. How could she not tell him that she was a woman and not a man? Why would he hide it? How could he not trust Italy to keep it a secret. No, not he, she. Germany was a she. He would have to call her that from now on...it would be hard.
"She's ashamed of being a girl. Therefore she pretended to be a man to appear like she wasn't a weak country. Please do not hate her for it," France explained, staring concerningly at Italy, who looked like he was about to cry. He was trying to be strong, but it wasn't working.
"Monika is also in the hospital. There was a call three hours ago saying that she was shot multiple times. The attackers are uncertain, but the victims are Germany and little girl named Elaine Michaelis."
Even more news. Italy's brain couldn't handle this all at once. Germany is a girl? She's in the hospital? She was shot? What else, was England secretly a good chef? Was Romano in love with Germany? Anything else and he felt like he was going to burst into flames and die.
"We're going to go join Prussia in seeing her. We came by to see if you wanted to go?" Spain finally asked after a few minutes of awkward silence. Italy let out a sob, causing Spain and France to flinch. Spain got up from his place on the other couch and wrapped his arms around the small Italian, comforting him.
"She'll be fine, Italy," he comforted. "She's a strong nation. I know you feel as if she betrayed you by keeping it a secret, but she wanted to protect you. She wanted to make sure that you didn't think lesser of her because she was a girl. She wanted to protect you and not have you made fun of by the other countries because a girl was standing up for you. Britain would be all over that in a heart beat."
"She didn't trust me," he sobbed, tightening his grip on Spain.
"It's not that. She did trust you. She was just afraid of what you were going to say. She wanted to be your friend more than anything."
"We should meet up with Prussia soon," France interrupted, getting up from his spot and walking over towards the door. "Come on Italy, let's go see Monika."