On their last day Italy decided to have a party for them. Germany had vehemently refused to attend such a gathering, but Belle wanted to go. In the end he decided to stay in his room and let the two of them go alone.

It wasn't long before he remembered his promise to watch over her and, with a sigh in wonderment at his own stupidity, got dressed and headed to the park where they would be at that moment. He wondered if his brain did these things on purpose just to torment him.

Italy had arranged an enormous dance with live music and fireworks, something way too elaborate and flashy in Germany's opinion. The full buffet was still sending out platter after platter of Italian food and there was even a punch fountain. The whole spectacle was so bizarre and over-the-top he wondered if he would ever find the two of them.

Belle, on the other hand, had been extremely nervous when she saw the scale of the party he had thrown for her. Italy acted like it was no big deal and ran around like a kid in a candy store, taking Belle to all the attractions and food stations he had set up across the massive park. When they had finally settled on the dance floor Belle felt as though every single one of her senses had been overloaded, but she was having more fun than she had in a long time. Her work was great and immersive, but every now and then it was nice to just unwind and enjoy being alive. So she accepted Italy's offer to dance and began gliding around with him as he taught her several cultural dances.

When the music changed to a slow song Germany looked out over the dancers, his eyes falling on Italy and Belle. The sight made him stop, little green goblins appearing in his head before he could do anything about it. They weren't even being romantic, even Germany could tell that much. It looked like they were talking, less focused on the actual dancing and more focused on their conversation.

Germany had never been the jealous type. He had everything he needed when he needed it and he never had any luxuries because they were a waste of time. His boss and job kept him busy and he was ok with that, but at that moment he felt absolutely torn and uncharacteristically upset over this. He was so lost in thought he hadn't even realized he'd wandered through the crowd of dancers to her side, cutting in without a word. He could have sworn he saw Italy smirk.

Snapping back to reality he realized he was standing completely still in the middle of a crowd of dancers, one of his hands on Belle's waist and the other holding her opposite hand in preparation to dance. He felt a wave of embarrassment nearly smother him.

He didn't know how to dance.

"Um…Germany…"

Her voice brought his wide eyes to hers. He must have been a sight, face red as a beet standing tensed up like a statue. Belle was too busy looking at him in disbelief to say anything at first but she had finally collected her bearings.

"What made you decide to show up?"

He sucked in a deep breath and, for the first time in his existence, threw the rules out the window readily as he locked eyes with hers. He suddenly didn't mind what he was doing was against them and frankly he liked this new freedom. Though, it would have been nicer if he wasn't so awkward.

"Uh, my promise, er, the promise I made, I mean, the one I England, that one. That promise. That one."

He was babbling, not entirely sure how to justify his sudden intrusion.

"Do you want to dance?"

He tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry. He couldn't remember the last time he was this nervous.

"Yes, no, I mean yes but I don't really…I mean, I don't usually…I haven't danced in a long time."

Belle just smiled, getting his point even as he shifted nervously.

"Just follow me then."

Germany tried, concentrating on her feet as they moved. By the end of the dance her toes where red and throbbing from being stepped on so much, but she didn't complain. He looked happy and that made her happy too. Germany felt different. It was as though he had discovered something so new and unknown, something the rules had kept from him and he felt himself unwinding like a tightly coiled wire. He couldn't get the giant grin off of his face as he took her arm gently and sat on a bench with her, talking enthusiastically for the remainder of the night.