Alright, I've had two days off from work and for the first time in three weeks I'm not totally exhausted! Yay! Actually I still have to go to work today, but not for awhile, at least I won't be totally run-down for it like I have been.
Italy couldn't bring himself to speak, Gilbert waited with baited breath. Genuinely afraid that Italy would not believe him, he said any more. Pleading the case with a simple minded man like him would do no good. Gilbert tensed as Italy's lips parted and told him exactly as he had feared.
"You're lying."
"Vhat reason do I hev to lie?"
"Neither you nor Ludwig like my brother…"
"He doesn'd like us eider. He ist de source of Ludwig's pain righd now. He's de reason you hat to rusch your husbant to de hospidal. Don'd fool yourselv indo dinking dat he voult nod attack him." Gilbert felt as if he should do something, comfort him in some way… But he knew it would not be well received. Where it took a lot to make Italy angry it took little to upset him.
"He wouldn't… I'm his brother, he still cares… I know he does."
"Do you really dink dat your selvisch bruder voult care if it voult make Ludwig miseraple?"
"Yes! Stoppit Prussia! Please!" Gilbert backed away from the upset Italian, giving him space should he choose to freak out.
"Feliciano, you know your bruder bedder den I do… Soh, who knows, maype it vasn't, bud, he ist a selvisch arsch'ole und you know it." He kept calm, that only seemed to make Italy even more upset.
"How can you say that about my brother!? You know him too! He is kinda mean but, but-"
"Shh! Qvied down. Ve're in a vaiding room."
"Why are you doing this?" Tears now pricked at Italy's brown eyes. Whatever force of will had been holding them back was about to break. He looked around the room for Japan, but it appeared that he had left already, he could cry to no one right now.
"You turn dose big brown eyes somevhere else. Your bruder hes been making Ludwig's live a misery for de paschd veek!"
"No!"
"Be qvied!"
"I might point out that you are being loud yourself, Gilbert." A shadow came to loom over the two, it was Austria, looking as harried and unhappy as Prussia. He was obviously very disappointed in both of them for yelling in hospital, but he was in no mood to discipline them.
"Schud up Roderich. Dis ist between Italy and me."
"Mr. Roderich, it's not true, is it?" Italy hopelessly asked the piano-player. Roderich, not really having heard what the fight was about, but none-the-less sure Ludwig would know answered with "Why don't you just ask Germany?" That seemed to have been the worst possible thing to suggest if the face Gilbert was now making was any indication.
Italy jumped to his feet, bolting to the area Ludwig's room was located, fleeing from Gilbert and any attempt he might make at stopping him. Prussia stood and gave chase. Or attempted to rather, Roderich grabbed the back of his uniform and pulled him back against his chest to restrain him.
"You're in a hospital, remember your manners, Prussia." Austria chastised as Gilbert struggled to get out of his grasp.
"I defeadet you vonce, I cahn do it again! I cahn do it many more times! Led me go pansy boy!"
"Stop yelling and thrashing first. You're attracting attention." The white-haired man sighed and relaxed. Really he thought it would've been more fun to fight Austria one on one, but this wasn't the time or the place. Italy would at least believe Ludwig…
"Ludwig!" Italy yelped upon running into the room. Surprising Germany awake and sending him into a moment of panic.
"Vhat?! Was ist das?!" His head jerked around the room, his arms shoved him up from the bed, ripping a few of the gruesome stitches out. He visibly winced and ground his teeth, slumping back to the bed.
"I'm sorry!" Italy practically jumped on top of him in his frantic frenzy of betrayal, sorrow and worry. "Are you alright?" He asked, sitting astride the other man, his knees supporting him over Germany's pelvis. Needless to say Germany felt more than a little awkward as Feliciano leaned down over his body to inspect his torn arm.
"It's fine Italy, I jus neet a nurse. She'll ged a doctor to look aht it." He just then noticed a nervous twitch in Italy as he sat up straight, sitting himself astride Ludwig's legs. "Vhat ist wrong now?" He asked, genuinely irritated.
Upon catching his tone, Italy quickly climbed down from the bed and stood next to it. He fidgeted with his hands as he attempted to work up to what he wanted to say.
"W-well, you see, Gilbert told me that Romano did this. Please! Please tell me it's not true!" Germany sighed, the irritation growing along with a new headache, he didn't even attempt to contain it.
"Italy, it mosd likely vas hi-"
"No! He wouldn't! You know it!"
"I know de man hades me, hades our union. Hades you because you marrit me." The irritation continued to grow, he wanted to sleep, he was sore, his head was pounding and in no mood to argue with this childish person.
"He doesn't hate you! Or me! He's just… He's just confused is all!"
"Und you're delusional!" Germany quickly sat up in bed for intimidating effect. "You know bedder dan me dat dis vorlt istn'd pervecd! You know your bruder hades me!" He didn't bother checking the volume of his voice, Italy began to cower away from him.
"No he doesn't!" Feliciano yelled like a stubborn child, tears rolling down his face.
"Schud up!" And Italy was on the floor. Germany stared down at him from his more offensive position, his hand still out over the air where he had hit Italy to quiet him.
Italy seemed to curl in on himself, quietly sobbing against the floor, Germany was sure a new bruise was forming on his face. Guilt washed over him as he watched the man cry, it quelled his irritation and made him feel like a monster almost. Like a parent that will hit their own child to make them stop crying.
"I schoultn'd hev done dat…" Germany averted his eyes for a moment before continuing. "Please, forgife me." The only response he got was a hiccup as Italy moved to a more comfortable position on his knees, his tears still falling like rain. "Please, schtop crying." Germany clumsily moved out of the bed, ignoring the scream of protest from his arm as another stitch tore.
"You're acting weird again." Italy hiccupped as Germany's blood dripped from his fingertips to the linoleum. Blood? Quickly his own misery was forgotten as he noticed the open wound in his husband's upper arm. "You're bleeding!"
Half way leaning down to try and comfort Italy, Germany stopped and examined his arm. "It's noding."
"Quit saying that."
"It's fine, jus a few schtitches."
"Why is it… Everytime I ask you 'what's wrong' you always just say 'it's nothing'? It's not nothing to me when you end up in a hospital bed." He was as serious as he had been since they had gotten married. Ludwig had promised to himself he would give Italy no reason to be so serious… And here was, Italy crying on the floor, he'd hit him to make him quiet… No husband should ever do that… No friend should.
"I'm sorry dat I vorry you soh ovden… Bud-"
"No Ludwig, it's alright." Italy wiped his eyes, ignoring the still present sting in his face where Germany's hand connected with his cheek. Looking up, he saw Germany's hand stretched out to him, his good hand. Italy took the hand and let the blonde pull him up to his feet, their hands remaining together thereafter. "I will go see Lovino tomorrow."
"Don'd, if he attackt me he von'd hesidade to do de same to you."
"Stop being silly, Romano wouldn-" Germany seized his wrist and yanked up the cuff of his sleeve, revealing the scar on it, still a fresh pink.
"He voultn'd you schay? He's attackt you vonce alreaty… If you come to him… He mighd consiter it a declaration of var." Italy tried his hardest to weasel his wrist from the iron clasp around it. Germany held firm though, forcing him to acknowledge what had happened, what his brother had done to him.
"You're hurting me." The Italian whined, tears returning to the corners of his eyes. Germany groaned, frustrated, tired, sore, a headache pounding away full force in his skull. He released Italy's hand and looked him in the eye.
"Please Italy, schtay avay from him. If you go… I von'd schtop you, bud… Bud…" He blushed and looked away slightly. "Bud if you do go, I'll vorry de whole time." Italy smiled before responding with "It's not Lovino, I know it's not, it can't be. He's still hurt after all. And! And if America or England were helping him, everyone would know! Don't you think?" Feliciano was desperate to change Ludwig's mind. It wasn't Lovino, it couldn't have been, for more than just one reason too. The only thing his partner could think of past his headache for a moment was how childish he was. Just because they were brothers did not mean Romano wouldn't attack them. Romano was selfish, disloyal, ineffectual… Ineffectual… Someone was helping him… But certainly it wasn't America or England… Who else was there but himself and the blondes providing aid to the nation?
Ask Osten… "Ist Gilbert schtill oud dere?" An odd and incomprehensible change of topic, but Feliciano was thankful for it.
"I don't know… I ran away when he lied to me like that…"
"He vas nod--…" Germany pinched the bridge of his nose and massaged his eyes, taking a deep breath to steady himself. "Okay… Cahn you please goh see? I hev a qvestion for him." Germany suddenly remembered he was bleeding as he accidentally touched a slick, bloody hand to his temple. "Ahlso, please ged a docdor for me… Ask a nurse."
More of a reaction to his second request than the first, Italy darted from the room.
"Hey! Vaid! I ditn'd give you de…" But Italy was already gone. He rubbed his head with his clean hand and walked over to the room's rubbish bin, holding his hand over it. The janitor was not going to like him very much, leaving blood on the floor like that. It annoyed him and bugged him profusely like the neat-freak he was, he calmed himself by saying he would clean it if his efforts wouldn't have been undone by his own body.
A doctor and the same nurse from earlier walked in with Feliciano about five minutes after Ludwig had situated himself by the bin, thankfully had stopped bleeding awhile ago. The doctor gave him a once over look before motioning to the nurse to bring a clinking cart with a metal tray upon it. Feliciano gagged when he saw the suture set and the syringe of anesthetic, it seemed like more of a torture set than anything else to him.
"Okay, sid up hier." The human directed him, patting the bed. Ludwig sat down on the bed once again, swinging his legs up to lay down. The physician adjusted the bed so Ludwig was sitting up. "Led me see." Ludwig lifted his arm slightly as the human inspected the snapped stitches, quite unsure about the man's sketchy attitude. The doctor motioned to the nurse, she picked up the suture set and opened it, pulling out a needle, a small pair of scissors and the material used to sew up the wound. This served to make Feliciano even more nervous as he went around to the left side of the bed to sit by Germany. "Okay, schtay ahs schtill ahs you cahn." There was a quaver in his voice as he spoke, he was definitely more than a little apprehensive about stitching up his country.
Carefully and meticulously, he swabbed the area around the cuts clean with an iodine pad. Next, using a pair of tweezers, he gently pulled back the skin and had the nurse administer a local anesthetic into the wound via syringe. Italy cringed back and gripped Ludwig's hand tightly. The nurse had to suppress a smile while Germany had to fight the impulse to pull his hand away.
"Cahn you feel dis?" The doctor inserted a dull metal instrument into the wound and prodded the tender flesh inside. Germany shook his head and answered "Nein." The doctor shuddered for some unknown reason or another, Germany found it comical and resisted chuckling or even smiling. "Alrighd den." Italy nearly yelped when he saw the needle pierce the skin and the thread drawn through. What he couldn't control though was gripping Ludwig's hand even harder.
"It doesn'd hurd."
"But it looks like it does…" Slightly disturbed by Germany's voice, but determined to do his work, the physician continued meticulously re-threading the five torn stitches. He was pretty sure he could feel Germany watching him, judging him, if he didn't like the work he was doing could he have him taken out of the picture? This man was a country! What couldn't he do?!
Neither of the parties said anything for the better part of the fifteen minutes the doctor worked, there was the occasional yelp from Italy, but that was it. The silence was tense and awkward, but each was a bit nervous to break the quiet. It was possible the doctor was so nervous that he might screw up the job he was doing if noise was made. Really, in fact though, the silence did seem to be driving the man with the needle insane. The nurse was both afraid to say anything and afraid not to…
"Would ya like somethin' t'eat sir?" She kindly asked, disturbing the silence. All sets of eyes turned to her, each seemed as clueless as the last as to what she had said. Silence ensued once more, however, this time was not just a little awkward, it was positively suffocating.
"Me?" Italy pointed to himself and the doctor looked back down to Ludwig's arm, finishing up his masterpiece. The nurse nodded, smiling sweetly to him. "Ah! Is there pasta here?!"
"Italy, it's hospidal foot, I doubd-"
"Of course." The nurse answered through Germany's pessimism.
"Really!?" Italy's stomach growled, he really hadn't eaten since… Well, noon probably. The nurse nodded and opened the door, waiting for Italy to stand up and follow. He cheered and stood, but as he started for the door he stopped and looked at Germany. The blonde merely waved his hand in an 'it's alright' motion, not saying anything. Considering what kind of man Italy was, and by the eyes the nurse was giving him, he knew she was going to be flirting with him… Most likely Italy was going to be flirting back… Germany wasn't totally sure if it was the useless frivolity of it all or if it annoyed him because… Because… His mind hit a blank, brick wall. He couldn't finish the sentence. It annoyed him more than the blood on the floor, the drying blood on his arm or even the flirting itself.
"Goh on, I'll be fine. I'm provably going back to schleep vhen he's done." Germany built up a barely discernible smile.
"Okay. Good night! Again!" Italy merrily told him before leaning down and pecking him on the cheek.
"Noh yelling, my het is killing me." Was Germany's only response as he worked his hardest to keep from becoming awkward with the two medical staff around.
"Oh." Italy lowered his voice to a whisper. "Sorry. Good night." He kissed the side of Germany's face again right before leaving the room with the nurse.
---
"Does he hit ya often?" The room was dark, the main lights operated by key rather than a normal light switch, the only light that was on was the emergency light above the door to the kitchen. A little light was from the street as the few windows in the room allowed the orangey glow in. Italy looked up from the bowl of spaghetti the nurse had given him to the worried woman. The question was certainly of a personal matter but Italy knew he could tell her. He chewed and swallowed the rest of the pasta hanging from his mouth before answering.
"No, not really. But, he's been stressed. Especially after Berlin and all the other cities today…" Italy frowned and let his fork sit in the pile of noodles and sauce, thinking about the people who died that day, the nurse's eyebrow rose, confused.
"What?"
"How do you not know?" Italy close to whined at her. "The only thing that has been on the news or will be is the-"
"No, I'm sorry, I mean… What do the terrorist attacks have t'do with him specifically?" Italy stared blankly at her for a few moments. He had yet to ever hear a human ask that before, not one over the age of ten anyway.
"You're American, right?" He made a blind guess by her close to southern drawl English. The nurse nodded, still very confused.
"Yes, why?"
"You've never seen Germany before then, have you?"
"I live here, I've seen it." She now seemed nearly offended, as if giving Italy her food was a bad idea.
"No! No!" He flailed his arms and held up his hands in a placating motion to calm her down. "That's not what I meant. I meant you have never seen Germany personally before. You've probably seen America a few times though." Recognition jumped to her face and she suddenly understood why the doctor had been so edgy earlier.
"I see… Does that mean that you really are Italy? It's not just a nickname?" Feliciano enthusiastically nodded, wolfing down more pasta. "Were there other nations here waiting t'see him earlier? The three in the waiting room?" He nodded vigorously again as more pasta became one with his stomach.
"Prussia, Austria and Japan!" Italy said counting them off on his fingers.
"What's your real name? They all had them I remember." She was genuinely intrigued, back in America very few people actually knew what their nation's embodiment's name was. She remembered that awhile ago she thought they didn't have human names, they weren't supposed to be human after all.
"Feliciano!"
"Okay Feliciano, what if I told ya I didn't believe that ya are the embodiment of your country?" She crossed her legs watching him over the table. Italy seemed confused for a moment, not totally comprehending the meaning of her question..
"I'd ask you why you think that way."
"You're human. In every way that I see."
"Actually… I'm not sure what we can be called other than nations. When our country is hurt… We become hurt too."
"Are you sure he didn't just do it to himself? Sure the others didn't do it to themselves?"
"I have experienced it… Do not say that when you cannot even comprehend the fear. I nearly died a couple months ago, my brother too." He didn't sound so cheery anymore, he sounded terrified and sad. His face… It was enough to make the nurse wish she had never asked him her question to begin with. Whether or not she believed it didn't matter. This was a point of true fear to the man. "Things happen to us that I wish didn't, but at the same time, we can do things other's can't. Like, Miss Hungary for example, she can pull this frying pan out of nowhere. Prussia has this bird that's been alive for over twenty years just because it's with him, it hasn't gotten any bigger from when he initially found it either. Some of us that keep pets… They're all the same, they never age… They seem to be afflicted by the same thing that we are. Except," The now merry brunette laughed slightly. "they don't really have the same abilities as us, Hungary is a special case since she can pull her frying pan from nowhere wherever she is, the rest of us have to be within… Ourselves, I guess, in order to pull something from nowhere. We are also very strong… We can kill a human without even trying, people like Prussia, he doesn't like humans… He's often mean to them…" Now the Italian seemed glum once again. "I love humans though." He smiled cheerily to her again, the fear and sadness wiped off his face as if it had never been there.
"Were you ever human?" She wasn't totally sure upon whether or not she should continue this conversation. He seemed very not right in the head.
"If I ever was, I can't remember. Many of us are so old that…"
"Old? You can't be a day over twenty." Italy smiled to himself.
"Thank you for saying so, you look great too!"
The nurse giggled at the seemingly meaningless compliment. "You know, I'm still pretty sure you're all insane. But you're cute." Italy's smile widened to a grin in his general flirty way. "So, if you were on the verge of death not so long ago, why do you look so healthy now?"
"I merged with Germany. If you don't know that means that we are married. But you already knew we were."
"So you're North Italy. I heard the people of South Italy aren't really in favor of this, your country is now divided." Feliciano finished off his pasta and swallowed, frowning and nodding at the same time.
"My brother, Italia Romano, Southern Italy, was really not happy about it…" And the small man was frowning again.
"What's it like being married t'him?" Having immediately found this a sore point, the nurse decided to skip to a new topic.
"To Germany?" Italy shrugged, a smile on his face again. "He's my best friend. I practically lived with him already… Before the war happened that is…" Now the nurse was very confused.
"So, wait, ya two are married for political reasons strictly?" She felt that if she had been asking anyone else other than the mentally unsound man who thought he was a country that she would not be able to get away with asking all these questions. Most likely she was very correct.
"Yes." Italy answered, she smirked to herself then. He wasn't a patient, his husband was and they didn't have a sexual relationship… She slipped her hand onto Feliciano's knee from underneath the small table. "Uhm, what are you doing?" He asked as her hand softly gripped his knee, she merely beckoned him closer with a finger. He leaned in with a mellow smile to hear what she had to say.
"Whaddaya say?" She whispered into his ear. Italy's face was blank, this woman said a lot that confused him… It wasn't her accent that made her so confusing neither.
"What do I say to what?" Was his clueless reply. The brown-haired woman sighed, half chuckling and pressed her cheek against his as she whispered again.
"I bet ya haven't had anythang since y'got married."
"Had what? I've had plenty of food, rest, I have had the bad luck of getting hit in the head, but that's all."
No wonder he thinks he's a country… Was this man really this stupid or was he just playing at it? She didn't really think he was that dumb, he was slightly insane maybe, not dumb. "Let me spell it out for ya." Was her sensual whisper into Italy's ear as she bit down on its lobe. It was five-thirty, the pasta had been her unfinished dinner, no one was in the abandoned cafeteria. "S-E-X."
Oh. Italy's mind echoed within it's confines, she wanted to… No! No, no, no, no! He jumped up from his chair, tripping backwards over it, the chair coming down with him in the end.
"Ow!" The nurse scrambled up to his side to help him up and to make sure the hit to the back of his head wasn't bleeding. "I'm sorry, but I can't." Italy said as she leaned down to inspect him.
"No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have even asked. It doesn't look like you're bleeding and you're still conscious so you should be fine." She grasped Italy's hand and helped him to his feet. He wobbled a little bit but was otherwise good to go.
"Again, I'm very sorry. But, I just met you." And I don't want to kill you… The nurse simply smiled at him, but the smile was quickly interrupted as something seemed to catch her eye. Suddenly she shoved him out of the way as something black came out of his peripheral vision, whacking her in the temple. Italy didn't have a chance to scream as she fell to the floor limp, the attacker was on him now. Italy turned and ran, not getting very far as he tripped over the fallen chair, twisting his ankle and landing oddly on his wrist after contacting the tiled floor. He scrambled and squealed, attempting to disentangle himself from the chair, he wasn't fast enough though… The last thing he truly remembered was a muttering and a strike to the back of his head.
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Notes:
Hey this chapter doesn't have anything other than English in it XD. It's got one, I think and it's explained in an earlier chapter. You people who thought I couldn't do it, ha ha!
P.S. If anyone wants updates to come faster all you have to do is comment ;) constructive criticism is always welcome btw.
Well that's all I have to say once again.
Edit
Accents fixed, expanded, minor cleaning.
