Title: All This Time
Pairings: Holy Roman Empire/Italy, Germany/Italy
The Holy Roman Empire returns to Italy's life, and he wants them to be together. It's Italy's dream come true, but Italy's dream, turns into Germany's worst nightmare...
"Hallo Italy? It's me again...I urm, I wasn't sure if you'd gotten mein last message but uhh...in case you didn't I just wanted to say again that I'm really sorry about all of this, und urm...well...when you've thought everything through und made your choice well...call me okay? Danke...well...I hope I'll see you soon Italy...it's me, Germany...bye." the German sighed, hanging up his phone he let his body flop down onto the hotel bed, clutching the back of his neck in frustration.
"Gott sake...why did this have to happen? Stupid Holy Roman Empire! Why did he just have to go und propose marriage like that? AHHH!" Germany growled, fisting his hands into the bed sheets he started twisting and pulling at the linen for a few moments before realising how childishly he was acting, and then managed to calm down, taking a few deep breaths.
"This isn't fair..." the blond breathed, head still buried in the itchy hotel pillows, "...why now? They've been together a few days! Who would propose marriage after such a short amount of time?" he slowly rolled over onto his back, resting his hands on top of his head, a deep sigh escaping his lips, "Although...they have been in love all this time, even if they've not been together...but gott verdammt why do I realise mein feelings for Italy on the same day he proposes marriage?" Germany growled, fingers tightening in his blond locks.
He sighed, letting his eyes drift closed to be alone with his thoughts; he could always lose himself much easier in a place he wasn't familiar with as opposed to his own home. The German had decided against returning to Berlin; as creepy as it sounded he wanted to be as close to Italy as he possibly could without actually being in the Italian's home...since Italy needed time to be alone and think. Although Germany was started to get stressed out by just how much time Italy was taking; he'd been stuck in this budget hotel room in Rome for the past three days and hadn't heard anything from the Italian...he was starting to get worried that perhaps Italy had already chosen Holy Rome and just hadn't had the nerve to break it to him.
Germany groaned softly in despair, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand he felt around the bed for his phone with the other. He held the device tightly against his chest, as if somehow willing it to ring, willing the Italian to call him...he didn't, he was no closer to finding out what was going on then he had been the day he left.
The German was already coming to the depressing conclusion that Italy must have decided to marry Holy Rome, after all they were in love; they'd waited their whole lives to be together. Germany bit his lip, slowly opening his eyes, "...if Italy truly wanted to be with Holy Rome...then why didn't he just say yes to his proposal?...why did he say he needs time to think?" he mumbled softly, brushing his hands through his hair, gently scratching the back of his neck.
Germany's ear pricked up when he heard someone fumbling outside the door of his hotel room. The blond shot up in bed, heart hammering nervously as he saw a piece of paper slide under the door into his room, the person fleeing from outside the door faster than German could get up to open it and see who it was.
The German yanked open the door anyway, "Italy?" he called down the corridor in vain, but they'd already disappeared into the lift and vanished from sight. Germany sighed, bending down to retrieve the note that had been slid under his door.
It was a letter, addressed to the German...in Italy's handwriting, "To Germany, I need to talk to you, in person, it's important, meet me on the very top of the St Baculus cliff in exactly one hour, love Italy."
Germany blinked slowly, reading the short note through a few more times, why would Italy ask to meet in such a strange location? Why didn't he just knock on the door and talk to him here if it was so important? The German shook his head, there wasn't time to dwell on that now; Italy had strange ways of doing things after all. He retreated back into his hotel room, catching sight of himself in the dressing table mirror...was he seriously still wearing the same clothes he'd worn when he left the Italian's house?
Germany cringed, hurriedly shedding himself of his garments he crammed himself into the tiny ensuite bathroom for a shower; he had one hour to get himself looking presentable and wash off the mould which he was certain must be growing on him by now. As he leant back against the cold shower wall, steaming hot water cascading down his chest his mind drifted towards Italy again...and he suddenly felt quite nervous.
"What if this is Italy's way of breaking the news to me..." Germany considered, threading a hand into the damp hair at the back of his neck, "Gott sake I hate love." he grumbled bitterly, pushing off the wall he threw himself directly under the stream of hot water, scrubbing at his hair, sighing deeply, "This sure will be interesting..."
~0~
The German shivered slightly, wrapping his arms tighter around himself as he made the long trek up to the edge of the St Baculus cliff; Germany's legs straining tiredly as he strode up the steep terrine. The only thing lighting his path was the large luminous orb, radiating white light down on the German's back as he came to an eventual stop, mere metres from the very edge of this towering cliff. He could just about see over the edge from where he stood, a safe distance away, but couldn't make out what actually lay at the bottom of the four hundred foot cliff; even the dazzling rays of white light from the moon in the night sky were not enough to penetrate the thick blackness that loomed below him.
"Maybe it's the moonlight but I have to admit you're looking pretty good for a dead man."
Germany jumped in surprise at the voice that suddenly sounded some way behind him. He spun around to confront the intruder, eyes widening in surprise when he saw who it was, "Holy Rome?"
The blond smirked slightly, "The one and only."
Germany narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "What are you doing here? Where's Italy?" he demanded, glancing around the deserted ground but it was only the two of them atop the cliff.
Holy Rome shrugged, "At home I suspect."
Germany's eyebrows furrowed together in utter confusion, his fingers digging into his back pocket for that piece of paper when it suddenly clicked, "Wait a minute...you wrote me that note didn't you?"
"My my, well aren't you the smartest man I ever did lay eyes on." Holy Rome drawled sarcastically, taking a few steps closer towards the German.
Germany glared at him, fists clenched at his sides he attempted to push past the blond, "I'm leaving."
"So soon?" Holy Rome said, feigning shock, grabbing the German's arm to prevent him from walking away, "After I went through all the trouble of writing you that little letter and delivering it to you personally?"
Germany yanked his arm away, "You forged Italy's name."
Holy Rome shrugged slightly, holding up his hands defensively, "So I elaborated a little, how else was I supposed to get you here?"
Germany sighed, folding his arms across himself, "What do you want Holy Rome?"
The German saw a dangerous glint in the blonds' eye, "I want what's mine." He growled.
"...what?"
Holy Rome glared at him, "I don't want to have to tell you again about that little innocent act you've got going on-"
"Would you stop talking about that?" Germany suddenly barked, glaring at him in frustration, "I don't know where you're getting it from."
"You're not innocent, Germany, I know..." Holy Rome said slowly, voice shaking slightly, "Italy's not here...so you might as well act like yourself around me for once!" he yelled, grabbing the blond around the collar he reversed their positions so the German was now the one with his back facing the cliff edge.
Germany glared at him, forcing the man's hands off his neck, "What za hell are you talking about?"
"I am sick of this!" Holy Rome growled, pointing an accusing finger in the German's face, "I may have had amnesia for over two hundred years but I know who you are Germany! I know everything about you!"
Germany stared at him, blinking slowly, "...what?"
Holy Rome gave a harsh snort, slowly shaking his head, "You think I've been living in a cave my whole life? I do get out from time to time Germany; I've read newspapers, I've listened to radio broadcasts..." he stepped closer to the blond, fists shaking at his sides, "I once even had to evacuate my home when the German troops came flying over head, ring any bells?"
Germany swallowed slightly, "Holy Rome..."
Holy Rome smirked slightly, gazing off into the distance, "To think, that my once great, powerful, beautiful land was being ravaged and destroyed by war. I mean don't get me wrong Germany," he looked back to the blond, one eyebrow raised, "World domination, there was potential in that." he said, looking momentarily impressed before those intimidating blue eyes darkened, "...but you dragged Italy into an unwinnable war." he growled, fist clenching once more, "You could have gotten him killed."
Germany shook his head, "I would never have let that happen."
"Of course not." Holy Rome scoffed, stepping closer to the German causing him to take a hesitant step back, "I know you Germany, and this isn't you."
"...what are you talking about?"
"Do you just put all this on for Italy hm? Afraid he'll stop being your friend if you show him your true self?"
"Holy Rome I really don't know what you're talking about!"
Holy Rome growled in frustration, "You're not a nice guy Germany!"
Germany looked confused, "What?"
"You are not a nice guy." he said, voice trembling as he spoke, "I have lived in my land, all this time Germany...I've lived through the world wars, watched you completely and utterly fuck up my empire-"
"It's NOT your empire anymore!" Germany bellowed in a sudden bout of anger before managing to rein his temper in.
Holy Rome's eyelid twitch, "It'll be one cold day in hell Germany before I acknowledge you as owner of my land."
Germany stared at him, slowly shaking his head, "...so that's what this all comes down to, you really can't stand not being an empire anymore."
"No." Holy Rome said simply, slowly advancing on the German, the two of them getting steadily closer and closer to the cliff edge, "That I could deal with...what I couldn't deal with however, is some prissy," he advanced quicker, "...princey," closer still, "...blond pretty boy who thinks he can just waltz into Italy's life, act all sweet and caring and protective and then try to take him from someone whose wanted him their entire life!" Holy Rome yelled, face slowly going red.
Germany swallowed slightly, but grit his teeth; he wouldn't be talked to in that way, "I didn't choose to fall in love with him!" he snapped back.
Holy Rome nodded slowly, fists trembling uncontrollably at his side, "Sì, but you did choose to tell him and RUIN EVERYTHING!" he thundered; throwing back his arm in one swift movement he smashed his fist into the German's face.
"AH!" the German stumbled backwards, hands cradling his jaw, "What za hell is wrong with you?" he yelled, blood starting to drip from the corner of his mouth.
"I've wanted to do that since the first day I met you, Germany." Holy Rome said slowly, mouth twitching into a psychotic grin.
"You're a deranged psychopath." Germany growled, spitting blood onto the grubby ground.
Holy Rome's deep eyes widened, he leant in close towards the German, mere millimetres away from one another, "...say that again." he whispered, voice sounding harsh in the silence, "I dare you."
Germany glared at him, wiping the blood from his mouth he squared up to the blond, "You are a deranged...PSYCHOPATH!" he bellowed, voice echoing from the cliff top before he could stop himself. In an instant, Holy Rome launched himself into the blond, aiming another fist for his face. But this time Germany was prepared, he dodged out of the way, grabbing the blonds' arm he attempted to twist it around his back but Holy Rome swiftly kneed the German hard in the stomach. Germany gasped out in pain, accidentally releasing Holy Rome's arm the blond ploughed himself into the German, dragging him to the ground.
"You CAN'T have ITALY!" Holy Rome thundered, sitting on top of the German he started throttling him, thumbs pressing into his windpipe.
Germany's fingers dug into Holy Rome's hands as he tried to prize his hands off from around his neck, legs thrashing beneath him. Using all his strength the German managed to yank the blonds' hands away from his throat, barking back an answer before he could think about his words, "That's not your decision to make!"
Rage flashed in Holy Rome's eyes, he yelled out, smashing his fist into the German's face again before he fisted a hand into the front of his shirt, dragging him to the edge of the cliff. The top half of Germany's body dangled dangerously off the edge of the cliff; the Germany yelled out in panic, desperately gripping the front of Holy Rome's shirt, "Holy Rome STOP!" he yelled, heels desperately digging into the ground to stop himself being pushed down into the intense blackness. Holy Rome stopped, hands trembling uncontrollably as he supported most of the German's weight. Germany stared up at him, eyes shining with fear, "...you can't do this."
Holy Rome's eye twitched, smirking slightly at the helpless man in his arms, "Two hundred years Germany..." he said slowly, voice trembling along with his hands, "Do you have any idea what's it's like...to wander about in a country you can't recognise, go about the people you can longer remember huh?" he asked, hands tightening around the fistful of Germany's shirt, "To reach adulthood and then just stop ageing, having to migrate to a new home every ten years or so just to avoid being branded a FREAK!" he spat, shaking the German's shoulders, "Then...finally, after so many long, agonizing years...it all comes back..." he whispered, the fabric of Germany's shirt slowly slipping from his grip, "...and I find out that not only is the love of my life being sought after by someone else, but that he's being sought after by the one man I truly despise the most..."
"Holy Rome." Germany said desperately, eyes flicking over his shoulder to the long drop below him, "You can't...Italy will know it was you!"
Holy Rome looked at him, slowly raising an eyebrow, "...Italy loves me, Germany, I told you to leave...but you just wouldn't listen." his fingers loosened their grip of the front of the German's shirt even more.
Germany yelled out in panic, scrambling blindly at the front of Holy Rome's chest to keep himself from falling. In one quick, easy motion Holy Rome released his hold on the German's shirt, gave one last look at the outright desperation on the blonds' face before he gave one harsh push, knocking him clear off the four hundred foot high cliff, to the deep, dark nothingness below him.
~0~
Italy sighed softly, slowly drizzling some olive oil into a steaming pan ready to cook lunch, frowning slightly. He watched the oil sizzle around the pan for a few moments, eyes drifting towards the phone on the wall of his kitchen, fingers twitching slightly as he resisted the urge to pick up the receiver. The Italian couldn't believe he'd been able to stand not speaking to Germany or Holy Rome for this long, especially since he'd received so many messages from the both of them over the last few days.
He bit his lip, picking up a wooden spoon, sighing again. Italy wished he knew what to do, he was supposed to be using this time to decide, but if anything the more he thought about it; the more confusing it all became. He loved the Holy Roman Empire, he really truly did, but he couldn't stop thinking about Germany...
Italy just didn't want to hurt the German, if anything he was still in a state of shock by the confession of love...he had to admit, even though Holy Rome's marriage proposal had made his face light up, Germany's confession had set his heart on fire...
The Italian looked up as the doorbell chimed; he flicked off the hob and hurried to the door to answer it, smiling in surprise when he saw who was there, holding onto a bunch of red roses, "Holy Rome..."
Holy Rome smiled, holding out the bouquet, "I'm sorry Italy, I know you needed time to think but I couldn't stay away any longer..."
Italy beamed, taking the roses, breathing in their sweet scent, "Grazie...I'm sorry I've been keeping you waiting Holy Rome it's just..." the Italian bit his lip, shrugging slightly, "...I don't want to hurt Germany's feelings."
"I understand...but you do want to be with me, don't you Italy?"
Italy nodded slowly, "Sì, of course, I love you Holy Rome."
"I love you too." Holy Rome smiled, producing the ring from his pocket, "So...is it a yes?"
Italy eyed the ring, dithering unsurely, "What about...Germany?"
"Don't worry about him, I took care of that."
"...you did?"
"Sì, I went to see him and asked if I could have you...he said he'd back off, in fact, he actually said he might stay away from you for a while."
Italy looked confused, "Stay away?" he asked softly.
Holy Rome nodded, "Sì, he needs time to get over you...but he said you should accept my proposal and be happy with me." he said, holding out the ring again.
Italy stared at the ring for a moment; then slowly back up to Holy Rome, "Sì..." he held out his left hand, smiling slightly, "I will."
Holy Rome beamed, carefully slipping the ring onto the Italian's finger before pulling him into a tight embrace, "I love you Italy."
Italy cuddled his back, holding up his hand he gazed sadly at his tomato engagement ring, sighing inwardly, "...I love you too."
This story shall be on hiatus for a while as I'm off to the States (this aa well as Back to Reality if anyone's reading that, although I will attempt chapter 8 for tomorrow before I leave friday but I can't garuntee it)
So until then I shall leave you with this cliff hanger :) Ha! Get it? Cause there's a cliff...yeah I'll be quiet now
Reviews are love :)