I can't believe I went more than an entire month without updating. I'm so sorry.
But honestly, if I thought the first year of uni was a lot of work...
Second year is worse. Much worse. And by god, exams in two weeks... sigh.

Thanks for reading and reviewing so far! You're still awesome. Always will be.

As I warned in the previous chapter, or mentioned more like it, I went for a nice little time-skip in this chapter to make the writing process a little easier.
And I only just remembered, I'm also supposed to post that little extra chapter about Bavaria's death. So that will be posted along with this chapter.

I hope you'll enjoy this one!

Being with Larissa hadn't been this uncomfortable since the first time Gilbert had revealed his past as a nation to her.
Before a week had passed, the two had decided they should talk about their latest problems. In fact, it had been Larissa who had taken the initiative, which had taken Gilbert by surprise. Of all the things Larissa was, she wasn't very quick to confront things like these. It had taken her months to seek contact again after the whole nation-thing. Any other time that an uncomfortable conversation was needed, it had been Gilbert who had voiced this first. Right now he just supposed it boded well for him that she was so quick to come to this decision.
Still, sitting in one room now, face-to-face, the tension felt higher than he had anticipated. He waited for a moment, hoping to see if Larissa would initiate the conversation now, too, as she had this meeting. She didn't.
"So," the ex-nation eventually said with a sigh. "Where do you want to start?"
This got the woman talking. Or rather, it didn't leave her any other choice. She fidgeted for a moment, gaze downcast, then looked up at Gilbert instead. "By apologising," she said, a slight shiver in her voice betraying her anxiety over that. "I didn't know that Ludwig was unaware of… you know. I truly did not. But I just… I needed to talk to someone about it. I hope you understand that, at least."
Gilbert nodded. "I do. Trust me, I didn't speak to anyone about it for thirty-odd years myself, and it nearly drove me mad. When Holy Rome figured it out and confronted me about it, I felt like I just wanted to curl up and die from shame. But in the end… Although I didn't like to do so, having someone to talk to about this was a good thing. So yes, I completely understand." He paused for a moment before adding more quietly: "And I suppose I don't blame you for thinking Ludwig was the right person for that."
Larissa blinked and averted her gaze once more. "It surprised me a great deal that you had never told him. I guess I was frustrated over it, too, besides still being confused and angry over what you'd told me in the first place. I know I should have stopped the moment I realised Ludwig had no clue what I was talking about, but I didn't. And for that, I'm sorry."
Gilbert already felt better just hearing her admit her mistake, considering she seemed to find that difficult in any situation. But before he could say anything, she went on: "Actually, that even Ludwig didn't know about it meant a great deal to me. Once the frustration subsided, I mean." She looked up again and met his red gaze directly. "It proved to me that you were serious when you said you'd never told anyone like that. And… I think that gave me an idea how much it meant to you."
Gilbert shrugged, not sure what to say to that. "I'm just sorry that I told you in the first place," he sighed. "I don't think there was really any need to, in hindsight, and I doubt it was something you wanted to hear. So… Sorry about that."
But Larissa shook her head, to his confusion. "No, don't be," she told him, her voice steadier now. "You didn't need to tell me, that's true. If you hadn't, I would likely never have found out, just like Ludwig. You could have kept quiet about it if you wanted to, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you did prefer not talking about it. But you did. Because you felt it was better to be honest about it." She paused briefly, taking a deep breath. "It was all the proof I actually needed of what I then demanded of you: that you are, despite your mistakes, a good person. Because for all your flaws, which are only natural to have, you truly are an honest person. So when I asked for proof that you wouldn't be like you used to be anymore, and you told me that you would do whatever you could to make up for past mistakes… I should have known that you were sincere when you said that. Just hearing you say that should have been enough for me, simply because you wouldn't lie to me. I know you wouldn't. So don't apologise. In this, you have nothing to apologise for. Not to me." Finally she managed a smile as she concluded: "I believe in you, Gil." Then, after a second's hesitation: "Prussia."
For a moment, the albino was dumbstruck. Overjoyed that Larissa admitted that she, too, was capable of mistakes, happy to know that she wouldn't hold it against him that he had told her about this, or that he hadn't told Germany for that matter, but his mind came to a halt when he heard his old name from her lips. She had said it before, of course. Several times she had spoken the word 'Prussia', but never had she addressed him as such. Truth be told, he hadn't expected anyone to ever do so again, save for Brandenburg and Holy Rome and a few of his other family members. He wasn't sure why, but the sheer unexpectedness of it robbed him of his breath and all ability to speak.
It wasn't until a solid ten silent seconds had passed, if not more, before he rediscovered his voice, although it was wavering and uncertain. "I… I don't go by that name anymore…" he tried to remind her, still unsure as to why she had even decided to call him Prussia.
Larissa gave a short nod, her smile getting an almost apologetic look to it. "I know," she answered softly, her voice also shaky now that she saw that her gesture wasn't immediately understood. "It's just… Well…" She stammered a bit as she seemed to desperately search for the right words. "I won't call you that again if you don't want me to, but what I meant was…"
After a brief pause, having trailed off there, Larissa took a deep breath and tried again: "I know that I've said before that I accepted who and what you were. That I was completely fine with your past and the implications of your having been a nation. But I realise now that it was a lie. Not an intentional one, as I simply had no idea what it truly meant, but it was a lie nonetheless. And, truth be told, I still don't fully comprehend what eight centuries of life can be like, what it can do to a person or what it means for that person to have lived so long and experienced so much. I don't think I even can. So I will stop trying to understand, and instead just accept it as is. As I should have done from the beginning."
Gilbert's rapidly beating heart slowed down to a more relaxed rhythm now that he began to understand what she meant.
"I know from your stories," the young woman went on, her voice strong now, conviction in every syllable she spoke. "I know from your journals and my own common sense that you have lived through horrible events, times that gave a man - especially in your position - no other choice but to live the life of a soldier and everything that entails. I know that countless people have died by your hand. I also know that countless have been saved by you, both through your actions on the battlefield, in the infirmary, more than likely even through political decisions you've made. I understand that that is a nation's life, even if I do not fully understand all the implications." She reached out now, placed her hand on his and firmly clasped her fingers around his wrist as she gazed straight into his eyes. "I'm not a psychologist, but even I have some basic understanding that a mind - be it a human's or a nation's - can only withstand so much before something goes awry. So yeah, maybe you've made your mistakes, like any person would, and maybe they were more impactful than the average human's. But who am I to judge you for that, if I can't even comprehend what your life has truly been like, no matter how much I hear or read about it? Instead of judging you for things you did hundreds of years ago, why don't I look at the person you are now, see how far you've come since then? Rather than being angry over something that happened literally centuries before I was born, that has nothing to do with me in any way and never will, I should appreciate how much you've clearly changed for the better."
Gilbert smiled warmly, his mind reeling with happiness over this. Those words mended everything that had happened and more. He wasn't sure what to say, except an expression of his gratitude, and he parted his lips to do just that.
Except Larissa didn't even give him the chance to utter a single sound. She wasn't finished yet, and she wouldn't tolerate being interrupted before she had said exactly what she had to tell him.
"So when I called you Prussia," she said conclusively, "that was me finally acknowledging and accepting who you are. All of who you are. Maybe you don't go by those names anymore, but yes, you are Prussia and you are East Germany and you are Gilbert. So I cannot just love one and despise the other. I will not." She paused for only a moment, then added warmly: "I meant it when I said I love you, and nothing you have done in the past should ever change that, nor will it."
Once more, the ex-nation was rendered speechless for a considerable time. He couldn't stop himself from smiling if he tried, his heart feeling like it was about to burst in gratitude and happiness. "Quite a monologue you had there," he managed eventually, unable to hold back a shiver of laughter. Then, his voice steady again: "I love you too."
Strangely, he couldn't remember if he'd ever said that to her before quite the way he did now. Whether he had or not, this time at least he was utterly convinced of his own words. He did love her, utterly and completely, and more than ever since the moment they'd entered this relationship, he was certain the feeling was mutual.
He twisted his hand, where she was still holding on to his wrist, so that, after gently dislodging her grasp with that motion, their hands were clasped together. "Maybe I don't understand a human's perspective in this as well as I think I do," he admitted then. "Maybe it's as impossible for me to understand your point of view entirely as you say it is for you to understand mine. But maybe that's exactly what makes it all the more worthwhile." With a wide, warm smile, he concluded: "If we manage to overcome that, then I doubt there's much else that could possibly go wrong. So if having you by my side is the price, then I will gladly accept that challenge."
Larissa's only answer to that was a kiss.

Gilbert took a deep breath, forced his heart to calm, then stepped out of the car after his brother. It was the year 1997, more than a year after his research had been approved of, seven months after he had received his Bachelor's Degree, and five months after he had begun his final project before Nation Biology would be fully accepted. Like Adam, now his co-worker, had predicted two years ago, Gilbert was expected to instruct others in the basics of Nation Biology at the very least, besides continuing his research alongside his friend and delving deeper into it than ever before. Hence him being in New York with Germany, while the UN gathered together once again. While of course the medical staff here were faced with first-aid tasks more than anything else, at a place where so many nations gathered together for a certain period of time, it would be good for them to know at least some of the most significant differences between humans and nations.
Looking at all the nations, though, he wasn't surprised to feel sick with nerves. "I never expected to be back here again," he mumbled to no one in particular. Germany's only response was a hum, so the albino stifled an anxious sigh. "How many do you think will recognise me?"
"You haven't changed that much," Germany said in response, shaking his head in amusement. "Given, you look a little older and, admittedly, a bit more nerdy than most would remember you, but you're far from unrecognisable."
It was Gilbert's turn to hum, though in this case in annoyance. "Explain to me how I look 'nerdy', please."
Germany just chuckled. "Well, for one, many nations would know you best with a sword in your hand, instead of a briefcase stuffed full of scientific papers."
Gilbert could do no else than shrug at this; it was true, after all. After this little exchange, he silently followed Germany past the nations who were still waiting outside and went into the building. Not much had changed since he had last been there seven years prior, which came as a relief. At least he didn't have to worry about getting lost, although he had already seriously doubted that he would.
Truth be told, part of him didn't like that everything here was so familiar; he was afraid the familiarity of it all might end up being more painful than pleasant.
Seeing all the nations certainly made it feel like old times. He'd been here once since he had lost his status as a nation. Once, seven years ago. It was funny how that seemed like a long time now; there had been times in his life when seven years had felt as insignificant as a few months in comparison to what these had been like.
"Well, I'll be damned."
Gilbert immediately recognised the voice, and he wasn't sure how to feel about it just yet. But when he turned around and saw the mischievous grin with which Poland regarded him, any nerves he might have had faded swiftly. "And here I thought I'd never have to look at your ugly mug again," the Polish man said. Although his words were far from kind and clearly not intended to be polite, either, all malice that might have been in them once was now absent. Their time together in the Eastern Block had certainly changed their rocky relationship for the better, even if it would never be good.
"Likewise," Gilbert answered calmly. "Though you won't have to look at it long; I won't be joining the meetings."
Poland looked confused, and the ex-nation couldn't blame him. "Then why are you here?"
Gilbert shrugged. "I take it you've heard of the work I've been doing? I'll be instructing some people in how to give proper medical care to nations instead of treating them like humans, should the need ever arise. No need to thank me."
"Oh, don't worry, I won't," Poland joked. Well, that is, Gilbert was close to certain that it was a joke, but not entirely. The nation nodded to somewhere behind Gilbert. "But I know someone who might."
Gilbert glanced over his shoulder and almost immediately spotted the person Poland was referring to; England was about as pale as snow and his step was as unstable as that of a drunkard's.
Meanwhile, Poland went on talking. "You should have seen the five of them at the EU earlier this year," he said, adding an angry huff. "Dead on their feet, all of them. Actually slept through half the meeting. No, seriously. They say they're in the middle of peace negotiations, but at this rate, I doubt they will even live to see the end of those. I feel bad for them that they even still have to come here."
Gilbert recalled the state Northern Ireland had been in two years ago. England looked much worse now. He guessed Ireland was no better off, and the old Republic would probably also be here, along with one more of their family; when it was the EU, usually everyone in the British-Irish family attended, but the United Kingdom normally sent two of their four nations as representatives to the UN, and Ireland, being separate from them, always came, too.
"Thanks for pointing that out to me," the ex-nation said. "I'll certainly see if there's something I can do."
Poland shrugged and looked eager to be on his way again. "Hey, don't mention it. I might not be a fan of you, but I don't hate everyone. Now if you don't mind, I actually have work to do here." And with no more than that, he was off.
From the corner of his eye, Gilbert noticed Germany, who had gone on ahead for a moment, came back to join his brother. "You know, I still can't believe my eyes every time I see you and Poland talk without verbal or even physical fights. I never thought that would be possible."
Gilbert hummed his agreement. "Every single time, there's one moment where I seriously believe I'm dreaming." Then he turned back to look at England, who had tottered a little further now. "So how much do they still do at these meetings?"
Germany followed his gaze and sighed shortly after. "Back at the EU, barely anything. I don't expect they will do anything here, either. But I can't blame them." He gave a quick shrug. "I doubt there's anyone who expects them to work this week, really."
Gilbert was still pondering that and whether or not to do something about the situation when a weight slammed into his back hard. Arms were wrapped around his chest from behind and held him tightly.
"Gilbert! It's been so long!"
The albino instantly recognised the voice and smiled. "Hey, Veneziano." He wriggled free and turned around to give his old friend a proper hug. "It certainly has. How are you?"
The Italian was beaming at the younger man. "Oh, not bad. Not at all. But how about you? What are you doing here?"
The ex-nation didn't even have a chance to answer before more nations came their way, now also having noticed the unexpected guest. America was among the first to reach them.
"Is that freakin' Prussia? No, sorry... Gilbert, was it?" Unlike Italy Veneziano, the American seemed stunned more than anything. "Dude, I thought you said you'd never be here again!"
Canada followed his brother, probably out of pure curiosity, and only said a quick and confused greeting to the albino rather than asking the same question everyone else did, for Romania also showed up, inquiring about the exact same thing.
A little overwhelmed by all the sudden attention, Gilbert grinned and shrugged. "I'm just here to make sure the medical team around here knows what to do with you guys, should the need ever arise," he explained honestly.
It was Canada who commented on this first. "Oh, right! I heard something about that. Haven't you been researching nations the past years?"
The ex-nation nodded and was about to say more on the subject when America burst out another question, smiling wide. "So how's mortal life treating you? Aside from, you know… aging you a bit." He hummed for a moment, his smile fading into a very brief grimace. "I remember you looking closer to my age than Ireland's. Guess that's in the past now, huh?"
At this comment, Gilbert couldn't help but sigh, though out of amusement more than anything else. "I suppose so. But cut me some slack here, I'm only twenty-seven. I know that for nations that's roughly the top range of biological age, but for humans it's still plenty young." With another shrug, he added: "As for how my life has been, I can honestly say the past years have been great. Mortality isn't so bad, if you actually get to enjoy it."
"Is it really so different from being a nation, though?" Romania asked, looking a bit sceptical on that. "I mean… Aside from the immortality, surely we're not that different from humans?"
I used to think that, too, until I experienced both worlds, Gilbert thought fondly as he shook his head. "Basically, I have much more time for myself. That is, humans have far more freedom to make their own choices. Nations work closely with their government from basically the moment they're born, and it's not at all bad, but you seriously don't realise how much more freedom you could have until you're released from that."
Veneziano chuckled for a moment. "Sounds like you enjoy it. Careful there, we might all want to become mortal if you make it sound too good."
Germany hummed in response to this. "Speak for yourself. I think I first want to try and reach the age of, say, five hundred before I think about maybe wanting to try mortality."
The Italian rolled his eyes at this, still smiling, and looked back at Gilbert. "So… Can I visit sometime soon? I'd like to see your new place."
America's eyes widened at this. "New… place? What's that supposed to mean?"
Gilbert wasn't completely sure why, but talking to nations felt a lot better than he had thought. When Poland had first talked to him, he had felt a little nervous. Veneziano had been a welcome distraction, but all the others who joined soon after was a bit too much. Or so he'd thought. It was actually really nice just to see them, and he was actually still not entirely over the fact that they seemed genuinely interested in how he was doing.
Being able to share some of his news was something he really looked forward to, now that he was asked about it. "I moved out of Ludwig's basement just over three months ago," he declared proudly, his grin plastered on his face now. "Was about time, too."
By now, Romania looked more than confused. "But… But you spent all those years in Russia wanting to go back to him," he reminded the ex-nation who had been one of his many roommates until a decade or so ago. He had been there through nearly all of Gilbert's outbursts of how much he wanted to leave that place, go to West-Berlin and be reunited with his younger brother. "Decades. I've had to sit through decades of you whining about that - with reason, I'll admit - and now, not even eight years after you finally got that, you leave? Of your own volition?"
"Pretty much, yes."
"…I meant why."
Gilbert shrugged. Could he really not imagine why? "I needed more space for my research materials. I also kind of needed more space for my girlfriend. Fiancée, actually."
The looks of shock that passed over everyone's faces, with the exception for Germany's and Veneziano's, of course, was absolutely priceless. He had more or less intended for that to happen, but to succeed in it was just great.
"Dude, you lost me," America said after a little while, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull. "You mean you… You're… You really are… You…"
Gilbert couldn't help but laugh at his pitiful attempts to speak. "I think the word you're looking for is 'engaged', and yes, I am. Have been for almost four months."
Veneziano butted in now, seemingly too excited to keep quiet now that the news was out anyway. "I've met her before, and Larissa is a really nice person! Very straightforward and sarcastic, maybe a bit too much so sometimes, but very kind, too. She and Gil go really well together."
That was almost enough to make Gilbert blush. Almost. He managed to do no more than look down in embarassment for a second or two before recovering his earlier grin. "So yes, all in all, I guess I can say that mortal life is treating me better than immortality ever has."
With a sudden jolt he remembered why he was there in the first place, and quickly excused himself. "I do have somewhere to be, though. And so do all of you, mind you. I guess I should try to find out where exactly I'm headed before I manage to not be there on time. What a great impression that would make," he added in a mutter to himself. He didn't even want to imagine the reactions he would get if he showed up too late for something like this.
"Sure, but don't think I'm letting you off that easily, dude," America told him with a smirk. "Clearly there's far too much to catch up on, so you can expect me to bother you again later."
Italy nodded and smiled. "It's been a few months. I'd like a chance to talk more, too." The way he said the second bit told Gilbert that the Italian was actually more peeved about the sudden intervention of America and the others than he let on. Not surprisingly: whereas Gilbert counted America at least among his closer acquaintances and Romania as the former roommate he was, Italy Veneziano was actually one of his friends, and their first chance to talk in months had just been rudely interrupted.
"I think the medical team has offices over that way," Canada added helpfully, pointing to a corridor to the far right. "Good luck."
With a final smile and a thanks, followed by a quick 'see you later' to his younger brother, the ex-nation took off.

As he walked down the corridor he had been directed in by Canada, glancing at every door he passed for any indication that he was heading the right way, Gilbert was almost dizzy with how his mind reeled. A lot had happened the past year, and it was sometimes all too easy to forget just how much that was until he summed it up like he just had. Not long after his graduation, he had officially partnered up with Adam to conduct what was now their research, while Benjamin went on to get his Master's Degree. Adam had proved to be a reliable co-worker, always willing to take some of Gilbert's workload when the ex-nation once again overestimated himself. And with all the other things going on in his life around the same time, that occurred frequently.
The small desk he'd had in his bedroom in Germany's basement had been an inadequate workspace for some time by then, and after long debate with himself he had finally talked to his younger brother about possibly moving out. He had believed Germany would have some reservations about that, for the exact reason Romania had pointed out earlier, but the nation had been completely fine with it.
"Honestly, I'm surprised it took you so long to come to that decision," he'd said to his brother, his expression kind but at the same time telling the older man what a fool he could sometimes be. "I know that it would mean we wouldn't see each other quite as often, but I would much rather know that you had your own place to live out your life as you please - whilst being able to visit anytime, too, of course - than to have you basically waste away in my basement for the sake of staying with me."
So, in the final months before his graduation, Gilbert had begun searching for his own house. Well, his and Larissa's, that is. She, too, had decided it was about time she moved out of the small apartment she had lived in as a student, and more than two years down the line, they had both decided that they had long since reached the point in their relationship where it was only logical for them to live together.
By the time they had a place, a small, two-bedroom house with an extra room that they used as office space and a cosy little garden, Gilbert had just graduated a little while earlier. By the time they officially moved in, they were already engaged.
That was actually quite the anecdote. They had been busy painting the walls of their new living room, with help from Larissa's father and brother, when that more or less became a thing. Neither of them really proposed to the other. Rather, it had been the calm conclusion that followed from the conversation they were having at the time. If only Gilbert could remember exactly how it had started; he had been far too busy trying not to let the paint splatter his face too much to keep track of his exact words, or anyone else's for that matter. But then, maybe it was the gaps in the story that made it all the funnier. He wasn't quite sure. The first he remembered was that Larissa reminded him, laughing fondly, of what he'd told her a few years earlier: that he would marry her in a heartbeat if he could.
Gilbert, painfully aware of his now-future in-laws immediately being distracted from their sections of the wall, laughed sheepishly. "Well, I didn't lie," he told her as he had told her back then. "But I stick by what I said: it would have been far too early for something of the likes."
Larissa nodded, smiling warmly at the memories. "Absolutely. Especially with everything that happened after that, I'm glad we've given it the time it needed."
Unable to disagree with that logic, Gilbert let out a soft sigh. For a moment, it looked like that would be the end of it. But then the ex-nation added casually: "I still would, you know."
"What?"
"I'd still marry you in a heartbeat. That hasn't changed. Well, not for the worse, anyway."
This brought a smile to Larissa's face as she said: "Yeah… Well, me too."
By then, Hans and Gerard had stopped working entirely, watching their sister and daughter and her lover in stunned silence as they kept on talking.
"Would it still be too early for that, you think?" Gilbert inquired right before grunting in annoyance as paint splatters hit his glasses. He put down his roller and tried to clean it off, finding it more difficult than expected.
Larissa, meanwhile, shrugged. "I don't know. We've been together for over two years now. And considering we've shared the same opinion regarding this for the majority of those two years, I suppose not?"
"Fair point." Finally, he managed to get that last smear off. Tenacious stuff.
As Gilbert bent down to pick up his roller and continue working, Larissa asked: "Do you think we should?"
"Should? Nah." Gilbert shrugged as he went back to painting the wall. This section was nearly finished. "Could? Definitely. Things like that are a choice, not an obligation. At least nowadays it's like that. Not all that long ago it might not have been."
Larissa burst out laughing at this, and kept that up for a solid half minute before choking out that at least there were some choices easier than what colour to paint a wall, which, in their case, had taken them a good week to decide. Sniggering at this revelation of hers, Gilbert voiced his agreement.
It was then that Larissa's father Hans butted in. "Might I ask what just happened here?" He sounded confused, mildly agitated and extremely curious.
Larissa and Gilbert exchanged a look, each silently asking the other that very same question. And almost simultaneously it began to dawn on them. Larissa went beetroot-red while Gilbert stammered helplessly and looked every which way but at her father or brother, who were staring at them both in almost intimidating silence.
"I, uh, well, I think…" he began, stumbling over his words as he tried to make sense of the situation himself and failed miserably.
Larissa helped out in a tiny voice after listening to his pitiful attempts to speak for about a minute. "I think we just decided we're getting married, dear."
Laughing sheepishly, Gilbert just about managed to not splutter his response as feebly as his attempts at speaking earlier. "Really? When did that happen?"
"If I had to guess," Larissa replied in that same tiny, nervous voice, "I'd say sometime over the past five minutes."
It took Gilbert a moment or two to realise she was right, but then he nodded a little absent-mindedly. "Huh. Well, what do you know. Okay. I'm okay with that."
"Same here."
Gerard sighed in exasperation. "Why couldn't my sister find someone just a little more normal than herself?"
"Because, before she could, she found the most amazing kinda-human-ex-nation in the entire world and decided to go for that instead," Larissa answered her brother teasingly, even going so far as to stick her tongue out at him when he looked at her with raised eyebrows.
Meanwhile, Hans had plopped himself down on one of the two only chairs in the otherwise still bare room, looking overwhelmed. Wide eyed, he sat hunched over, rubbing his forehead as if he was suddenly hit with a headache. "My little girl is getting married," he said to himself, dull with shock. With a sound that could have been a laugh as well as a whimper, he added: "And he's not even human."
With a deep sigh, Gilbert planted himself on the chair next to him, feeling much the same as far as confusion went. The situation was starting to sink in now, and he could barely comprehend it himself. Honestly he couldn't blame his future father in-law (what a terrifying yet amazing thought that was) for reacting this way. "And here I always claimed I'd never get married again…" he mused to himself, recalling all the instances he had treated the concept of marriage as one of the worst things in the world after he'd lost Brandenburg. "Wow. I must be the first of my kind to marry a human. Although, technically, I suppose I'm one of those, too, so…"
Beside him, Hans shook his head. "You're over eight hundred years old, man," he rasped. "Say what you will, I don't think I'll ever be able to consider you human again." Glancing sideways at the ex-nation, he added almost doubtfully: "Not… that I would keep you from marrying my daughter… I think. Let me get back to you on that."
Gilbert could only hum and nod.
"See? See what you did there?" Gerard berated his sister, his own voice trembling in what Gilbert could only guess was an amount of confusion equal to his own. "You've got to start being more careful about how you word things, Larissa - you just broke dad and Gilbert!"
Larissa, staring straight ahead and standing very still, answered softly: "I think I broke myself…"

Needless to say, no one got much work done the rest of the day. Gerard had finished up the section of the wall Gilbert had been working on while his father, sister and soon-to-be brother in-law were all still desperately trying to grasp the situation. After that, he had silently put the paint and tools away and joined them in their collective state of shock. Telling her mother Magda, who at the time had been out to buy them all some lunch and returned shortly after, hadn't gone much better than that. Neither had informing Germany, who also dropped by while taking Berlitz for a long walk, just minutes after that.
At least now everyone had overcome their shock, and Gilbert could look back on that insane afternoon fondly. Planning the wedding was a slow process, as Larissa was often busy with her job as a translator at a publishing house in Berlin, and Gilbert had the same issue with his research. But they didn't mind; they were just as happy now as they would be if they were officially married, most likely. That probably wouldn't change anything; at least this time, Gilbert had already been head over heels for the woman he was to wed, unlike centuries ago when he was engaged to Brandenburg.
The only thing that might prove an issue was picking a date when not only their human friends and family could attend, but also some nations, who would have a harder time getting there; they would have to travel much farther than any humans, for one. Larissa's family lived in Germany, at least for the vast majority. In fact, her grandparents even lived in Berlin. She had some cousins, uncles and aunts spread through the rest of the country, although most of them in the East, where she and her parents had lived most of their lives, also. One cousin had moved to Denmark to marry a Danish woman, but they weren't even sure whether or not to invite the two of them: they still had yet to decide the scale of their wedding and thus how distant the relatives invited would even be.
But for Gilbert, there was no other option than to have Germany, Austria, Hungary, Scotland and preferably his three cousins in the Benelux attend. The two Italies, France and Spain, too, if possible.

His mind was so abuzz with all this, now that he'd been reminded of it in his conversation with the nations earlier, that he hardly even noticed when he walked straight past his destination. He immediately stopped in his tracks and spun around to go back the necessary five steps, hoping no one had noticed his little mishap. He took a deep breath, banished all distracting thoughts, no matter how pleasant, from his mind, then went inside.
There were five people already there, speaking softly to each other. They paused their conversation briefly when Gilbert came in to look at the newcomer, then seemed to realise who he was and decided to stop altogether. Two greeted him with no more than a respectful little nod, but one actually walked up to him to shake his hand.
"It's an honour to have the world's leading authority on Nation Biology here to teach us, sir," the woman, who Gilbert guessed was in her forties, said to him, a hint of awe in her voice. "I've read your publications so far; I never knew the differences between humans and nations could be so significant."
Taken aback by this, Gilbert tried to smile. "Well, if you've already read it all," he answered jokingly, or at least in an attempt to sound that way, "then I'm afraid there's not much else that I can teach you today. And I think I should be the one feeling honoured that people would take such an interest in my work."
The woman shook her head. "Oh, nonsense! You're the first person to research all this quite so extensively and publish articles about it - that in itself should be enough reason for people to take an interest in it."
"Madelyn, are you quite finish licking the man's heels?" a man behind her joked. He looked not much younger than this woman, Madelyn.
In response, Madelyn spun around to face him and huffed indignantly, hands on her hips. "Can't a woman take genuine interest in what is truly admirable work? Maybe you should try picking up a scientific publication once in a while, too." After that, though, she went away to take a seat.
Gilbert just took the opportunity to take his place behind the desk and get his papers in order, along with any other preparations he still had to make.
As he was doing so, more people gradually came into the room and also sat down, until there were twenty-two in all; Gilbert thought this whole set-up felt eerily similar to a classroom. Well, he was more or less about to give a lecture, anyway. Technically speaking, this was a classroom setting.
When no one else had come in for a solid five minutes and it was about time to start, Gilbert stood up and cleared his throat, immediately catching everyone's attention with that.
Pushing away his nerves, he addressed them all. "Is this everyone?" There was no response other than a few hums and nods. Good enough. He managed a smile, his nervously racing pulse gradually calming down. Maybe he could get used to this someday. "Well then. Shall we begin?"

So yeah. Gilbert is now officially spreading Nation Biology around the world. Got a new co-worker, his own house, a fiancée... Life is treating him well for a change. But then, that's the point of this story; after all I've done to this character for two entire books, he deserves some happiness now.

I'm well past the point where I will make promises about the next chapter, except that is will be there. Really, it will. I promise.
(I just hope you all haven't given up on me yet... It's just that real life takes priority)