Title: After Valentines

Rating: For the whole story: M. For this chapter: K+

Characters: Germany-centric, with a lot of Italy, Austria, Prussia and some others.

Pairings: One sided-Germany/Italy, Others pairings (you will see, haha!)

Warning: Italy not being his kind and innocent self all the time. Emo Germany. Voluntary omission of some historical facts. Probably some mature events in next chapters.

Grammar/Spelling mistakes due to English not being my first language. Corrections are welcome.

Disclaimer: Heh, the usual stuff: Hetalia is not mine but the idea for this fanfic is, so no stealing, kay?

Rose

Je lis tous les romans à l'eau de rose

Je souligne des passages au crayon rose

( Pink

I 've been reading romance, written in pink

I underlines sentences with a pink pencil)

Le bonheur m'obsède à la névrose

La nuit a du gris, je remet du rose

( Happiness is my sick obcession

Night is grey, I paint it pink)

Sur sa bouche, je pose

Mes deux lèvres roses

(On his mouth I place

My two pink lips)

Je l'aime car il suppose

qu'aimer est toujours rose

Qu'aimer est toujours rose...

(I love him because he thinks

That love is always sweet

That love is always sweet)

After Valentines, Chapter one.

If Italy could have explained the flowers, there was no excuse that came to his mind when Germany pulled out the ring.

-" I had it made the shape of a tomato for you."

The piece of jewelry looked downright ridiculous, yet quite expensive. Veneziano stared at it, speechless for a few seconds. Of course he did understand the meaning behind this peculiar gift but he couldn't figure out 'why' Germany would want what he was now silently asking his ally.

Italy tried to speak, to tell him how wrong this was. But he didn't get the occasion to formulate a polite answer, he found himself crushed in an iron and clumsy embrace, tight enough to actually cause him pain. He yelped

Every set of eyes in the restaurant turned toward them. Peoples stared, chocked, and Italy was feeling humiliated.

We have not even eaten yet! He thought sadly, tears running down his cheeks due to the painful way Germany was holding him and the confusion in his mind.

Why is he doing this to me? Haven't I apologized enough already?

Germany's grip suddenly went slack. Italy looked at him, ready to talk at least, but he realized that the German would probably not listen.

Germany had a strange look, hazed eyes staring in the void, mouth slightly agape and...Was it real smoke that was coming out of his ears?

-" Germany? Hey hey Germany! Say something!" Italy shock him a little. It was like he was talking to a puppet- One of those you can find in clothes shops. The tall blond was stiff and still, he didn't even seem to breathe at all.

Veneziano was starting to think that he was probably dead when blue eyes blinked, once, then twice.

It was like awakening from a dream, the memory of it lingering in the back of his conscious, threatening to fade away at any moment. What happened? He wondered, trying to cling to the memory. It was blurred now, but he knew it hasn't been a dream, or he could have said: "I dreamed of my childhood". The thing is that he didn't remember his childhood at all.

It has been a lost memory, the first of that kind he ever had since the day he lost the memory of his young self.

What was it again?

Too late! Now it was gone. He only knew one thing: He had known of love before.

Now the strange haze had faded in his mind and he was forced to deal with the reality of his situation. His eyes focused on Italy. The boy was still in front of him, staring at him worriedly.

-" Aah..Es tut mir leit...Err...I'm sorry!" He said in a mix of German and English, shaking his head to get rid of the confusion still present in his mind.

-" Ve! Germany is really weird today!" Italy replied, a bit at lost for words after what had just happened. He realized he was still holding the ring's coffin in his hand.

-" Why did Germany give me this?" He asked with false innocence, tilting his head to one side for more impression.

Germany looked at the ring, then back at Italy.

-"I...Don't you understand what it means?" He asked lowly, not finding the courage to say it himself.

Italy nodded and looked else where. " My boss never told me about this. Is that an order from yours?"

-" Was? What do you mean?"

-" Has Germany's boss ordered Germany to annex Italy?"

Ludwig's mouth fell open and no words came out. The enormity of his mistake striking him like a ton of bricks on the head. He had forgotten what he was- how stupid! - for the sake of his human feelings. The implications of what he had wanted to do came to him and he remembered that they were both nations. Not humans, nations!

When a nation wed another, it's called annexation, not marriage.

And it has usually nothing to do with love.

Germany resisted the urge to facepalm, run away or shot a bullet through his own head. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been to get so confused by a feeling he shouldn't be allowed to feel, a life he could never have, an union that could not exist. Not now, probably never.

-" Italy...I'm...I..."

He almost prayed for the Earth to swallow him whole, for aliens to come and abduct him right there, right then, anything to avoid the unbearable situation he was in.

The supposed alien attack came in the form of Austria- good old Austria- who entered the restaurant at that moment, together with Hungary.

-" Deutschland, Italia..." The aristocrat walked toward them calmly and nodded at Italy as a greeting. " I'm sorry to interrupt, Ludwig, but I think you should follow us back home"

( Hungary gave a kind smile to her young friend" Hello Ita-chan!" and Italy smiled back at her)

Germany just nodded, leaving now was the best he could do to avoid clumsy explanations and further humiliation.

He wanted to get out of there as fast as possible but pride- and Austria- wouldn't allow him to run out of the restaurant.

Roderick put his hand on Germany' shoulder and squeezed a little, silently asking him to move.

-" Bye Italy" he half-mumbled as he was pushed out calmly.

-" Ciao Germany!" Italy waved at him, smiling his usual cheerful smile.

Once the group had passed the restaurant doors and was out of sight, Italy's smile disappeared and he went back to sit at his table, not caring about the glances thrown his way. Pushing flowers and ring aside, he fetched the waiter almost rudely.

-" I want some pasta. Pronto!" He said coldly, not a trace of cheerfulness on his face as he gave the menu back to the -still chocked- waiter.

Later on, he would call him to tell him what Germany had done and how disappointed he was of his friend's sudden change of mind and behavior.

Waiting for his food and feeling annoyed already, Veneziano's eyes fell back on the tomato-shaped ring.

Ridiculous!

He turned the object in his hand, bored, and finding the wait for his order far too long. He had nothing else to do than look at that ring.

Italy brought it closer. Now, he could see the Jewell's engraved certificate stating that the piece of jewelry was actually made of plain gold and 40x 0,2 rubies.

Italy sighed and put it in his pocket. During these war-troubled times, no one was to refuse money, in any form it may take.

Author Note: Don't ask me who 'him' is, I won't tell you yet. I'm sorry for Italy's fans. I don't dislike him, I just wanted to write something different.