Chapter 8: When in Rome

Germany drove around, eventually parking on a side street a couple blocks away from the colloseum. As he got out of the car, he reached in the backseat and grabbed his backpack. He pulled out his sunglasses and donned them, glad that there was a slight breeze in the air. Without it, the heat and humidity would have been stifling.

Italy scurried over to where he was, latching onto his arm and pulling Germany along with him. "Come on! We have to see everything!"

Germany fast-walked up beside Italy, not pulling his arm out of his grip as they walked. "The colosseum will still be there in the ten minutes it takes for us to get there."

Italy slowed down. "I suppose so... I'm just so excited! It's been so long since we've taken a vacation together!" His smile dimmed slightly. "I only wish Japan was here... that would be perfect."

"Hm." Germany pulled out his phone. It was a Wednesday. It was farfetched that Japan would get a day off, but Japan was similar to Germany in the way that he sparingly took vacations. Perhaps his boss would grace Japan with a day off in the middle of the week. "Perhaps he can come down tomorrow to spend the day with us." He sent Japan a text inviting him.

Italy gasped. "That's a great idea! We can all go down to Seborga's place tomorrow! I know he likes Japan."

Germany hummed. "Japan seems to make a lot of unlikely friends."

Italy laughed, leaning into Germany's arm. "You're right, but every introvert needs a couple extroverts to pull them around! Kind of like you and I!"

"In your case, literally pulling me."

The two lapsed into silence, enjoying their time together and the beautiful scenery around them. The sun's rays hit the windows of the shops, illuminating the people milling within. The two stopped every few minutes as Italy insisted on taking photos. Photos of trees, flowers, and shops. Finally, right outside the colosseum, Italy tightened his hold on Germany's arm.

"Germany, smile! I want to take a picture of us!"

Germany looked at the phone Italy had in his extended arm. "No."

Italy lowered the phone, looking dismayed. "What? Why?"

"I don't smile."

Italy released Germany's arm. "Of course you do! Maybe you don't realize it, but you do all the time! It's a lovely smile!"

"I still won't." Germany retorted, missing the touch.

Italy frowned. "Fine, I'll just keep bugging you until you do!"

"You forget that I have put up with you annoying me for the past 80 years." Germany replied, determinedly ignoring two passing ladies who gave him a double-take, muttering to each other.

Italy took his arm again, holding up the phone. "Fine then, Mr. Grumpy-Pants. Ruin my memories of vacation with your frowny face!"

"Excuse me," A girl's voice chimed in Italian before Germany could reply.

Germany glanced behind him.

A girl with jaw-length blonde hair wearing a sundress did an awkward half-jog-half-walk over to them. She looked to be in her mid-teens, her various brochures and translator book sticking out of her purse an obvious indicator to Germany that she was a foreigner.

Italy followed Germany's gaze. "Yes? Is there somethign I can do for you?"

"Uhh..." She pulled the pocket-sized translator book out of her purse, holding up a finger. "Un momento." She attempted.

Looking at her book, Germany noticed it was in English. "You speak English?"

The girl looked up, obviously relieved. "Oh, good! You speak English! Yeah, I am."

Germany noted her American accent.

Italy brightened. "Oh! That explains why you tried to speak to me in Spanish, I guess."

The girl had a visible blush on her ears. "Oh, yeah... sorry, someone I know is learning Italian and she said it was a lot like Spanish, so I just kind of hoped... sorry about that."

Italy smiled and waved his hand. "It's fine! Languages are hard. Was there something we could help you with?"

"Oh, yeah." The girl cleared her throat. "I saw you were trying to take a photo and I was wondering if you wanted me to take one for you guys. My girlfriend is pretty short, so I know how hard it is to take couples' photos when there's a height difference."

Germany felt his cheeks heat up as he pulled off his sunglasses. "You're mistaken. We're not a couple."

The blush on the girl's ears spread to her cheeks. "Oh, I'm sorry! I just saw you were holding his- it doesn't matter. I'm sorry." Her eyes widened with recognition. "Oh my God. You're Germany."

Germany was suddenly very aware of the fact that Italy was still holding onto his arm. He moved it out of his grip. "Er... yes."

"Then you must be Italy." The girl realized, moving her focus onto Italy as she turned to retreat. "I'm sorry I bothered you gu-"

"No, wait!" Italy said with a friendly smile, holding out his phone to her. "Could I actually take you up on that offer?"

Germany looked at the smaller nation, noticing that he was trying to calm her down. He suddenly felt slightly guilty about how he snapped. "Um... a photo would be nice."

The girl looked up at him, still blushing. "Uh, sure!" She stepped back.

Italy slung his arm around Germany's waist. Germany, trying not to look awkward, rested his on Italy's shoulders as he smiled stiffly.

There were a few seconds of silence as the girl snapped a few photos before coming and returning Italy his phone. "Here, I hope you're happy with them."

Italy took it and scrolled through the camera roll, grinning. "Yeah, they're great!"

The girl smiled. "Good! I'm glad to hear it. Sorry again."

"You're fine!" Italy assured, grinning at her. He looked up at Germany expectantly.

Germany looked at the girl and cleared his throat. "Ja, it's not a big deal."

"Thanks. Have a good day, guys!" The girl turned as she waved.

"Bye, thanks for the picture!" Italy called to her retreating back.

Germany looked over Italy's shoulder as he looked at the photos again. They were rather good, he supposed. They would have been better if he had been able to just keep a neutral expression. He looked at Italy's face now, watching as he flicked through the photos, making little comments about them. Germany hardly payed attention, his mind dwelling on how that girl thought they were a couple. For whatever reason, that didn't bother him too much. You know the reason. His mind chided. It's because you wish you were.

Germany heard a chime in his pocket, startling him out of his thoughts. He reached in his back pocket and checked the text.

I got approval from my boss. I will be down tomorrow morning at nine.

"Japan can come tomorrow."

"Really?!" Italy lurched forward, selecting the face time option on the screen.

"You couldn't have asked first?" Germany asked dryly.

Italy shrugged. "I get excited!"

Japan came up on screen as Italy finished, wearing his reading glasses. "Hello,"

"Hi, Japan!" Italy ripped the phone out of Germany's hands, ignoring his noises of protest. "I can't wait for you to come tomorrow!"

Japan smiled. To anyone who didn't know him that well, they would think he was completely serene. But Germany and Italy knew that this was Japan's equivalent to vibrating with excitement. "I can't wait to come. What are your plans?"

"We're going to visit Seborga! He said he missed you ealier this morning when he called!"

Japan raised an eyebrow. "I find that hard to believe. We talked for maybe three minutes."

"Plenty of time for him, apparently." Germany added, peering over Italy's shoulder. "Hi, Japan."

"Hello, Germany." Japan replied. "It looks like you're outside!"

Italy nodded, turning the camera around toward the colosseum. "We're at the colosseum!"

"I see... can you turn me around now?"

Germany chuckled.

Italy laughed, turning him back around. "Sorry."

Japan smiled, shaking his head. "You're okay. How are you feeling, Italy?"

Italy rubbed the back of his head. "Much better. I talked it out with France, we're good again!"

"I'm glad to hear it." Japan said, looking relieved. "When he called the other day to check on you he sounded worried."

"Well it's all cleared up!"

Japan turned a questioning eye onto Germany. "And what about you, Germany?"

Germany met the deep brown eyes, noting the extra layer of trepidation. Of worry. Of concern. Almost like something happened to him instead of Italy. Germany's suspicions then clicked into place. Somehow, Japan knew about Holy Rome. Not just about how France had killed him, but that Germany once was Holy Rome. And perhaps even that Holy Rome and Italy had a mutual affection for each other. "Fine." Germany could hear the confusion in his own voice. How did Japan know?

"Good. Glad to hear it." Japan heard the tone of Germany's voice. The two shared a look: We'll discuss it later.

Italy seemed to be picking up on the... whatever it was between them. "How are you doing, Japan? Is the boss working you too hard?"

Japan snapped out of it and shrugged slightly. "Not really. Just a briefing on the unusual amount of foreigners coming to Kyoto. Nothing that couldn't have been covered in an email." Japan added the last part wryly.

"That's the reason you went home?" Germany asked.

Japan nodded. "Unfortunately. Even now my boss just has be doing busywork. If it weren't for that meeting, I could have been there with you now. Well I'm sorry to say, but I have to go. It's time for dinner over here. Then I'm going to pack, get a good night's sleep, and make my way over there."

Italy jumped with excitement. "Awesome! You have your spare key, don't you? That way if you get home before we do you can get in?"

Japan's eyes widened slightly. "You realize that I'm leaving tomorrow morning, right?"

"Nonsense!" Italy shook his head. "Get over here as soon as possible! We can have a sleepover! Then you don't have to get up early to come all the way over here! Just pack and get over here." He turned to Germany. "We can be home for dinner, right? We can stop somewhere and get some food and bring it back for Japan!"

Germany frowned, thinking about it. If they started making their way back to the car at four, they would have plenty of time to grab a bite on the way home. Assuming the International Road cooperated, they would be home before the food got cold. Having the details laid out in front of him grew Germany's enthusiasm for the idea. It would be great to have the three of them together again, even if the last time they were around each other was only yesterday. "Ja, I think we can."

"What do you say, Japan?" Italy asked.

Japan paused, considering. "I think I can do that. I will be over in a couple hours, but don't hurry back so quickly. I know my way around your house well enough."

A thought struck Germany. "When you get there, my stuff is already in the guest room. Just ignore it and unpack. I can keep my stuff in a storage closet or something and sleep on the couch."

"What? Don't be ridiculous, Germany, you can share a bed with me!" Italy protested.

Germany gaped. "No, I don't think that will be necessary."

"Why? We did it last night!" Italy asked, frowning.

Hearing a slight laugh, Germany glared over at Japan.

"I hate to trouble you," Japan added, looking at Germany in a way that could only be described as a challenge. "But I am much older and my hip has been giving me troubles. So I need a bed. And we're going to be doing much traveling and walking. You cannot afford to get uncomfortable on the couch. So that may be the only option."

Germany narrowed his eyes as he saw that Japan was visibly smiling, the bastard.

"Yeah, Germany! It would be really sad if the rest of us were having fun and you couldn't because you were uncomfortable!" Italy agreed.

Germany analyzed his options. Well, it wouldn't be all that bad if they shared a bed again, right? As Italy said, they did last night. It wasn't that big a deal. Besides, Germany knew that Japan's hip usually gave him troubles. And after all, Germany was just doing the kind thing. Japan needed the bed, and Italy enjoyed sharing a bed. He was just being selfless... right? He let out a long sigh. "Fine."

Japan's smile widened slightly. "Excellent. I will be over soon."

"Okay, see you soon, Japan! Bye!" Italy said.

"Goodbye." Japan replied.

Germany waved before shutting off his phone.

"This is wonderful! We can all go see Seborga together! I'll let him know!"

Germany held out his hand, a silent request for his phone.

Italy turned it over, pulling his out of his pocket. "You can take a seat if you want, this may take a while."

"How long does it take to schedule a visit?" Germany asked, setting an alarm for when they would have to start heading back to Italy's house.

"We're Italian."

"... fair point." Germany said. Italy replied with a laugh as he went to sit on a wooden bench. Germany pulled off his backpack, sticking his leg through one of the loops before setting it on the ground. He wasn't going to have his stuff stolen. He pulled a book out of his bag as he heard Italy chattering in rapid Italian and got set to reading. Or he tried to read. His eyes just scanned down the pages, his mind wandering again to his past. With all the history that was surrounding him... has he seen this all as Holy Rome? Is this really his third time in the ancient city? He didn't know how long it was before he felt a tap on his shoulder. Germany looked to his left, seeing Italy sitting there.

"What are you reading about?" He asked. "You seem to be reading really hard!"

Germany grunted. "It's a book on American history."

"You're reading a book about America?" Italy asked.

"Not about him, exactly." He said. "I wasn't alive for much of the time he was developing, so I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything."

"And you say you don't have a soft spot for him." Italy teased.

Germany shot him a deadpan look. "I don't."

"Why not just ask me about his history?" Italy asked as Germany bent over to grab his backpack. "I was there!"

Germany peered up at him doubtfully. "Okay, when was the Declaration of Independence written?"

Italy put his hand up to his chin, thinking as Germany stood and slung his backpack over his shoulders. "Umm... in in the 1760's...?"

"No. 1776." Germany replied, shaking his head.

Italy also stood. "Well I was only a decade off!"

"Sixteen years."

"Eh, if you're being particular about it." Italy said. "Now come on! We've been here for a whole half hour and we haven't even gone in the colloseum!"

Germany followed as Italy led him to the entrance of the colloseum.

After they used their I.D.s to get in, Germany was astounded at the crumbled building. It was crazy to think of just how much time had passed... just how long this had been here. How long ago this place was filled with hordes of people. They were on a viewing balcony with a metal guard rail.

Italy was leaning against it, surveying the arena with an unusually contemplative look on his face. His forearms were resting on the metal bar, his hands clasped in front of him. He was abnormally still.

Germany looked at him, musing that he never saw Italy like this very often. It was strange, but interesting to observe him being this calm. "What are you thinking about?"

Italy looked over his shoulder at him briefly before returning his gaze to the arena. "The last time I came here I was with Grandpa Rome. There was a show going on. It was a wild animal hunt. They brought in several lions. It just looks so different."

Germany also leaned on the bar, listening.

"There were so many people, Germany, you should have seen it. People packed elbow to elbow. The emperor's box draped in velvet. The roaring crowds, the suspense... it was such a great bonding moment between Grandpa and I." He looked at Germany. "But with this great beauty came a great wretchedness."

Germany drew his eyebrows together.

Italy looked back over the arena and unclasped his hands. "When I was a little older, I understood what a terrible place the colosseum really is. I understood that what started as a sport killing dangerous animals ended as the persecution of people. The same dirt that puddles of animal blood sat on soaked up the blood of people. Of human beings, baking into the earth under the sun. It's hard to look back on history, Germany. Whether you're human or not. But it's essential. You may regret your past." He looked at Germany, his eyes filled with a harsh understanding. "But knowing what happened, and regretting it as fiercely as we do... it keeps us from making those mistakes again. They helped make us into the people we are now. I feel like you need to remember that sometimes."

"... This is very sudden." Was all Germany could say.

Italy nodded and gazed around again. "I know. But everything that France said just got me thinking, and... it got me thinking about us. You, me, and Japan. But you especially. I see you thinking about it every now and then. I see you about to say things sometimes at world meetings... probably to reference your past. But then you hold your tongue. I just sometimes think that you need to let that go. It's not all your fault."

Germany held his gaze on the side profile of Italy for a moment longer, musing that perhaps Italy was more observant- and more wise – than Germany gave him credit for. His eyes wandered around the decrepit colosseum as he pondered on what Italy had said.