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Watching a nation fall to the ground unconscious mid-meeting is nerve-wracking at best and heart-stopping at worst. No one noticed in the first few seconds when the personification of Italy, also known as Lovino Vargas, passed out in his seat. No one noticed until his unconscious form lost its balance and fell back, causing the chair he was in to topple over and his head to slam into the floor with a harsh THUD . 

It took only a millisecond for the personification of Spain, Antonio Carriedo, to rush to Lovino’s side with a Spanish curse and a call of the Italian’s human name. The rest of the nations watched in confused horror. Some were standing in their seats to watch. 

Alfred Jones, the personification of America, followed Antonio and found his way to Lovino’s other side. From where Ludwig Beilschmidt, Germany, sat, he could see the two fussing over the other. He watched with nervous and focused eyes, much like the rest of the room. Mouths gaped open like fish gasping for air. 

Ludwig was shocked from his frozen fear when Alfred lifted his head and shouted out, “Someone call an ambulance!” 

The German snapped his attention over to the other nations sitting at the long oval table. His hand reached for his phone like a cowboy at a standoff. However, he was slow to draw; Arthur Kirkland, England’s personification, was the first to have out his cellular and had already dialed 911. 

It didn’t take too long for the paramedics to arrive and take Lovino away, Antonio on their heels. The rest stayed quiet and still for a moment. None of them really knew where to go or what to do next. 

“I think we should halt the meeting for now,” said Ivan Braginsky, Russia. “At least until we know that Italy is alright, da?” The large man gave a worried smile to the others, seemingly trying to comfort the other anxious beings in the room. 

“He’s right.” Arthur nodded. “We can’t continue on without him anyways.” He looked up at the rest of the room before continuing, “We will finish the meeting once Italy is awake and well.” 

With a unanimous nod of agreement, the room was jumpstarted into a hustle of movement. With a nerve-calming sigh, Ludwig began packing his things to leave. 

“I hope Italy-san is alright,” said Kiku Honda, the personification of Japan who often sat beside Ludwig during meetings. 

Ludwig couldn’t find it in himself to give a good reply. All he returned was a nod and a noise of agreement. He looked over at Lovino’s seat with a frown. Something felt odd. Like a tug in the back of Ludwig’s mind that he couldn’t push away. It had been there since he woke up that morning. 

The day had started off weird. He woke to the uncomfortable feeling of an unusually cold bed. There was no reason for his bed to be so cold on an early spring morning. Especially not a bed he had been sleeping all night in. It felt as if a specter had found residence under his sheets that night. That was if you believed in that sort of thing, which Ludwig did not. 

When he got up and began to prepare for the day’s meeting he had this strange feeling that his whole routine was off somehow. As if he was forgetting something important. Despite having no earthly idea what it could have been that was causing such a feeling, that nagging sensation stayed with him all throughout the day. 

Then there was Lovino. From the moment he walked into the meeting room, the Italian seemed extremely ill. He was unusually pale and his movements held no energy. No bite to his words, not even a single curse or insult thrown to anyone in the room. 

And now the man was unconscious. It was concerning for a nation to be so ill despite there being no economic or environmental reasonings for such ailments. 

Ludwig turned to Kiku and asked the other, “Does today feel… strange to you?” The question had left his lips before he really thought about his words. 

Kiku looked up at him, a bit surprised. “Ah- yes, how did you know?” 

Ludwig frowned down at the papers still resting in his hand. “I haven’t been able to shake this feeling since I woke up this morning.” 

“You don’t think this is an omen do you?” Kiku pulled his hand up to his face to nervously rest his fingers against his lips. His shoulders stiffened and a worry line creased his forehead; he was clearly shaken by the very idea. 

Ludwig hummed and took a moment to finish putting his things back into his bag. “I’m unsure. I do not normally believe in those sorts of things, but I can agree that something odd is happening.” 

Kiku returned his hands to his side and nodded. His fear was shoved under a mask of determined confidence. “I believe we should all be cautious, in case whatever happened to Italy-san could happen to any of us.” 

“You make this sound like some kind of epidemic,” Ludwig said with a sigh. His hand instinctively found its way to his hair, his palm running over slicked-back locks. “I doubt it’s anything like that.”

“True, but it is not unwise to take caution.” 

“You’re right,” Ludwig replied, his hands finding their way to his hips. “Especially when one of our own is so ill.” It was true that nations could get sick but not in the same way humans could. And where there were ways to make them physically feel some kind of relief, they often were forced to wait out any sickness they contracted. As most if not all of it was a correlation to something happening to their respective homes. No one really knew enough about their species, for lack of a better term, to know what to do if there was actually an ailment going around their ranks. Ludwig knew from Kiku’s face that these thoughts were a mutual worry and he guessed it was the same for anyone else in the room. 

With nothing more anyone could really do, all the nations went back to their respective homes. Ludwig opted to stay up an extra few hours than normal in case any news on his fellow nation came through. However, when midnight rolled around and there was still nothing, he retreated to his room to get at least some rest. 

The meeting was supposed to last all weekend. Now that it was on hold, Ludwig was actually free for the next two days. This didn’t change the fact that he was still determined to keep his sleep schedule as usual. Not only that but it was always a challenge waking up- waking… huh? 

Ludwig paused, his hand on the door to his bedroom. Waking up who? He frowned at nothing, his gaze becoming unfocused as he tried to chase that thought process. The only person that currently lived with him was Gilbert, his brother, the former personification of Prussia. And where it was a fact that the elder Beilschmidt would rather die than wake up earlier than nine in the morning (eight if you were really lucky), Ludwig never took up such a responsibility of waking the other up. So why the sudden thought? 

The feeling returned tenfold. The feeling that something important was missing. He was forgetting something, but what? Ludwig was not as scatterbrained as his brother and hardly ever forgot anything especially when pertaining to his strict schedules. Ludwig lived life by the organized second. Or at least, he tried to. 

He let out an aggravated sigh that really sounded more like a groan. He knew there was no possibility that he had actually forgotten something. He hoped that it was just stress and that sleep would take the edge off this horrible feeling. 

Sleep did the exact opposite. 

Instead of bringing him comfort, sleep only brought Ludwig confusion in the form of a strange dream. 

He was smaller, as if he were a child again. At first, he didn’t understand where he was. It took him a moment to realize it was the home of the Austrian personification, Roderich Edelstein. Despite the strange dream feeling so much more like a memory, there was no possible way it was such. Ludwig was raised in the house of Prussia sometime after the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. Not only was this the wrong place to be a memory but something in him told him it was the wrong time as well. 

Despite viewing the dream from a first-person perspective, Ludwig had no control over what his dream self was doing. 

He watched in the confines of his mind as his dream self walked down the hall of the Austrian house and towards a large ornate door. The door was probably regular size and instead, it was Ludwig’s dream self that was much smaller than normal.

Very gently, he put a hand on the door and pushed it open as slowly and quietly as he could. Inside the room was a little girl cleaning. 

Ludwig was sure he had never seen this child before in his life and yet… his heart rammed in his chest as he felt his dream self’s face flush. There was something so painfully familiar about this little girl. Her auburn hair, sunkissed skin. Clearly she was one to enjoy playing outside as much as Roderich would allow. Maybe even taking siestas in the soft grass of the front lawn. 

Why did he know that? Was this really only a dream? 

The little girl turned towards him. Her eyes naturally were lidded and along with her long lashes, it almost seemed like they were closed completely. However, when she noticed Ludwig her eyes widened for the briefest moment. 

Ludwig’s heart stopped in his chest. It was as if glistening amber gemstones had somehow magically replaced what should have been eyes. 

As soon as they were there, they were gone again, shrouded under those long lashes.

The girl’s mouth moved but Ludwig did not hear what she said. It seemed as if she were addressing him but his name did not come from her voice. 

Ludwig’s dream self opened his mouth as if to say something. Ludwig wouldn’t get to hear it. 

The loud sound of his alarm broke through the dream’s fragile casing and shoved Ludwig back into the waking world with little warning. 

That morning was just as bad, if not worse than the one before. That feeling, the nagging sensation, it only got worse and tugged harder. He tried to go about his day normally to no avail. He ended up at the kitchen table replaying his dream in his mind’s eye over and over again. 

By the time 9:20 rolled around, Gilbert found his way into the kitchen with a loud yawn, snapping Ludwig from his thoughts. 

“Guten morgen, Bruder,” Ludwig greeted. 

Gilbert only replied with a half-hearted wave and a mumble that sounded like a very sad excuse for the German language. Ludwig watched as his brother made a beeline for the coffee machine and began to pour what was left of what Ludwig had brewed into his own mug. 

Once Gilbert was satisfied with the first sip he moved over to sit across the table from Ludwig. 

The younger did not speak up at first, only watched his brother sip at his coffee. It was most likely room temperature.

“Well?” Gilbert’s voice pulled Ludwig’s eyes from the mug to his brother’s face. 

“Hm?” Ludwig said.

“You’ve been watching me drink my coffee for like seven minutes now. What’s on ya mind, West?” 

Ludwig couldn’t help opening then closing his mouth like a koi fish at that. Sometimes it was scary how well the other could pinpoint when something was wrong. “I um,” he paused and looked down at his own half-empty mug. “You had been to the Austrian house back during the Holy Roman Empire period, ja?” 

This caused Gilbert to look up and place his mug down. The way he looked at Ludwig caused the younger to feel like he was being examined. There was a thinking, calculating look in the former country’s eyes. 

Finally, he spoke up with a shrug. “Ja. Always smelt like piano wax. Why?” 

“Was there ever a little girl that lived there with him?” 

Gilbert raised a brow at him. “I mean, there was Elizabeta, but I’d hardly call her ‘little’.” 

“No, not her. A little girl with short brown hair. She almost looked like Lovino.”

Gilbert frowned at that. He looked more confused than anything else. “No? I mean, ja, before the whole, like, unification thing there was some Italian territory that Austria owned. But Lovino never lived with them. He grew up with Antonio.” 

“I know, I know,” Ludwig huffed. “I wasn’t saying it was Lovino. It just looked like him.” 

There was a pause. 

“Why the sudden questions? What girl are you talking about?” 

Ludwig wasn’t sure how to answer that. Did he tell Gilbert about the strange feeling he’d been having lately? About how he was almost positive they had something to do with that odd, memory-like dream? 

With a sigh, he shook his head and said, “It was nothing. Nevermind. Just had a strange dream last night.” 

Before Gilbert could reply and try to squeeze the truth from his brother, Ludwig stood from the table and said, “I’m going to visit Lovino in the hospital and check in on Antonio.” 

The Prussian blinked a couple of times as if processing what the hell any of that was. He then stood up as well and smiled. “Ja, I’ll go too! Knowing Ant he probably passed out on a chair from worrying all night long,” he explained with a laugh. 

Ludwig knew Lovino didn’t like him. He knew the Italian nation would rather Ludwig fall in a river than visit him in the hospital. However, that strange tug was telling him that if he wanted answers to that dream then he would have to go to Italy. 

So that was where he and his brother went. It was a short flight before they were walking into the hospital where Lovino was being kept. The lady at the front desk instructed them on where to go and they did as they were told. 

A gentle knock summoned the door to open, Antonio peeking out from the inside to see who it was. He grinned brightly when he saw the two, taking Gilbert into a hug. It didn’t take a genius to realize Gilbert was right. The Spaniard was clearly exhausted, dark rings under his eyes that Ludwig had never seen on the man before. Though it didn’t come as too much of a shock. Antonio and Lovino were close, of course he would be worried. 

Instead of inviting them into the room, Antonio moved forward to keep them in the hall, shutting the door softly behind him. 

“It’s good to see you both, my friends.”

“How is he?” Gilbert asked. 

Antonio’s smile faltered and lost some of its warmth. “He is still unconscious. So far the doctors can not tell what has happened to him. I have been keeping tabs with his boss and things seem to be fine home wise.” He sighed sadly and ran a hand through his hair. “No one knows what’s going on or what to do.” 

A sorrowful silence found its way to the hall. It was almost suffocating to Ludwig. He looked at Antonio and his brother. Both of them mirrored his own look of anxious sadness. They tried not to let their hopelessness show on their face. But this kind of situation? How were any of them supposed to react other than with a sense of pure dread? 

“Ah,” Antonio spoke up. He looked at the brothers with a smile that he tried so hard to pull off naturally. “You two can come in and sit if you would like. I just ask you not to be too loud. Lovino gets grumpy if you bother him in his sleep.” 

Gilbert smiled at the poor attempt at a joke as Antonio opened the door to lead them both in. 

Ludwig took a step towards the room when that tug in his mind started up again. His head felt as if another force was turning it against his will and his eyes followed to look down the hospital hall. 

Down at the end, where the four hallways intersected, was the little girl from his dream. Despite not being able to see her eyes, Ludwig could feel her looking directly at him. After a split second, she turned and started to run down another hallway. 

On impulse, Ludwig moved to follow, catching Antonio and Gilbert’s attention. He stopped and looked over at them. 

“I, um, I am going to go get something to drink. I will be right back.” Before either of them could reply, Ludwig was already on the move towards the hall she had disappeared in. He didn’t dare run, not wanting to make a scene. Instead, he walked as quickly as he could while still trying to be natural. 

When he turned toward the hall the girl had fled down he saw her again. She was standing in front of a door to another room. She looked at him again before walking in, leaving the door ajar. 

She wanted him to follow her. 

It wasn’t just the little girl who wanted him to follow her. The persistent tugging of his mind seemed to agree. With little hesitation, Ludwig walked up to the door and very slowly opened it wide enough to step into the room. 

It was dark and quiet. He took another step in and looked around. There, on the bed, was a boy. He was a blond teen who was clearly very sick. Ludwig was no doctor but even he could see this child didn’t have much time left. 

Ludwig was about to apologize for intruding but he stopped when he saw the boy move. 

He looked at Ludwig but didn’t seem to actually see him. Instead, his gaze moved past him and towards the window. The only light in the room was from a small crack in the curtains. The soft sunlight gently caressed the boy’s sickly features as if to try and comfort him in his final hours. His blue eyes glistened with a feeling of sorrow that Ludwig felt deep in his own soul. 

He didn’t understand what he was looking at, or why he was looking in the first place. What he did understand was that this child would be dead in a matter of minutes. He understood that this child felt heartbreaking sorrow and loneliness. He understood that there was a twang of guilt in that sorrow. A broken promise. A lost love. Foolish mistakes that could have been avoided. 

But all that sorrow, all that guilt, none of it would change the past. And so the boy smiled at the sunlight. A tear fell softly down his cheek. Ludwig was surprised to feel his own tear, matching that of the boy’s. 

So many questions, but all of them died on Ludwig’s tongue. Who was this child? Why was such a young man feeling such heavy things on his deathbed? Why could Ludwig feel all of it?  

The moment broke and shattered when the door of the room slammed open, breaking Ludwig from whatever strange trance he was in. He snapped his head to look behind him. Before he could even register what was going on, Lovino had grabbed his shirt collar and slammed him back into the closest wall. Pain blossomed where his head made impact. 

“Where is he!” Lovino screamed at Ludwig. 

He? Ludwig didn’t understand. Just moments ago Lovino was unconscious and Ludwig was watching a random child die. 

“Lovino, stop!” Antonio cried as he and Gilbert ran in, following the Italian. 

Ludwig didn’t have time to answer. Instead, Lovino yelled his question again, louder, angrier, more desperate. Then the third time the question was thrown it was soft, sad, broken. Tears fell from Lovino right before he let go of Ludwig and slumped to the ground. 

The larger nation was quick enough to catch him before he hit the floor, gently kneeling to get a better and less painful grip to hold him up. 

Lovino had passed out again. Ludwig looked over him with wide, confused eyes. He then remembered the boy.

Worried that they had disturbed him, Ludwig looked over to the bed. It was empty. The sheets and pillows made as if there had been no one there from the start. An empty bed in an empty room. 

The nurses helped lift Lovino off of Ludwig and started to take him back to his own room. While Antonio followed them, Gilbert came to help Ludwig back to his feet. 

“What the hell?” Ludwig whispered under his breath, just loud enough for his brother to hear. 

“I have no idea,” the elder replied. “Ant and I were talking and suddenly Lovino snapped awake and bolted out the door. We barely were quick enough to follow him here.” 

Ludwig looked from Gilbert to the door. What had he meant? Who was Lovino talking about? And why did he think Ludwig had any answers? If anything, Ludwig had felt more lost than ever the past few days. He had no answers. He only had questions. Questions that seemingly no one could answer. 

“Hey, speaking of,” Gilbert spoke up again, bringing Ludwig’s attention back to him. “What the hell were you doing in this room, West?” 

“Ah, um, well…” Ludwig trailed off. He wasn’t sure how to answer that. 

“You’ve been acting really freaky these past few days. Did you eat a bad potato or something?” 

Ludwig only rolled his eyes at his brother’s comment. “It’s nothing,” he replied and moved to leave the room. He was stopped by Gilbert’s hand on his arm. He turned back to his brother. A worried look creased his face and brought a distant sadness to his eyes. It was an unusual sight so see such a look on his brother. 

“I’m serious, Luddy. Are you okay? You’re freaking me out.” 

Ludwig’s brow furrowed softly. He wanted nothing more than to quell the other’s worry. But how could he? If anyone could see past Ludwig’s lying it would always be Gilbert. 

“I,” he sighed. “I’m just stressed out.” It wasn’t a lie but it also wasn’t the full truth. One look at Gilbert’s face showed that he knew that but was going to let it slide for now. 

Gilbert let go of the other before beginning to speak again. “I’m gonna stay here with Ant. If you wanna go home I don’t mind, but like,” he paused and frowned. “Antonio needs support right now, ya know? Francis is coming down too. We’re gonna get a hotel room for the night.” 

Ludwig nodded at that. “If it is alright, I would like to stay too.” 

Gilbert looked as if he wasn’t really expecting that reply. Ludwig didn’t hold it against him. He and Lovino never got along and in all truth, it probably would be for the best if Ludwig wasn’t around when the other woke up. 

“I probably won’t stick around the hospital,” Ludwig continued. “But I’ll stay in Italy in case you or the others need me for something.” 

Gilbert gave a smile at that. “Aw, West! I knew we can always count on you!” He gave the younger a laugh and a pat on the back that felt more like a slap. 

Sleep came to Ludwig that night, but not without a price. 

Again he dreamed from the view of a much younger body in a memory-like state. Again he was in the Austrian house. And, again, he was with the strange young girl. 

The two of them were sitting outside. The cool breeze felt like heaven as it sang softly through the leaves and grass around them. He watched as the little girl picked wildflowers and strung them together in the most delicate way. She had a focused look on her face as she worked. 

Once she was done she smiled and turned to Ludwig. 

“Take off your hat!” She demanded in a cheery tone. 

Ludwig’s dream self reached up to his head and pulled off the hat he didn’t even know he was wearing. Once it was off, the little girl stood up and gently placed the large ring of flowers on his head. 

“Ah! You look so cute with the flower crown!” She giggled and clapped her hands together. 

Ludwig could feel his dream self blush and return her smile. His gaze then moved to a similar crown in his lap. Only this one wasn’t as well made or beautiful. It was loose and looked as if it would fall apart at any moment. The flowers looked as if they had been accidentally squished while he was trying to tie them together. 

Dream Ludwig gave a frustrated noise then looked up at the girl sadly. “I’m sorry,” he sighed. “Mine does not look as nice as yours. I think I messed it up,” he mumbled the last part with a frown. 

“Nonsense!” She smiled, bringing his attention back to her. “It’s very good for your first try! It’s perfect.” She then sat back down on the grass, closer to him now. She leaned forward and pulled off the cloth in her hair. 

He laid the flowers on her head much as she had just done to him. She moved back to sit straight and smiled at him, letting out another giggle. 

With a content sigh, she turned away from him to look off to the horizon. The grass was bright as its dew glistened in the sunlight. The wind caused the grass to sway, making the light bounce and dance. It was beautiful. However, Ludwig noticed that his dream self was not looking at the beautiful scenery. Instead, his eyes were focused on the girl next to him. 

“I wish things could always be this peaceful,” she said in a sad little voice. 

Ludwig wanted to ask what she meant, but whether the dream would let him or not didn’t matter. The next second he was opening his eyes to morning light shining in from his hotel window. 

He sat up in the bed and put his hand to his face. It wasn’t the same dream he had the night before, but it left him just as confused and disoriented. 

He looked over at the bed beside his. His brother was gone. It was strange to know that Gilbert was up and awake before seven in the morning. However, it didn’t surprise Ludwig too much. Antonio, Francis and he had all been friends for longer than Ludwig could remember. 

Ludwig looked to the window where the light came from. The sun’s beams shone through like liquid gold pouring into the room around him. It felt much too warm and happy when all Ludwig could feel in that moment was cold and sorrowful. 

He decided it would be a waste of the day to just sulk in a hotel. And Lovino didn’t need any more people filling up his hospital room. Instead, Ludwig decided to explore some of the town. He had always loved Italy. The country was a favorite among his people, him included. 

He spent the day wandering the streets of Venice. He stopped at shops and markets. He even had lunch at a small cafe. He decided to pick up some things for Gilbert and the others as well. Ludwig knew full well Antonio wasn’t going to leave the hospital of his own accord, and Gilbert and Francis wouldn’t want to leave him alone, either. 

He was headed toward the hospital, bags in hand, when his gaze floated off the path. The tugging in his mind pulled it across the water to the other side of the street. His eyes fixated on a man whom Ludwig would swear on his life he knew, though he could not place his name.

He was clearly a native Italian. He had bouncy auburn locks that moved with his head at every turn, a long stray curl coming from the side that seemed to dance with a mind of its own. Despite seeing the man in profile, Ludwig could not see his eyes as they almost looked closed. He couldn’t be sure. He was too far away. 

He was talking to a vendor, so he was clearly real (more than Ludwig could say for the children he saw yesterday). Ludwig took a step forward to… what? Go towards him? Despite the tugging in his head and the horribly strange feeling that hadn’t left him since Friday, Ludwig did not know this man. 

His sudden movement did not go unnoticed in the Italian’s peripheral vision. He turned to look over at Ludwig for only a split second, before suddenly turning to walk down a different street altogether. Was he… running away from Ludwig? No, that was ridiculous. 

Ludwig shook the thoughts from his head and continued on his way back to the hospital. He greeted the front desk then continued on to Lovino’s room. He gave a gentle tap to the door to alert his presence. This time it was Francis who opened the door. The personification of France gave a tired smile at Ludwig in greeting. 

“Bonjour,” he greeted and opened the door to let Ludwig in. His voice was just as weary as his smile. One look at his brother and Antonio told him that all three men were the same way. Ludwig was never the best at reading emotions but he could tell they were all exhausted emotionally. It was a sad sight. One that truly hurt Ludwig to watch. But really, what could any of them do? Such a situation was new to them, unheard of. No one had answers. 

He moved into the room and set down his bags on the ground. “I went to some of the markets today and picked up some stuff.” 

Antonio smiled weakly at him. It was almost painful to see all that energetic life drained from the man. “Muchas gracias, Luddy.” 

Ludwig gave a nod and moved to sit next to Gilbert, who was already elbow-deep in the snacks that Ludwig had brought with him. 

“Also,” he started towards his brother, who gave him a side glance, “I called our Boss today and he said he would walk and feed the dogs and your bird while we are away.” 

“Oh hell yeah,” Gilbert said as he stuffed a cannoli into his mouth in one horrible-to-watch bite. “Good thinking, West!” He gave a slap to Ludwig’s shoulder. 

Ludwig looked away from his brother’s impolite eating habits and towards Lovino. The other nation looked peaceful in his sleep, yet still sickly and hauntingly frail. If Ludwig didn’t know any better he’d say Lovino looked—

He forced that thought to stop. He didn’t need to think about that. Such thoughts would only make things worse. Though… now that Ludwig really looked at the other he… kind of looked like the man he saw earlier. Actually now that his mind was on that train of thought Lovino really looked like the man from earlier. In fact, Ludwig would even go as far as to say they could be related, maybe even siblings. 

That brought the question, “Who did he mean by ‘he’?” 

The other three men stopped their snacking and looked at Ludwig. 

“Quoi?” questioned Francis. 

“Lovino,” Ludwig started to explain. “When he came to me yesterday. He kept asking where ‘ he ’ was. Like he was looking for someone and thought I knew where to find them.” Ludwig looked up to Antonio. “Do you have any idea what he might have been talking about?”

Antonio looked just as confused as Ludwig felt. He looked over to Lovino, his brow furrowing deep into his face. “I- no. I have no idea.” He then put a hand to his chin and rubbed from there to the back of his neck with a noise of confusion. “But I… I feel almost like I should?” 

The four of them sat in a strange silence for a moment. 

It was Francis who broke it. “I must admit, I feel similarly. As if… since Friday something has been… missing? Like I am forgetting something important but cannot for the life of me figure out what.” 

Gilbert nodded at that.

“Kiku said the same thing. I’ve been feeling it as well,” Ludwig stated. 

“Do you think it has something to do with Lovi?” Antonio questioned. He gave a worried glance over to Lovino. 

“I am not sure,” Ludwig said sadly.

Francis put a hand on Antonio’s shoulder and smiled at him. “Do not worry, mon ami. We will figure this out and Lovino will be good as new in no time.” 

Antonio smiled up at the other and thanked him softly. 

The rest of the evening switched between silence and soft chatter. They ate in the cafeteria for dinner and once it began to get dark Ludwig, Gilbert, and Francis said their goodbyes and headed off back towards the hotel. 

That night’s dream was different. 

Instead of watching his younger dream self again, he was in his own body. He was no longer at the Austrian house. There was no little girl. Instead this time it was a little boy. He looked almost exactly like the girl. If it hadn’t been for dream intuition or whatever it was, Ludwig might have thought they were the same person. Only the little boy’s hair and skin were a shade or two darker than the girl’s, and his eyes were not amber but instead dark emeralds. 

The little boy looked up at Ludwig with an anger in his eyes. The kind of childish anger that little kids used to mask a deeper sadness. An emotion they didn’t yet truly understand. 

“Bring him back,” the little boy hissed at Ludwig. 

“I—” He had no idea what the child was telling him, but the little boy gave him no time to question it. 

“He’s out there! You have to bring him back!” He clutched at his shirt tightly. His angry mask crumbled, tears filling his eyes before spilling over down his cheeks. “He’s alone and now I’m alone! We need each other! You have to bring him back! Why are you asleep? Bring him back!” 

The shout was enough to knock Ludwig out of his dream completely. 

Ludwig shot upright. With no hesitation he threw himself from the bed, putting on pants and a jacket before running from his hotel room. 

He didn’t know where he was going. He didn’t know what to look for. The dark of Venice consumed his vision and made everything more confusing than before. The pulling feeling in his head became a pulsing ache. It was yanking his feet down roads he didn’t recognize. 

He should stop. He was going to get himself lost. He didn’t even have his phone with him. 

He kept running. 

The tug on his mind started to settle into his heart. Like his very being was being pulled desperately towards something important. 

Then it stopped. 

Standing before him was the little girl. 

Just like in the hospital, she looked up at him then ran. 

This was no hospital and Ludwig didn’t have time to waste. He sprinted after her as fast as his feet would carry him. Down streets and around corners. He didn’t know where he was going but he didn’t let that stop him. He kept running. Until finally, they stopped at an alleyway. 

Ludwig bent over to rest his hands on his knees and try to regain his breath. What was happening? Why was he out here past midnight chasing this little girl? 

“Holy Rome, please wait!” 

The voice caused Ludwig to snap back to attention and look towards the other end of the alley. From the other side, a man came running in. It was the one from the street. The one Ludwig felt like he knew. In fact, standing here where he could see them both together, Ludwig knew. This man was the little girl from his dreams. He was the girl Ludwig had been following since he arrived in Italy. He didn’t know how or what that meant but he knew it as truth. 

The man stopped and tried to catch his breath. Ludwig wanted to say something but his voice was gone. Instead, the only sound in the alley was the Italian’s heavy breathing. 

Finally, he looked up and towards Ludwig. He looked at him with wide, startled, amber eyes. 

All the air from Ludwig’s body was gone. His heart and head hammered so hard against his very body that he thought he might pass out at any moment. 

“You—”

Ludwig couldn’t finish before the man turned and tried to make a run for it. But Ludwig was faster. “Wait!” He grabbed the man’s wrist, stopping him. 

“Please,” he tried. “Wait.” 

The man stilled in Ludwig’s grasp but didn’t look at the other. 

“Who are you?” 

A silence. A silence so heavy and suffocating that Ludwig felt like he would drown. 

“I’m no one,” the man replied, looking down at his own feet. 

No. After all this, Ludwig would not accept such an answer. There was a connection between this man, those dreams, Lovino. 

Ludwig’s hand went from the man’s wrist to his shoulder to turn him around. “Who are you?” he asked again. This time with more force, more desperation. 

The man wouldn’t look up at him. Instead, he kept his gaze to the ground. 

“Please,” Ludwig pleaded. 

The man began to shake and sniffle. His beads of tears gently fell to the ground below. 

“I’m no one,” he cried. “Why won’t you forget? Please, it’s better for everyone if you just forget.” 

“Forget what?”

“Me!” The man snapped his head up to look at Ludwig. Amber eyes full of sorrow and pain met confused blue ones. Tears flooded the man’s features like the Acqua Alta flooding the streets of Venice. 

Ludwig couldn’t describe it, but at that moment, he knew who this man was. He couldn’t put a name to him or even some kind of title, but he knew. “Please, just tell me what is going on.” 

The Italian frowned. He looked down again, his fists clenched at his sides. “I made a wish.”

“A wish?”

“To be human. To be forgotten.” 

Something in Ludwig’s heart broke at such a confession. “Why would you do such a thing?” 

“Because! It’s too much! I’ve lived for so long and seen so many horrible things! Nonno, Holy Rome, even Romano has gone through so much so many scars and so much fighting. When all I can do is run away.” He grabbed at the end of his shirt. “There’s never going to be a moment of peace. A time when our bosses are not pitting us against each other. There was even a time when I—” he paused and the fist on his shirt tightened. “I was forced against you.” He paused and breathed in deeply to try and calm his sobs. “It was a stupid, selfish wish but… I thought that maybe if I stayed away if I stayed forgotten, things would be a little better. You and Fratello wouldn’t have to keep worrying over me. Maybe it would lessen the burden on you?” 

That was all Ludwig could take. He grabbed the man and pulled him against his chest, holding him close. “That’s ridiculous,” he spat. “You said it yourself, didn’t you? When you’re in a bind, I will always come to help you out. If I were in trouble you would come to my aid as well. Nothing has changed.” 

The Italian lifted his hand and curled his fist into Ludwig’s shirt, pressing closer against him. Ludwig was not looking down at a broken country, he was looking down at a broken man. This realization pierced his core. 

“Lovino, Kiku and I, even some of the others. No matter what our Bosses have us do as countries, as people we will be there for you. We are more than just allies. Much more.” Ludwig wanted to say something else but he couldn’t bring himself to. Despite what he held true in his heart, now wasn’t the time. But maybe someday soon. “You’ve helped me in more ways than you realize. You’re much more important to me than you realize. To all of us.” 

Ludwig realized the other had begun to cry again. He let out a breath and put one of his hands on the smaller man’s head, gently rubbing a thumb over his hair. He looked out towards the water, calm and quiet. For once he didn’t feel confused or like something was missing. On the other side of the water, he saw the little girl again. 

Only she was no longer alone. Beside her, holding her hand, was the boy from the hospital. Only he was younger and much healthier. The two smiled at Ludwig then turned to each other. Sweetly smiling at one another, they embraced. And with a soft glow of light, they were gone. 

It was strange. Ludwig felt like something had been lifted from him. A sadness he didn’t even realize he was carrying till now. 

“Feliciano,” he said softly.

Feli looked up at Ludwig, his eyes red and cheeks stained with tears. 

“You have to set this right.” 

Feliciano’s gaze became distant before it moved back to Ludwig. He nodded. 

“Take me to Lovino.” 

Sneaking Feliciano into his brother’s hospital room actually wasn’t that hard at all, thankfully. When they entered, Antonio was asleep on the chair next to Lovino’s bed. Ludwig was sure the man hadn’t left since Friday. 

Feliciano let go of Ludwig and walked to Lovino. He placed his hand over his brother’s and gently pressed their foreheads together. 

“Fratello, mi dispiace.” 

Feliciano pulled away only enough to stand up straight and look over at Ludwig. “You asked me who I was.” He closed his eyes and pulled in a calming breath. “I am Italy Veneziano.” 

With those words, everything snapped back into place. Every memory, every emotion, all of it fit perfectly back into Ludwig’s mind. 

Before he could speak, Lovino shot upright in his bed, eyes wide and startled. The life and color were already flowing back into him. 

“Veneziano!” he gasped out and grabbed the other into a tight embrace. 

“Fratello!” Feliciano returned the hold, almost climbing into the bed himself to be closer to the other. “I’m so so sorry. I’ll never do it again I promise!” 

Lovino mumbled something to the other that only caused Feliciano to smile through his tears as they continued to hold each other. 

Ludwig smiled at the sight. He found what he was missing. He found what was so important.