Hetatober: A series of dumb one shots

Day 7: Hurt/Comfort

"Soldiers! What will you do if you're ever cornered by American forces and pressured into giving away classified information?"

"Hai, Germany! I would reply with something completely irrelevant! And if I accidentally spilled the truth, I'd deny everything and pretend it never happened!" Japan answered confidently, his hand raised like a polite school boy.

"Uh... I guess that's one way to go about it..." I muttered, a little unsure.

Well, at least Japan is still as quirky as ever.

I glanced at Italy, who stood next to me, looking strangely out of sorts. He seemed more dejected and pouty than usual, like a lost puppy. I spun around to face him sharply.

"Italy! If France tries to force you into learning French, what would you do?"

He jumped, startled by my question.

"Uh! Wave my white flag and cry!"

"No!"

"... Call you to save me?"

"No!!"

"Run away?"

Well, that's probably the best I'll get out of him.

But seriously, what's going on with him? He looks genuinely troubled, more than just his usual antics. Japan seems to have noticed too, but he's as uncertain as I am, giving me a look like he's waiting for me to handle it.

"So, uh... Italy? Anything big happening lately?" I began asking.

"Big? I'm not sure what you mean."

"I don't know... Family death? Pet death? Friend's death?—"

"Germany, I think you're scaring him," Japan interjected.

He was right. Italy was practically trembling, looking at me like I'd just told him the world was ending.

"I-I mean! Countries rarely die, so I'm sure your family and all your friends are fine! And pets—well, they can live pretty long lives, so—" I stumbled over my words, trying to backtrack and ease his nerves.

"It's my brother... Romano," he finally said, looking downcast.

Oh. Well, I can't say I blame him. If I had a brother like that; loud, aggressive, thinking his 'mustache trick' intimidates people—I'd probably be in tears too. Still, Romano does make Italy happy... sometimes.

"What's going on with your brother?" Japan asked.

"Well, uhm... He's... he's sick!" Italy burst out, suddenly dissolving into a puddle of tears.

Sick?! I should've taken this more seriously! What does he have? Will he be okay? Can a Nation die from an illness? My mind raced with questions, and I could barely stay calm. I turned to Japan for help.

He had already distanced himself a good five meters away, like we were infected or something. Clearly, he had no idea how to handle Italy's tears either.

"So, uh... What exactly does he have?"

I know it's a bit nosy, but I need to know. Is it the Plague? Cancer? Malaria? Herpes? The Dancing Plague? Anything could be possible!

"He has... a cold!" Italy wailed.

...A cold?

"Won't he be fine with some medicine?" Japan asked, utterly baffled by Italy's meltdown.

Italy nodded miserably. "Yeah, he's fine. But he kicked me out of the house, and now I have nowhere to go!"

Ah, I see. Romano didn't want to risk spreading it to Italy.

"He's just really cranky right now... He told me I sounded like that annoying red plumber from that famous video game, and it makes him want to shove a knife through his skull," Italy sobbed even harder.

"Oh my—"

"And he said I smelled like garlic bread and it made him want to puke! Then he swore he never wanted to see me again because when I dance, I remind him of the girl from The Grudge!" Italy cried, completely breaking down.

Well... Italy's always been one for dramatics.

"Do you want to stay at my place for now?" I offered, hoping to calm him down.

"You mean it?! Thank you!" Italy beamed, suddenly cheerful, as if he'd completely forgotten about the previous conversation.

"There's a pizza place nearby I've been meaning to try. You can come with me, if that'll cheer you up," Japan suggested hesitantly.

"I'm so happy! I have the best friends ever!" Italy exclaimed, overjoyed.