The Price To Pay

"Hey, fratello?" Veneziano called out as he turned to the other side of the bed, facing his brother and wondering if his brother was still awake.

Romano, as Veneziano expected, was indeed awake. "Go to sleep, stupid fratellino. It's 3 in the fucking morning."

The other Italian ignored what his big brother said and continued anyway. "What would it be like if we were unified again? Ve~ I bet we'll have lots of fun!" The excitement in his voice was obvious and Romano can't help but smile a bit at how ridiculous his brother sounded.

"Fun? What's so fun about being unified?" Romano muttered under his breath. Of course, he secretly wanted Italy to be unified as well and his little brother knew that but all Veneziano did was chuckle at his brother's response.

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March 20, 1871
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The atmosphere of the meeting room was suffocating. Everyone was silent, but tense. I mean, who wouldn't be? The meeting was about who would represent Italy and who would be chosen to be "dissolved" or who would "disappear"  because there can only be one representative.

Germany can be seen rubbing his temples in frustration, and Veneziano was looking down, fidgeting. On the other hand, America looked really uncomfortable and all France could do was nervously tug at his collar from time to time. Each and every nation had their way of showing their discomfort regarding the topic and obviously, none of them liked it but they didn't have all the time in the world and a choice had to be eventually made. A choice that never really existed in the first place.

The gun placed between Romano and Veneziano is heavy with responsibility, duty, and obligation. Even as Romano hovered his eyes above the weapon, he can feel its weight on his shoulder. It was as if the gun was meant for him. He knew that it was about time he became useful.

Romano lets a shaky breath out and the deafening silence was broken when Romano stood up and slammed his fists on the table before grabbing the gun. "I'll do it."

Alarmed, his little brother sucked in a breath and before Veneziano could protest, Spain immediately shot up from his seat, surprisingly furious. "Lovino Vargas, no." Everyone's eyes were on him, and Germany, who barely showed any emotion like the stoic potato bastard he is, was caught off guard by Spain's outburst.

Romano cocked a brow in challenge. "Oh, so you'd rather have mi stupid fratello... Dissolve?" He spat out the last word bitterly, as if it was poison on his lips.

The harsh expression previously etched on Spain's face softened, taken aback by Romano's reply. "No, I didn't mean it that way--"

Romano interrupted with a satisfied smirk. "Then it's decided." He crossed his arms as his usual arrogant expression masked his face and what he truly felt.

As stubborn as Romano is, so is his little brother. "Fratello!" He cried out, eyes wide. "I can't let you do that."

As painful as it may be, Romano knew he had to find a way for his brother to back down. He can't risk having his little brother's life ruined for something like this. Romano knew how much Veneziano dreamed of having Italy unified since who-knows-how long! God, he can still remember the nights they spent together whenever he visited his fratello, the sweet and innocent look in his eyes as he enthusiastically talked about his plans after Italy would be unified, the hope in his voice and the smile on his face as he imagined all of these things. He can't afford to lose all of that, to lose his brother. Also, the last thing he wants to happen is his fratellino to blame himself for a choice Romano made. But for this to happen, sacrifices had to be made.

"Shut the fuck up, North Italy." His brother's nation name felt foreign on his tongue and it rang threateningly in his ears. He yelled these words knowing how much it would tear his brother's heart apart, knowing how much he himself would be dying inside. "I'm not doing all this shit for you."