Chapter Text
"Get the hell away from me, potato bastard!!" Romano snapped as he quickly made his way out of the world meeting room, clutching his belongings as if he was about to get mugged. Which, wasn't far off from Romano's actual situation in terms of danger level.
"Hey, c'mon Romano! Come with us to grab some dinner! It'll be fun!" called out the ever-so-annoying Prussia as he trailed Romano dangerously closely. Romano tried desperately to steer away in order to lose the Germanic nation, but alas, was unsuccessful. He maneuvered through the long halls, still trying to throw Prussia off his tail, but the attempt just ended up in the two weaving around the hall like a pair of lunatics.
"Hell no! I'm going to get food by myself and then go the hell to bed! You better not be fucking loud either, or I'm gonna kick your ass!" Romano yelled, not even bothering to turn around as he spoke.
"No no, trust me, you'll have a blast! I mean, who wouldn't when I'm there! My brother will be there too—and yours! Same with Spain and France! Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg might show up too, and some other people!" Romano scrunched up his face in displeasure at Prussia's words before he began to shout again.
"Can't you take no for an answer?! And I'm definitely not going, that's way too many fucking people and way too many people I hate there too!"
Prussia had followed Romano all the way to his hotel room, much to the Southern nation's immense irritation. He pretty much shoved his keycard onto the sensor and dashed inside his room, glaring at Prussia and flipping him off before slamming the door.
On the other side, he heard Prussia let out a melodramatic sigh. There was a beat of silence before he heaved out an even bigger sigh, causing Romano to swing open his door with such intensity it almost smacked Prussia in the face. It not like Romano would have cared if it did— that would've been Prussia's own fault for standing right in front of a door where it could swing open violently at any time.
"I said no! Levati dalle palle, bastardo! (Piss off, bastard!)" Romano roared, causing Prussia to take a step back and raise his hands in surrender.
Romano slammed the door again with a note of finality. He stood by, with his hand still on the door handle, in case he had to open it again and smack the shit out of the Germanic nation, waiting for Prussia to give the fuck up and get lost.
"Suit yourself, then!" Prussia called. Still, he waited for a moment as if Romano would magically change his mind—which he wouldn't. And didn't. When Romano didn't move a muscle from where he was glaring through the peephole, Prussia let out a smaller, more resigned sigh, shrugged, then turned and strolled back down the hall. He looked almost…disappointed. Wait, no! Definitely not! Romano was just seeing things! So he waited, watching him disappear down the hall as his anger melted into relief at finally being left alone.
Whew. That was a close call. Romano might've popped a blood vessel if Prussia persisted for any longer. Seriously, that guy did not know how to take no for an answer! He was annoying as hell and for some reason, always set his sights on irritating Romano (and Veneziano) specifically!
Of course, Romano's brother didn't seem to mind Prussia's constant need for attention and praise. But Romano did, and somehow that made Prussia even more interested in him! Gah!
Okay. He shouldn't use the word 'interested'. The connotations of that word were not anything Romano wanted to think about, especially when Prussia was involved. Prussia was just annoying and wanted to get on Romano's nerves, nothing more, nothing less.
It's not like anybody would be interested in Romano in the first place.
Ugh, any appetite he had was completely ruined at that point. He was exhausted anyway, and there was an early meeting tomorrow so he supposed it would be fine if he went to bed right now. All that yelling throughout the day really took a toll on him. Not like it was his fault! It was other people's fault—mostly Prussia's— that he felt the need to yell in the first place!
He eventually decided to go to bed, he was tired as hell and also bored out of his mind, though he would never admit it, so the best option was to just try to sleep. He got ready for bed, though he wasn't in much of a rush. After he washed his face, he looked up at himself in the mirror only to see a rather unpleasant expression on his face that he didn't even know he was making.
It was only then that he realized he hadn't relaxed his face since his interaction with Prussia, an almost strained looking scowl looking back at him in the mirror. He took a deep breath, trying to relax the muscles in his face until he didn't look like he was trying to shoot deadly lasers out of his eyes. How often was it that he looked like that without knowing? Why had nobody told him?
Well, maybe it was because nobody wanted to tell him. It's not like he was approachable in the first place. Not many people voluntarily talked to him, ones usually being Veneziano, Spain, and… Prussia.
No, no, no! Prussia did not count, not at all! He only talked to Romano to piss him off! It's not like he actually wanted to have a conversation or anything.
Okay… maybe that wasn't entirely true. Hell, Prussia had just invited him to dinner with a bunch of other people, and Romano had turned him down without giving him a chance! His only reasoning that he gave himself was that he just didn't want to be around Prussia any longer. But why?
Had Romano ever given Prussia a chance?
Romano needed to stop thinking about this. His face had scrunched up again in frustration, and he couldn't stand looking at himself for any longer. He went over to shut the blinds, the sun had set some time ago and he didn't want to be prematurely awakened when it came back up in the morning. Finally, he marched over to bed and flopped onto it with an exhausted groan. He'd had a long day.
He tossed and turned under the covers until he came across a comfortable position. He sighed, content, finally able to fully relax as he drifted off to sleep.
.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅. 𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅
The first thing Romano awoke to was sunlight stabbing at his eyelids.
What the hell, hadn't he shut the blinds? He blinked his eyes open drowsily, barely taking in his surroundings as he turned over, away from the window. However, to his dismay, there was another window somewhere else in the room that let in the sun's rays. Romano shoved his face into his pillow, trying to escape from the searing brightness of the room.
The room. There was only one window in his hotel room. And the hotel pillows were not this comfortable. He opened his eyes blearily only to see—he was in his bedroom at home, all the way back in Italy?!
He sat up so quickly he got spots in his vision and he had to pause to rub his eyes. What the hell?! How had he gotten back home? This felt too real, too vivid to be a dream, and he'd had his fair share of weird dreams in his impossibly long lifetime.
As he finished rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and blinked away the blurriness, he heard a sound coming from the hallway. Was there somebody in his fucking house?!
He froze, trying to make as little sound as possible. But as footsteps came closer and closer to the door, he could feel dread deep in his bones. Was this some kind of prank? Had some other nation planned an elaborate scheme to scare the living shit out of him? Did anybody even have such a bad grudge against him to do so?
Romano remained, frozen and sitting up in bed, his eyes wide and staring at the door. The doorknob turned. He gripped the blankets as if they were the only things protecting him from whatever might be out there.
The door swung open.
And there stood… oh, what a relief, it was just Prussia. Romano had done all that worrying for nothing!
Wait.
What the fuck.
What was Prussia doing in his goddamn house at 7 A.M.?! And why did Romano feel such relief when he saw the Germanic nation? He didn't feel even the slightest bit of his usual irritation at seeing the guy. Romano was so suddenly bewildered, he entirely forgot that he was scared in the first place. Nothing made sense in his brain anymore.
As soon as Prussia saw Romano sitting up, his face broke out into a beam that the Southern nation had never seen on him before. It wasn't like his usual smug grins, this smile was more warm, more… real.
"You're awake already!" Prussia exclaimed, and Romano's brain broke for probably the twentieth time in the last five minutes. Prussia's voice lacked its usual sneer and roughness, and instead, it was softer, more sincere. Almost… fond. What the hell?
This had to be a dream. Romano squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, only to still see Prussia there. He had that weird smile that Romano wasn't used to seeing on his face, and his hair was messy, like he just rolled out of bed, but not in a cute way or anything.
What?!
Why would it be in a cute way?! Why would that even be a thought running through Romano's head?! He was too overrun with thoughts about his situation, about his emotions, about Prussia to notice the Germanic nation making his way over to him.
Romano was snapped out of his wildly swirling thoughts when Prussia sat on the edge of the bed, leaned in so close it stole the breath from the Southern nation's lungs, and proceeded to brush his bangs out of his eyes with a gentleness that Romano had never experienced from anyone in his entire life. Romano could only remain, frozen, sitting in bed as Prussia smoothed down his hair from its probably wild state.
"How did you sleep, Liebe?" Prussia murmured, and Romano nearly had a heart attack right then and there. The proximity, the gentle touch, the nickname, Prussia's voice so full of… fucking adoration caused a suffocating warmth to rise in Romano's chest, his heart threatening to burst out of him, and he could feel his face burn red as he stammered and spluttered embarrassingly. At that, Prussia let out a soft laugh so full of fondness that made Romano feel like he was going to pass out on the spot.
Romano, hands shaking from the immensely flustered state he was in, grabbed Prussia's wrist and held it in the air in a panic, just to get it away from his hair. But by doing that, he had created a completely unobstructed view of Prussia's face, leaned in so closely Romano could see and count every single little detail. There was a slight blush on his face and his eyes basically sparkled and he smiled so goddamn sweetly, a look so full of love that Romano had never seen before on anyone, let alone experienced himself.
And Romano never noticed Prussia had just barely visible freckles dotted across his cheeks, or how his snow-white eyelashes were long and just so delicate, or how his eyes weren't just that bright shining red but also with purple and maybe even pink hues when the sunlight grazed across his pale face, the light making his hair pretty much fucking glow. He looked like… an angel.
"Wanna get out of bed now? I made some coffee and you don't want it to get cold, don't you?" Prussia seemed completely undeterred at Romano's lack of intelligible responses, gently removing Romano's hand from around his wrist in order to intertwine their hands together.
"Uhm," Romano choked out, completely dazed and immensely flustered. "Uh, y-yeah?" He would have cringed at his stammering if he wasn't so distracted by Prussia's thumb softly brushing over his hand as the Germanic nation held it like it was the most precious and delicate thing in the world.
Prussia positively beamed at Romano's answer, whispering a tiny "Awesome!" that was not cute, then stood up and gently tugged him out of bed. Even after Romano had become upright and gained his balance, Prussia still kept a hold of his hand as he pulled Romano towards the kitchen. It was all a blur as Prussia sat Romano down at the table and placed a fresh cup of coffee in front of him alongside a small plate of Italian pastries.
The next thing Romano knew, he, with an empty cup and plate in front of him, was dazedly staring at Prussia as he rambled on and on about a topic Romano wasn't paying attention to. Their hands had somehow found each other again, and were intertwined across the table.
Romano's brain felt like it was completely filled with fuzz. Every time Prussia made eye contact with him, even if just for a moment, he felt a stab of an unfamiliar yet warm feeling deep in his chest. He honestly had no idea what was going on at that point, he was so utterly disoriented that he couldn't even begin to attempt to rip his gaze off the nation across from him.
Prussia didn't even seem to mind him being silent. He just talked and talked, and sometimes asked questions, but was unfazed when he didn't receive a response. He didn't get mad or annoyed, he just smiled softly and continued talking, something Romano was definitely not used to. Prussia's voice seemed to carry some magical quality that did things to Romano's entire system, as if the very vibrations tugged at his heartstrings themselves.
At some point, Prussia had gotten up and collected all the dirty dishes, preparing to wash them at the sink. Now it was only Romano sitting at the table, simply watching Prussia wash the dishes. It was… sweet, domestic. No other words could describe it, and Romano felt another wave of almost unbearable softness pass over him.
It felt like he couldn't move, just stuck in his place as his eyes never left the other nation. His arms felt like jelly, the hand Prussia was holding just moments earlier quivering just the slightest bit.
And suddenly, this was far too much for Romano. He was just so overcome with so many emotions, he could barely stand it. He needed to get away. He needed to be alone.
But… that wasn't true, not at all.
Romano had never in his life needed to be alone, because he already was alone.
He dreaded every day when he woke up, because he knew nothing would come of it. He and his very life felt useless, utterly useless, and had felt that way for a very, very long time.
Romano never needed to be alone, and yet that was all he knew.
And that was what scared him. He was scared of being close to anybody, because it only made the loneliness hurt more after it was over. So he pushed people away, like his brother, or Spain, because he couldn't stand the thought of losing them. And if that didn't happen, he knew he would eventually lose himself.
These selfish thoughts sickened him. And the only way to numb the pain was to isolate himself, to run back to what he had spent his whole life in. Self-pity and misery.
A tear slipped down his cheek.
Oh. He was starting to cry.
He stood up from the table almost robotically, the chair screeching against the floor unpleasantly, but he paid it no mind. Fleeing was the only thought in his mind now.
He found himself back in his room, sitting on the edge of the bed as he tried to hold back more tears. What was happening to him? None of this made any fucking sense and of course he went running back to where he always retreated when he wanted to escape and he…
He just wanted somebody, anybody to listen to him.
He wanted it so damn bad.
"Romano?" said a familiar yet still so unfamiliar voice from the doorway. Romano's eyes snapped up from where he was just staring at his hand.
Prussia. Of course it was Prussia.
It had always been Prussia.
"You've been quiet today," Prussia murmured, gingerly taking a seat next to Romano on the bed, close but not close enough to be touching. His words were a simple observation, not a prodding question or a demand for explanation. "I just got worried when you up and left like that."
And for some reason, Romano found it impossible to doubt at all that Prussia meant anything else with his words. He had always assumed everybody had some kind of ulterior motive when being nice to him. But somehow, this wasn't the case. And he knew it.
Another tear fell. Then another. And as all the emotions Romano had been feeling broke loose, he found himself searching for warmth, collapsing into Prussia's comforting embrace. The Germanic nation ran his fingers through Romano's hair soothingly, holding him tightly in a way that simply said I am here. And it was perfectly enough.
Romano cried until he couldn't anymore, until his eyes and his heart had emptied themselves fully. And slowly, he came back to reality, feeling Prussia's warmth and his hand gently rubbing his back in a comforting motion. Finally, Romano opened his mouth to speak, the words coming out in a dry, broken whisper.
"Why me?"
Prussia's hands slowed as he listened, truly listened to Romano's words. Nobody had ever been so attentive, not even Romano's own brother.
"Well," Prussia began in a soft but sure voice. "You're tenacious. You stick to your ideas and defend them, even if people are against you, which I think is really awesome."
"I can never admit when I'm wrong, and I can't even own up to any of my actions," Romano immediately replied, his voice drained of any emotion as he hid his face against Prussia's chest. He could feel the vibrations as the other nation responded without skipping a beat.
"I know you're only echoing what other people have told you, because that's definitely not true. You've proven that wrong countless times, all throughout your life, and I've seen it many times in the centuries we've known each other. Maybe you're a little bit stubborn, but that's just one of the many things I love about you. It's what makes you you."
Romano's breath hitched, just barely, at the word love. "I have a bad temper. I'm impatient and I yell. A lot. Even if I don't mean to…"
"It's honestly endearing, actually. I love hearing your comebacks, you can be really funny at times! And… I know you don't always mean it."
Romano was silent for a moment before just barely whispering,
"I'm just… not a good person."
"And that is fully not true," Prussia replied, cupping Romano's face gently as he spoke so they could be face-to-face. Romano couldn't help but lean into the touch, it was grounding.
"South Italy, I have always admired you, ever since the day I met you. I honestly began to adore your fiery personality, your comebacks, your remarks. But the thing I never failed to notice about you is your strength," Prussia said, gazing deep into Romano's eyes, effectively trapping them in the pools of red. "You have been strong your whole life. Even when hardships came to your nation, even when there was war, even when it seemed all hope would be lost. Through all that, you kept going. And to this day, your strength remains."
"You are possibly the strongest nation, the strongest person I know. And that's why I fell for you. You never let anybody bring you down for good. And you care, so much, more than you know, about your people, your friends, your family. Everybody you love."
Prussia stroked Romano's flushed cheek with his thumb, fondness painted across his features.
"You are a good person," he said, and smiled, just a little bit, at Romano's almost starstruck expression. "And I will tell you that every single day until you believe it."
Romano was so overwhelmed with emotions, and this time, in a good way. Nobody had ever spoke such kind words to him, not ever, and it gave him butterflies in a way he had never felt before. Prussia actually cared for him. Romano always refused to believe that about anybody, but it was undeniable now. Romano felt… loved. Yeah. Loved.
Romano really could kiss Prussia right then and there.
So he did.
Because he had finally been heard.
.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅. 𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅
Romano woke up around twenty minutes before his alarm was supposed to go off. It wasn't an immediate awakening, no, he just slowly drifted into consciousness. He felt rested, despite the early time. It was nice.
Now then. It was time to deal with the actual important topic.
That was not a fucking dream. He knew it wasn't, he just knew! It was like some weird conjured-up vision that just so happened to involve… Prussia…
Romano's entire system instantly flooded with embarrassment as he recalled the events of the vision. But the embarrassment was tinged with another feeling, warm and fuzzy, something he did not want to feel at that particular moment. Maybe he should actually consider digging a hole for him to crawl into and die.
But before he could do anything, his blinds snapped open magically on their own, letting in a light far too bright for the time of day. Once Romano's widened eyes adjusted, he found that a bright glowing figure was standing in the corner of his hotel room, speaking in… a Southern United States accent?
Oh, what the hell.
"You may be wondering what just happened just now before you woke up," said the figure, his voice carrying an ethereal quality that seemed to echo around the room. Romano blinked, because he was still a bit startled, but nodded.
"All of your dreams are about to come true!" said the figure, making a grand gesture. "And now it is your duty to bring them to full fruition!"
"Wait, what?" Romano spluttered. "What do you m—"
The figure interrupted. "I have shown you all you needed to see. Believe it or not, I actually didn't change anything, I have simply shown you what is possible! Now, you know what to do."
With another bright flash of light, the figure promptly disappeared, closing the blinds back again.
Romano sat in bed, processing everything that had just happened.
His alarm went off, to which he quickly turned it off and officially got out of bed to start the day.
That was a weird ass dream.