Memories: Rewritten

Chapter 6: An Epiphany

 His next move required absolute thought and precision. One incorrect movement or one slip of the tongue meant discovery, and with the amount of turmoil he'd already inflicted, Germany did not want to cause any more. He decided that France would be the most knowledgeable person of Italy's past; he and France were acquaintances during that time period and he and Prussia's friendship went back about that far, as well. If France were aware of Germany's true intentions, he would certainly alert Prussia, giving him more grounds to pick a fight like he had attempted the previous night. Germany figured that if his intent were framed as being worried about Italy's well-being and seeking help from a third party, France's defenses would be lowered enough to leak some useful information. Knowing Prussia would be sleeping off a hangover, he arranged to meet France at Cafe Spain for breakfast, hoping they could talk before Prussia relayed last night's events to anyone.

France waited patiently in a booth, holding a cup of coffee in his fingertips and gingerly sipping it. His honey blonde hair was tied back with a burgundy ribbon, yet a few wavy curls remained free, framing his cheeks and stubbled jawline. As he lowered the mug, Germany noticed the few buttons undone on his lavender dress shirt, partially exposing his chest. His relationship with France was practically nonexistent, their differences making it impractical to develop a close friendship, and one of these differences included Germany's bafflement at France's boldness. France's relationship with Prussia began to make more sense.

Germany reached the booth and sat down across from France. "Thank you for agreeing to meet me here," he said, making himself comfortable.

"Well, I can't exactly say I was expecting this, but I'm always up for a rendezvous," he smirked, "how's your brother?"

Another reason as to why the two were not close became evident: nothing made Germany feel more awkward than France's flirtatious nature. Germany was not one to openly express feelings to that degree, and in these instances, he froze. France intentionally slipped euphemisms and suggestive vocabulary into conversations, enjoying what it felt like to fluster others. The last thing Germany wanted to do was show any weakness, so he pushed his tongue into the nook of a canine tooth and swallowed any signs of folding.

"He's fine," Germany lied. He wondered if Prussia spilled his woes to his friends on the night of the fight. He took a page from Austria's book and analyzed the nuances of France's face as he spoke, the ways in which his eyes flickered, the way his mouth shaped each word.

"So what is this about, mon amie?"

"I've been a bit concerned about Italy lately. I know that you've known him longer than I have, so I was hoping to gain some insight from you as to how I should handle it."

France furrowed his brow. "Why are you concerned?"

"He's been acting a bit out of character: quieter, more serious, less energetic."

The waitress visited the table and brought a cup of coffee for Germany. He declined cream and sugar while France loaded his own with both. "You and I don't have much in common," he said as he swirled the cream through his coffee, "but we are bonded by our love for Italy, and that transcends all else–except mine is familial because he's my petit frère, and yours is sexually."

Germany choked on the sip of coffee he'd accidentally inhaled. "More like platonically," he sputtered.

"Right," France nodded all-knowingly, the smirk returning.

"What you said leads into what I was going to ask you. How close were you and Italy?"

France sighed, his breath rippling across the surface of his mug. "We didn't live together, but I visited him frequently. He was so cute: so small, so full of life. Every time I visited, he would have a stack of paintings waiting for me, all the things he'd created for me while I was away. I'm sure I still have them somewhere, I kept everything he gave me. That was his way of showing love, and if every man did that for the person he loved, the population would be out of control."