It was just about completely dark when Roderich and Erika came in from the garden.

Both Ludwig and Basch had been waiting for them to come in. They had noticed Erika escaping to the garden with her ice cream after dinner, as well as Roderich doing the same thing once he finished his ice cream.

Basch had wanted to go into the garden and confront Roderich again once he realized that they were both there, but Ludwig had stopped him.

"We should give them some time to talk things over," he told Basch, putting his hand in front of his shoulder to stop the other man from marching out the door. "Like Erika said earlier, it's about her, not you."

In the end, Basch acquiesced and stayed inside with Ludwig. There, the two men cleaned the mess from dinner as they waited for Roderich and Erika to come back inside.

When they did come back inside, Erika was laughing and clutching her empty ice cream bowl, while Roderich had a rare smile on his face. Whatever had gone down in the garden, it clearly had a positive outcome.

All the tension in Ludwig's body released at the sight of Roderich and Erika in such high spirits. After Erika's outburst earlier, he had been so worried about her and her current state, especially after noting her puffy, red-rimmed eyes and general glumness during dinner.

He was also worried about Roderich's emotional state, though to a lesser extent. Roderich was an adult who could handle his own emotions, but he was family. And after the many years they had spent living together, it was difficult to not at least care for him some.

Basch also relaxed, relieved to see Erika so happy. If she had come in crying, he would have done more than punch Roderich this time. He would have made him regret even existing.

Erika came over to Basch, still holding her bowl. "Big Brother? May I talk with you?"

Basch nodded. "Of course."

Erika gestured with her head for him to follow her, and she led him into the kitchen, where she turned on the sink and started washing her bowl out. Basch hovered by her, watching the water sweep away the pink mush still clinging to the sides of the bowl.

"Mr. Austria is going to be in my life more often now."

Basch opened his mouth to reply, but Erika cut him off. "This is my decision, not yours. You don't have to interact with him at all if you don't want to. He doesn't have to come to our house at all, he can come to my house in Vaduz. But I will be seeing him and talking to him more often. You cannot change this or prevent this from happening."

She turned the water off and grabbed a nearby dishtowel, drying off the bowl. Basch watched as she did so, before closing his eyes and giving a nod.

"That's fine. I understand."

Erika's eyes widened. "You do?" She studied him. "I thought you'd be angry with me."

"Like I said earlier, nothing you do could make me mad at you." He opened his eyes again. "I want you to be happy, and if hanging out with Roderich makes you happy, then do it." He made a tch noise. "I just find it ironic, I guess."

Erika tilted her head. "What is?"

"That I ended up taking care of two generations of the same family. It's like…weird karmic justice or something like that."

Erika thought about that for a moment. "Hm. I suppose it is."

She placed the bowl on a drying rack, before wandering out of the kitchen. Basch followed her.

She went into the living room, where Ludwig and Roderich were. Ludwig was dusting the bookshelves, while Roderich sat on one of the sofas, typing away on his phone.

"I'm going to go take a bath and then go to bed," Erika announced, directed at no one in particular. "Goodnight."

The three men in the room bade her goodnight, and she walked off, disappearing up the stairs. A few moments later, Ludwig also departed the room, going to dust somewhere else. Basch and Roderich were now alone.

An awkward silence hung in the air. Basch stood and stared at the wall, unsure of what to do or of what to say, or if he should even do or say anything at all. He could have just left the room, but that didn't feel right to do.

Roderich continued to type, ignoring Basch's presence. Basch noticed that he did a lot of backspacing. Whatever he was trying to type, he was clearly struggling with it.

Basch spoke, keeping his gaze fixated on the wall. "I'm sorry for punching you in the face earlier." His cheeks burned as he said this.

Roderich's gaze did not leave his phone. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. Erika was the most upset by your actions."

"I did apologize to her," Basch said, cheeks growing hotter in embarrassment.

"Well? Did she forgive you?"

"I think so? She doesn't seem angry with me anymore."

"Good."

"I figured I'd apologize to you, since you were the one that I punched," Basch mumbled, looking down at the floor.

"There's no need to." Roderich gave a little shrug of his shoulders, still not looking up from his phone. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't deserve that."

"You did," Basch agreed.

The conversation died. Roderich continued typing on his phone, while Basch fiddled with the hem of his jacket, face still cast downward.

Basch spoke again. "I still hate you, but…I think we should at least pretend to get along when Erika's around. For her sake."

Roderich was quiet for a moment, and Basch almost thought that he was rejecting his proposal when he finally replied.

"I agree." He finally looked up from his phone, but he didn't look at Basch. Instead, he just looked straight ahead. "It must be very upsetting to see two of the people you care about most in conflict with each other."

"I'll tell her I apologized to you," Basch mumbled, still not daring to look at him.

Roderich nodded. "That would be most ideal."

Silence again overtook the conversation. Roderich looked down at his phone once more and started typing again. This time, Basch watched as he did so.

"What are you typing?"

"A text to Erzsi." Roderich shifted in his seat. "Erika and I decided that she should probably know about the true nature of our relations, since we're both…" He took a moment to choose a word. "Close with her. We're going to tell her together, here, in person. I'm just struggling with the wording of the invitation."

"Well, don't ask me for any help." Basch crossed his arms. "I'm just as bad at wording things as you are."

Roderich raised an eyebrow. "You seemed pretty adept at wording things earlier when you were letting me know of your feelings about me."

Basch frowned. "Hey!"

In the end, Roderich was able to send a properly-worded text to Erzsi inviting her over. She quickly and happily accepted, and within two days, she was walking through the front door of the house.

She was surprised but delighted to see Erika standing in the foyer. "Erika!"

She bounded over and gave Erika a quick hug, a huge smile on her face. "I didn't know you were here too!"

Erika returned the hug gladly, and then Erzsi bounded up to Roderich, squinting at him. "What happened to your face?"

The red mark that Basch had left on Roderich's cheek had bruised over, turning a dark blue-violet the same shade as the coat he used to wear all the time.

Roderich put a hand over it, self-conscious. "I…" He faltered, making brief eye contact with Basch, who was standing between him and Erika. An unseen understanding flashed between them. "I fell."

Erzsi rolled her eyes, a grin coming onto her lips. "That sounds about right." She gave him a playful punch on the arm, before walking further into the house and proceeding to greet Gilbert with the unorthodox greeting of giving a massive wedgie.

Later that day, she, as well as Roderich and Erika, set out for a picnic in the nearby woods.

To the shock of everyone, the picnic was Roderich's idea. He normally didn't like extended pursuits outdoors. Almost everything awful that had ever happened to him had happened outdoors. But the two women he cared about most loved the outdoors. Because of that, he decided to put away his discomfort for a few hours. He even surprised them by dressing down a little, wearing a simple button-up shirt with khakis and hiking boots.

The three walked into the woods, heading to their picnic spot. Right by the creek, there was a clearing that was both quiet and isolated yet close enough to the house that they could easily return if there was a problem.

Like if Erzsi got upset because of the information Roderich and Erika were about to tell her.

Before they set out, Roderich had told Erika that he wanted to tell Erzsi the truth during the picnic. In fact, that was why he had planned the picnic in the first place, so he could have an excuse to tell her, alongside Erika. Erika agreed to this plan and said she would help him out if he got tongue-tied.

It didn't take them long to reach the clearing. It was large, almost big enough to be considered a meadow, with easy access to both shade and sun. Flowers dotted the clearing, with butterflies flitting in between them. It was a common hangout spot for Ludwig and Gilbert, which was how Roderich knew of the clearing's existence.

He took out the blanket they were to hold their picnic on and spread it across the grass. Erzsi and Erika sat down, and he joined them, before the three of them unpacked the food. They had brought sandwiches, fruit, and cheese, as well as canteens of water and tea. Roderich and Erika, being Roderich and Erika, had also brought cookies for dessert.

They began to eat, striking up a merry conversation. Erzsi ended up dominating the conversation, talking Roderich and Erika's ears off. She was oblivious to the true purpose of the picnic and the nervousness that grasped both Roderich and Erika. The two of them, although in an overall pleasant mood, were dreading telling her the truth, and neither of them wanted to be the one to initiate the conversation.

Eventually, Erzsi initiated the conversation herself.

"Have you two seen your results from that DNA test the UN did on us?" She asked, popping a grape into her mouth. "Apparently, Timo and Eduard are my cousins, and Mr. Mongolia is my second cousin. Which I guess isn't much of a surprise, given my people and my language's histories."

She chewed the grape and swallowed. "But what was a surprise was Timo and Eduard being brothers! Neither of them had any idea that they were brothers." She laughed. "Oh, the Nordics have to let Eduard in now!"

Roderich and Erika exchanged a look.

Erzsi continued on. "According to Timo, Eduard hasn't talked to him or the other Nordics much since the results dropped, which is really out-of-character for him. Timo suspects he's either in shock or feeling really awkward about it."

Roderich and Erika exchanged another look, faces expressionless. Neither of them said a word.

Erzsi noticed this and frowned, tilting her head slightly. "Is everything okay?"

Roderich and Erika were silent, continuing to look at one another. A heavy silence hung over them, before Roderich finally sighed and looked downward.

"About the DNA test results…."

Erzsi was quiet, waiting for him to continue.

"I have not been completely truthful to you throughout the years. I haven't been completely truthful to anyone, actually."

He took a deep breath, before looking right at Erzsi, face reddening. "Erika is my biological daughter. I've known this for a long time, and I never intended to tell anyone about this. Of course, the test ruined my plans."

Erika's gaze whipped to Erzsi for her reaction.

Erzsi didn't react. Instead, she picked up her canteen of tea and unscrewed it, putting it up to her mouth and taking a long sip. Roderich and Erika both stared at her, awaiting her reaction.

Finally, she put the canteen down and looked back at them. Her expression was oddly serene. "I feel like I'm supposed to be surprised by this, but for some reason, I'm not all that surprised."

Erika's eyes widened. Roderich's jaw dropped.

"What?! You're not?!"

"You and Erika are more alike than you think," Erzsi pointed out. "You two have similar posture, although you tend to clasp your hands behind your back and Erika clasps hers in front. You two both speak formally, even when you don't need to." She pointed to the cookies they had brought, sitting on the blanket. "Not to mention the similar dietary habits, among other things."

Roderich and Erika looked at one another again, shocked by Erzsi's reaction.

"I always thought these similarities were because you were Erika's mentor nation when she was little and impressionable and your mannerisms rubbed off on her," Erzsi continued on. "But that never explained why you two have the same nose. I always wondered about that. But I guess now I have an answer."

Both Erika and Roderich brought hands to their noses, tracing their slopes downward. Erzsi seemed amused by this and laughed.

"Plus, Roddy, you are the exact type of guy who would hide a secret child for years and never tell a soul, and act all tortured about it."

Roderich scoffed, giving her an indignant look. "And just what is that supposed to mean?!"

"It means exactly what it means," Erzsi replied with a grin. "I've known you long enough to know just the type of man you are. And you would do something like that, and you did."

"You're not…angry with me, are you?" Roderich asked, the edge fading from his voice. He looked downwards, as if embarrassed.

Erzsi just chuckled. "No. I understand why you hid that. The Church would have eviscerated you had they known you had a child out of wedlock. I'm still shocked they let you be married to Antonio as long as you did."

"Well, officially, it was a political partnership–"

"But everyone knew it was really a marriage. Yeah, I know. And speaking of marriage…." She turned to Erika. "I guess that makes me your ex-stepmom, huh?"

Erika flinched, caught off-guard by Erzsi suddenly addressing her, then nodded. "Yeah. I guess so. But that's a strange title."

Erzsi chuckled again. "Agreed. That's weird. Don't call me that."

"I think you'll always be just Erzsi to me."

Erzsi smiled at that. "And I think you'll always be just Erika to me."

She leaned over and wrapped Erika into a hug. "I'm happy to be your family member. Or, rather, ex-family member."

Erika was caught off-guard again, but after a moment, returned Erzsi's hug. "Me too."

They pulled apart, then Erzsi practically sprang onto Roderich, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing. "Don't think you're escaping unhugged."

Roderich squeaked, his eyes widening and his cheeks flushing fiercely. "I-I…don't need a hug."

"Yes you do." Erzsi didn't let go. "It was brave of you to admit that Erika's your daughter to me. The old you wouldn't have done that. The old you would have either chickened out or gotten all weird and defensive about it."

"I wouldn't have?"

"No. Like I said, I've known you long enough to know just the type of man you are. And the type of man you were." She squeezed him again. "You've changed. For the better. And I'm proud of you."

"Hm." Roderich's facial expression softened, and the corners of his mouth turned up. "I suppose I have."

He wrapped his own arms around Erzsi, enveloping her. "I assume it's safe to say that you don't hate me anymore?"

"I'm still deciding that."

Roderich's little smile faded, and Erzsi gave him another squeeze. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. No. All the hatred that I've accumulated for you over the centuries has significantly faded."

"I'm glad to hear that." He gave her a squeeze in return. "I don't hate you anymore either."

The two pulled away. Erzsi smiled at Roderich, and he returned it. The two then turned to Erika, their smiles becoming those of adoration.

Erika smiled back at them, feeling content and happy and loved. Unable to contain her good feelings, a laugh escaped her lips, and she leaned over and wrapped each of her arms around Roderich and Erzsi's shoulders, bringing the three of them into a group hug.

This time, Roderich didn't tense up when being hugged. He immediately wrapped one of his arms around Erika, letting his hand rest on her back. Erzsi did the same, her own hand resting only millimeters above Roderich's. Erika couldn't see either of their faces, but she had a strong feeling that they both were still smiling.

And she was right.

For that moment, their smiles were everlasting, as was their joy and the sunshine that poured down over them.

July 10th

Dear Mr. Wang Yao,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing you to tell you, although many years later, thank you for not mentioning the situation about my unusual birth circumstances in "A Comprehensive Guide to Nationhood". First, because that would have singled me out, and that would have been very embarrassing for me. And second, because that would be inaccurate.

In the past week, I have found out that my birth circumstances actually fall within the two methods you discussed in the book. The DNA test that we all took revealed that I have a nation as a parent. My true father is Mr. Austria. I thought that you should know, since you were the one that gathered all the information about how nations are born.

Sincerely,

Erika Vogel

July 24th

Dear Ms. Erika Vogel,

Thank you for your letter, it seems letter-writing is a lost art in this era of digital technology. I miss getting actual letters from people. All the letters I do get nowadays are just junk mail and reminders to pay for things. I was very happy to receive your letter :)

The true reason that I didn't include your unusual birth circumstances was because I figured they were inaccurate. All nations are born one of the two ways, there are no exceptions at all. I figured you actually had a nation as a parent and that they were lying or keeping it a secret. I had guessed it was Mr. Austria, based on your country's history, and it looks like I was correct! :D You write very formally, you're just like your old man in that aspect, haha.

Anyways, I found this sheet of cute panda stickers on sale the other day, and since I already have too many sheets of cute panda stickers, I'm sending them to you! Hopefully you can find some good use for them.

See you at the next World Meeting!

Wang Yao

And that's the fic! Thank you for reading!