Italy, together and apart

Love is a battlefield

  The moment I wake up, I am aching all over, taken over by guilt and, to top it all off, I have the worst hangover. Romano is still sleeping next to me and, by the looks of it, it's already night time. My head hurts too bad to drive and I doubt I would make it if I walked to Germany's house. I walk into the livingroom and, not to my surprise, Spain is still awake. "Ve, Spain, can you drive me to Germany's house?" He smiles and stands.
"No, quieres dormir, Italia. You should sleep. I know you got drunk with Romano and I think it's best if you just go lay back down with him and I can get Germany to come pick you up in the morning." I nod and he helps me down the hall to Romano's room. "Buenos noches."
"Ti amo, Spain." He laughs softly and opens the door for me.
"I love you too, Italy." I walk into the room and lay back down as Spain closes the door and leaves. Romano doesn't wake up, but he seems to know I'm there and wraps his arms around me.
  Violent shaking wakes me up in the morning. I sit up and rub my eyes. "Ve~ Good morning, Germany!" I grin at him. He stays silent and he looks pretty angry. He gestures for me to get up and leaves. I get off the bed, putting my clothes on and meeting him outside in the car, shooting pains in my hips still. He starts the car, still silent. "Do I get my morning kiss?" I ask. He turns and pecks my lips, turning back to the car controls. He pulls out of the driveway and I try not to say anything. I wonder why he's so mad...he's never acted like this before. I hope he still loves me. 
  As soon as we reach the driveway to his house, he parks and gets out of the car, slamming the car door and going inside the house without me. I rush after him, only to enter the house to his bedroom door slamming and Prussia stopping me. "You should leave him alone for a while, Italia. He's really mad about something and I don't want you getting hurt. Just stay in the kitchen with me, okay?" I nod and stay quiet, hiding out in the kitchen with him. Germany stomps around the house, mumbling angrily to himself and grabbing things from all over the place. After a while, he opens the front door and grabs his coat.
"I'm going out, don't count on me being home for dinner." He says before slamming the door. I look at Prussia.
"Ve, is he coming home?" Prussia nods and looks away from me.
"He's going to the bar. He's probably going to come home tomorrow morning. Probably going to be drunk, too." I look down, upset. What did I do?
  I help him cook lunch for later before going to lay down. My legs and back still hurt so I try not to get up too much. After a couple minutes, Prussia knocks on my door and suggests I come to his room and watch a movie or hang out with him. I get up, taking him up on his offer and following him into his room. I sit on the beanbag chair in the middle of the room as he puts in a romcom.
  Waiting for Germany to come home from the bar feels just as depressing as my own brother disowning me. All I can do is sit and wait for him to come back and there's nothing I can do to help. I miss him, but I don't want to go out to find him and make him more mad with me. Prussia gets us both some ice cream and sits on his bed."Cheer up, Italia. I've never seen you looking like this." I feign a smile and thank him for the food. He nods and smiles back, but I can tell he's just dropped the subject because he doesn't want to make me cry.
"Ve, Prussia, do you think he might cheat on me with a girl?" I ask him. He seems a bit shocked I asked, but, judging from his facial features, he doesn't want to tell me the truth.
"Italy, I don't think he will. I think he loves you more than I do which is a lot and I doubt he will put your relationship at stake." I smile at him, again fake, but I make it more convincing.
"I would understand if he cheated. I don't know what I did to hurt him, but whatever it was I think he has the right to leave me for a woman if I really upset him that much."
"Italy, why don't we go to the park? It's warm outside and I know you like walking the dogs with me." I nod and get up, the pain in my hips lessening.
"That sounds like a good idea."
  The air outside is cooler than before, but it feels just as nice as the hot air. The dogs seem excited to see me and they pull me along slowly with their leashes down the sidewalk and into the grass of the park. Prussia smiles at me and shakes his head. "Italia, you can't let the dogs drag you around like that. You have to pull a tiny bit on their leashes and tell them to heel so you don't end up running after them, okay?" I nod and do as he says. The dogs respond immediately and walk slower for me. These dogs have always made me so happy. I wonder why it's not working this time. Why do I feel so upset? I did what I had to and I don't regret it at all. My family is very important to me and he should know that.
  The wind picks up and blows through my hair. This tiny change in the weather seems to have set me off because, almost immediately after the gust of wind goes away, Prussia starts freaking out. I look at him, barely able to even hear what he's saying because all of my thoughts have taken over. Tears stream down my face one after another before I find myself falling to the ground. I tighten my grip on the leashes and fall to my knees in the ground. The dogs and Prussia immediately smother me with attention, trying to cheer me up, but this time, I keep crying until I have no more tears left. My body feels drained and empty. I'm sore and everything aches. I can barely hear my heart beating anymore. Nothing matters anymore. Family is all I have if Germany doesn't want me anymore. I will move back to my house and live with Romano and Seborga, only coming out for world meetings once in a while. If Germany leaves me, I won't be able to be allies with him or Japan. I just want to go home. Get it over with already. I can't take much more of this. I raise myself, Prussia trying to follow. I shove the leashes into his hand and run away, knowing exactly where Germany is.
  The bar isn't too far from where I am so it only takes about 10 minutes to run there. The second I open the door, I spot Germany at the counter on a barstool. Multiple men whistle at me as well as women as I make my way to him. I stop in front of him, ignoring everyone. "Ve, Germany, look at me." I say. He looks away and I take his drink away. "GERMANY, LOOK AT ME NOW!" I yell, opening my eyes as I do very rarely. He turns to face me and frowns.
"Italy, give me my drink back." He growls.
"Not until you tell me what I want to know." He sighs and glares at me. I keep my hand on his drink and try to stay calm, but I can feel my body trembling. I'm scared...
"What do you want?" I take a deep breath and look him in the eyes.
"I want to know if the reason you're mad is Romano and if you plan to leave me." I say clearly. He stays quiet for a bit.
"Yes." I feel my heart drop a bit.
"Yes to which one?" I ask, terrified of the answer.
"Both." He replies, reaching for his drink. The bar goes silent as I let go of the beer. I nod and turn around, my eyes stinging.
"Before I go, let me tell you something. I was going to accept your proposal and then you would've been family. Family means everything to me and I will never abandon my family. Goodbye, Germany." I wait for a moment for his reply to know he heard me, but I get none. I turn quickly. "Did you hear me?!"
"Yes, now leave. Goodbye, Italy." He growls.
  I run out of the bar, mad at the weather for being so nice when I feel such pain. By the time I get to the house, Prussia is waiting outside for me. "I'm so glad you're back, Italia!" He stands to his feet and I walk right past him. I grab a couple things from my room, stuffing them into a bag and leaving everything else there.
"Goodbye, Prussia." I say softly. He opens his arms for a hug, but I shake my head, knowing it would be too painful. I take one last look at the house before parting and going home. Not to my own house, but to Spain's house to get Romano and say goodbye to him. Romano looks extremely happy to see me until he sees my face which is probably red from crying and running. I walk into the house, finding Spain and hugging him. He looks a bit surprised as he hugs me back.
"Going through a rough patch already?" I shake my head and leave his arms.
"No. Spain, I am going home and I'm taking Romano with me. I'm sorry, but I have to do this." I go to Romano's room and pack him everything he will need until I can get the rest of his things. It doesn't take long, but he doesn't understand. "Veneciano, what are you doing?" I pick up the phone and dial Seborga's number.
"I'm reuniting Italy so get your things and bring them to our old house. I'm calling Seborga right now." He doesn't ask any further questions before leaving. I sigh, hating to do this to him. After Seborga confirms that he is coming, I grab my things and catch up to my older twin. We stay silent for the walk, but once we get to the door, he looks at me and grabs my hand from the key in the door.
"It will be better without him. That damn potato eater was always a horrible person and I tried to tell you, but now that it's over, you have me just like the good old days before we were seperated." I nod, knowing he's trying to cheer me up, and open the door.
  The house is quiet and bright, just how I left it, everything still where it was before I left. The room in the back has the biggest bed so I set my stuff down and put away Romano's bags. It only takes a little bit. Seborga arrives shortly after and joins us in the big room. I turn on the radio and lay down, cuddling them as I listen to the soft music playing. Just like the good old days...right? I think to myself before falling asleep with my brothers.