The nations anxiously awaited the next meeting day. This world conference was honestly one of the best they had been too. Even Romano himself was having a good time. That was more of Spain's doing but he was even relaxing a little more. Granted Romano's relaxed face still looked like he was pissed off but Spain knew better. The only thing that bothered Romano was the fact that his brother was being really focused on something. His younger brother was the kind of person that flew through life trying to avoid all kinds of work. He had agreed to help his brother just to get the chance to hit the potato jerk with a sword.

He knew why his brother was doing this but it bothered him that the potato jerk wasn't reacting. He always said he wanted Italy to be more like his overworked self and his brother had completely changed himself. The man was impossible to please and he was just hurting Italy acting that way the stupid jerk. He knew his brother was stressed because he had taken out the Holy Rome picture. His stupid little brother only did that when he was upset and he knew it was that potato jerk's fault! As much as he hated Germany he wanted his brother to be happy. So he would only hate him from the sidelines instead of trying to kill him in his sleep.

Spain had also calmed him down a bit. Spain and he had gotten together a few days ago. According to many nations it was about time. It had surprisingly been Romano who had made the first advance. He had, with much difficulty, asked Spain without any vulgarity on a date. They had gone on the date where Romano had remained mostly civil. What had caused them to take the next step was when Spain had asked what was wrong. Spain had thought it was strange Romano wasn't acting like himself and told him so.

Romano had been confused since when did people miss the angry him? Spain explained that he liked the way Romano normally acted and then they were kissing. Romano had started the kiss. Spain had said exactly the right words. Never before had anyone other than his brother actually liked being around him when he was himself. Romano was still angry of course, for nothing could change that but now he was also happy. He was happy enough in fact that he actually wanted his brother to find someone, even if it was the potato jerk. Who was of course still disappointing Romano with his lack of interest.

Italy woke up feeling tired. He was used to waking up feeling energized and ready to run away from enemies but now he felt like he hadn't slept at all. Was this how serious nations felt? No wonder he had avoided it for so long. Being happy and energized was much better than exhausted and stressed. He had made the right choice for sure, being thousands of years old had to count for something right?

However no matter how tired he was he still had to finish what he started. Today was sharpshooting and Italy didn't even plan on competing. He and guns had never really gotten along. He would just supervise far away from the shooting range. He felt so tired he didn't even feel like cooking breakfast so he just heated up some of his many leftovers. He took his plate and sat in the living room to look at his paintings, he ended up focusing on the oldest ones in the center. Anyone who knew anything about Italy would have known something was wrong but no one was there to witness the strange behavior.

After finishing his breakfast he walked down to the center hoping a brisk walk would wake him up. He walked by a coffee shop and stopped. He had avoided drinking coffee because of his body's reaction to the caffeine. He would normally would be bouncing off the walls bursting with energy. Maybe now that he was serious he would be able to handle coffee. Since he was practically sleeping standing up he decided I couldn't hurt.

He sort of felt like himself with the first few sips. It was hot so he drank it slowly to avoid burning his tongue and drinking too much and going crazy. He walked into the conference room on time as he had planned with his coffee still mostly full. Many other nations had coffee as well so it took a while for anyone to notice that Italy had it with him. Most people just watched in horror when he took a sip waiting for him to explode in a caffeine induced frenzy.

Italy didn't notice the stares and he just focused on staying awake. The caffeine only did so much, he was much more tired than he had thought. Each sip gave him a little more awareness though so he figured once he downed the cup he should feel awake enough for the rest of the day. He did just that tipping the cup and draining it all like he was chugging a beer. The nations who were watching had their eyes bugging out in fear. America was the first one to react.

"Hey Italy dude you uh feeling alright?"

"OF course, vee. Why would ask such a silly question? DO I look sick or something? DO I have boils or something? Oh no I hope I'm not dying I thought I felt fine…"

"Dude, you look fine it's just I don't normally see you with coffee."

"Oh. No I was just a little sleepy that's all."

"Awesome, I love coffee in the mornings."

Germany warily began the meeting after that glancing at his long-time ally periodically looking for a reaction to the large amount of coffee had just ingested. Italy had only drank coffee once around him before and it had been almost as horrifying as his driving. The Italian Nation however just focused on the meeting making a few comments and taking notes. This worried Germany greatly, if he was acting this serious he must be completely exhausted.

Germany was not good at showing, expressing or understanding emotions. He had for a long time been confused over his feelings for Italy and now a flood of what he thought was concern entered his mind. He had spent a lot of time with Italy so he knew logically that he slept a lot, more than person needed. So why was he concerned if he was a little tired. It wouldn't hurt him would it? Why did he spend so much time thinking about him? Why was he upset that Italy was working and being serious? He didn't understand it. I don't have anyone I can talk to either. My brother is just an idiot and everyone else can't keep their mouths shut. I suppose I will just have to figure it out on my own, if Italy doesn't ask for help it can't be that serious right? I mean he asks me for help when he can't tie his shoes.

The meeting went well. The only argument coming from the Nordics. Italy thought it was something about who was whose big brother but he couldn't quite tell because the argument soon devolved into a screaming match in their foreign tongues. The argument ended soon enough though when Iceland said something quietly and blushed. Nobody understood it completely but since it cooled off on its own the meeting continued without many questions being asked. Italy looked jealously at his brother who was sitting next to Spain holding his hand. They hadn't told anyone of their relationship so far as he could tell because if they had France would be gushing over it. They were however holding hands which made Italy burn with utter jealousy. He had the sudden impulse to tear them apart telling them it's not fair to flaunt their happiness in front of everyone but he held himself back.

If he thought about their love for too long he would go down path's that would leave him a weeping useless state. If he was going to succeed he had to act like Germany and Germany never cried about lost loves. He focused his brain ignoring the strange looks he was receiving. The meeting went well after the Nordic argument and Italy stood up to present the next competition.

"Hiya! So today I thought we could have a bunch of fun with a sharp shooting contest! I will have everything set up after lunch. Go back to the field we used for football after lunch and we should have a bunch of fun, veee."

The nations were surprisingly pleased with the announcement and they all went to lunch looking forward to the activity. Even Switzerland was excited which was a rare occurrence indeed. Italy sighed and decided to skip lunch to get everything together. He watched Romano and Spain leave together and felt a twinge of jealousy. He didn't notice Germany follow him to the stadium. If he had he would've insisted that Germany go to lunch so that he could drop his happy façade for a moment of rest. He walked into the stadium and began to set up the shooting range. He stopped walking with a skip in his step and let his smile drop happy to just look as tired as he felt. He did not know Germany was watching him with a pensive look.

Germany had followed him trying to figure out his feelings. He had always found his thoughts to be more focused when the Italian was around. So he had followed him planning on just sitting in the stadium and thinking. But he was surprised to find his friend looking much like he had after a long day of work. He stumbled around the field setting things up and looked absolutely exhausted. He felt so sad. He was the one who was supposed to be overworking and Italy was the one supposed to be telling him to relax.

I haven't had a hug from Italy for a while. I miss that. Why do I miss that? I used to despise hugs, in fact I still do. It's an invasion of personal space but yet I miss his hugs. I just don't understand. Why is it that I spend so much time thinking of him? I even skipped out on lunch just to think about him. I don't understand.

"Germany what are you doing here?"

"I uh just came to see if you needed any help, Italy."

"Germany I am fine. I told you before I wanted to be more serious and do things on my own. Isn't that what you wanted, veee?"

"Yes I suppose I did want you to be more serious."

"Then you can go to lunch and I will finish up here. Unless you have something to tell me."

Italy desperately hoped he did have something anything to say to him. Even an "I am glad you are my friend" would've helped his mood considerably. If he could've painted the scene he needed to feel perfectly happy it would have Germany pulling him tightly into his arms and then kissing him. That however was not going to happen anytime soon.

"No, but I think I will just stay here and have a large dinner this evening."

Italy agreed and left Germany to finish up the chores he needed to do. The nations met up and of course and all got their guns. Most nations are amazing shots since they have all had years and years of experience. It was a tight race all around. America used his own six shooter, from his cowboy days which was surprisingly accurate. Every nation had their own stories about their gun prowess. The most surprising competitor was Liechtenstein. Apparently her older brother had taught her how to use it and she had become a perfect marksman. She was the winner in the end of course narrowly beating Switzerland and America. Germany was stiff competition but he relied more on hand to hand combat than shooting.

Italy congratulated the tiny girl nation amid the surprised comments of the other nations. Switzerland rarely let Liechtenstein out of his sight so very little is known about her and amazing gun skills were hardly expected. Switzerland was of course sighing proudly at his little sister since he had taught her everything. After the competition America started showing off his trick shots. Which were basically gun tricks he learned from his old western days. Everyone was impressed that the silly loud nation could handle it so well.

The nations went out intent on getting to know Liechtenstein. They argued with her overprotective brother saying she could easily shoot them all if they tried anything. He agreed she could go if he went also. Italy however didn't go out to celebrate feeling instead completely exhausted. He still had to prepare for the next day's swimming competition. He went home without noticing how sad a certain German looked when he realized that Italy would not be joining the festivities.

The swimming competition was very lively. It ended up being a close race between America, Australia and Taiwan. Australia ended up winning by just a few milliseconds to which America yelled that he had pulled a Michael Phelps! Of course he would bring back everything to his country. Italy was being run ragged everyday with the intense schedule he had set up for himself. He did not let that stop him though. He was going to make Germany see how useful he could be.

The next three day competition was wrestling which Italy did not even pretend to have skills in. If it had been older kinds of wrestling Italy might've tried but this was modern wrestling and Italy did not want to be crushed. He officiated however to look like he was involved. Romano however did participate and seemed to enjoy himself. The eventual winner was surprisingly Greece. He explained that ever since his Sparta days he had kept up with the wrestling to keep in shape. Italy looked down at his list of scores. It seemed that there was no clear leader yet but he knew that he would soon take the lead. The sword competition would lead him straight to first place. It was his secret weapon.

The next day was a break day which meant that it was just the meeting and no activity afterword. Italy spent that day sleeping. He was practically ignoring Germany in his exhaustion and he did not even know. Germany would call while he was sleeping or working and he was to busy to check his phone. It nearly killed Germany of course who was growing more desperate for Italy's attention by the day. It was killing him and he didn't know why.

TIME SKIP

Italy looked over the results. France had won cooking, America had won poker. It was still a tie for winner but Italy knew full well today that was going to change. It had taken much patience to not tell anyone how exciting this was. When the nations showed up they all gaped at Italy's confidence holding a sword. He had waited for their lunch to end so he had taken out a sparring dummy and he was practicing some of his moves. He moved gracefully like a piece of art. His sword glistening like a jewel in the sunlight that moved in a precise manner. One of the nations coughed and Italy looked up and smiled at them. He sheathed his sword and skipped over to his fellow nations.

"Hey guys! Today I thought we would take it a step up by having a sword competition. Most of us older nations and very skilled but you younger nations will have to sit this one out. These swords are sharp and deadly and there is no reason to lose a limb. So anyone younger than Germany has to sit out since we stopped using swords in battle around the time of his formation. Veee."

A few nations grumbled at this but they didn't argue with the sword wielding nation. The other nations were handed different swords based on their height and hand preferences. Eventually the nations stood in their normal clothing holding swords looking slightly nervous. Then they were handed colorful sashes and told to tie it around their waist in a way that nothing stuck out. So now bows! Once that was done Italy stood in front of the group and explained the rules.

"This game is really simple vee! Everyone has their very own sash so when you face off against an opponent the goal is to cut their sash off without cutting them. If your sash gets cut off you lose. If you cut into another person you lose. This is about precision and skill. Romano and I will demonstrate of course since we both have played before."

At this Romano grumbled he didn't really look forward to facing his brother. He hated sword fighting against his brother more than he hated Germany and that was saying something. You know how Canada becomes a totally different person when he plays hockey well Italy made a much more drastic change. He became as cold and terrifying as Russia, his eyes stopped sparkling and he became as emotionless as a machine. A machine made for killing. Other nations on the battlefield would feel something while sword fighting but his younger brother was just a monster when he fought with a sword. Romano was sort of glad when guns became popular because his brother stopped being so freaky. He nevertheless held up his sword in the starting position and watched as his brother began his opening attack.

The swords slashed back and forth clanging in the air. The nations watched in utter silence as the blades moved quickly back and forth with deadly precision. It was a quick battle and Romano's sash was cut expertly in half. They all noticed how serious Italy became and it was strange to see him instantly become his happy smiling face when he asked if anyone had questions. No one did of course and the battles began.

Romano insisted that he and Germany begin first. Germany did not have a lot of experience with the sword. He had done much better in the wrestling competition than he would in the other ones. He also saw how well Romano had performed and he knew it was not going to be a good fight.

It lasted longer than anyone expected but that was because Romano enjoyed toying with Germany. Like a cat playing with a mouse before eating it. Romano would feint to make it look like Germany could hit his sash and then he would quickly parry almost to the point of forcing the sword out his hand. He did this for nearly eight minutes before quickly cutting Germany's sash. He ended the move with the sword at the tip of his throat and a smirk on his face. He removed the sword but not before banging the end of the sword onto Germany's head. Germany lost since his sash was cut and Romano lost because he hit his opponent. Romano didn't care since that was the whole point of fighting the potato jerk.

Germany was helped off the field and he watched from the sidelines. America also went out on the first round when he went up against England. Who had unsurprisingly a pirate's cutlass. China and Japan had a very long battle but eventually Japan lost. Switzerland defeated Austria and Hungary easily defeated Prussia. Greece and Turkey were both disqualified since their fight quickly became real and slightly violent. Russia beat Canada. Italy beat all of his opponents too easily as if they hardly challenged him. He acted as if he was playing against children. France lost to him easily as did Norway and Denmark. The Nordics were in another class and they fought crazily but Denmark was used to an ax and Norway was as you say "a delicate flower". The first day's fights ended quickly enough and the nations went home to rest their weary arms.

Germany however was stuck to his spot. While watching Italy he had realized something. The emotions that had rushed through him all this time causing the worry and desperation. During one of Italy's fights he had thought how beautiful the smaller nation looked while fighting with his sword. Then he asked himself if beautiful was the right word. He realized it wasn't when his brother words rushed into his head. "There's nothing sexier than a chick who can fight." He had been drunk and was referencing Hungary but it still fit to Germany's situation.

He loved Italy. Not the love of a friend or a brother but the love of a husband. He wanted to hug and kiss Italy. He was head over heels in love with his ally. At first he couldn't believe it but as he went through each memory of the past weeks it was the only answer that made any sense. He sat there for a long time as the nations were leaving. It wasn't until Prussia hit him in the shoulder that he realized he needed to consult other nations discreetly for advice. They went back to the hotel and he knew exactly what nations to consult. He had to be careful or else he would be embarrassed. The first nation on his list was none other than France. He went up to the Frenchman's door and knocked.

"Bonjour Allemagne. What brings you to my door this lovely evening?"

"Hallo France. I have a question for you. This is out of curiosity mind you. May I come in?"

"Oui, come in."

"I've been alone for most of my life you know. France you always talk of the wonders of love and I can't help but wonder why. What is love even like?"

"Ah. You came to the right place Mon ami. I will tell you that from experience I have only ever truly loved once in my life. It was the most blissfully painful thing I have ever experienced. When she lived I could never stop thinking of her, I worried for her constantly. I longed for her attention and felt a piece of myself missing when she left no matter how long the absence was. My world practically revolved around her. Every decision I made was with her in mind. The most wonderful part was that it was the same thing for her. She loved me as much as I loved her. She loved me so much that she died for me her country. I have never been the same. The world had lost its luster for me after she left. That is the reason why I push love on everyone. I tell them to find it and never let it go. I lost my love and I face the consequences every day. Germany I urge you that if you ever find yourself feeling the way I described grab that person and never let them from your sight. Love is the most costly commodity the more you are willing to give the more it is worth. Does that answer your question?"

"Ja, if you don't mind me asking who was she."

"Jeanne D'arc."

"Oh. Thank you France. Please excuse me. I have to ponder what you have told me. I do hope it is as wonderful as you say."

Germany left France and felt like he didn't have to speak to anyone else for the night. If France was accurate then it was clear that he loved Italy. Now the question was what to do with that knowledge. France had told him to grab Italy and never let him go. But Germany did not know how the Italian felt for him. What if he ruined their friendship with his emotions? Germany didn't even know if he could speak to Italy now that he knew he loved him. What if he started blushing and stuttering? It was going to be difficult.

Germany also realized another important thing. He loved the old Italy. The happy go lucky, useless Italy. The hard working serious one was not the one he loved. He had been a fool for asking Italy to change but he had no idea how to say such things to Italy. He was not a man of many words and he knew he did not have the words to express his regret and love. Germany went to bed that night dreaming of Italy. I suppose you could say that was the Germany fell head first into love.