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Italy’s daemon’s name is Bella. Germany learns this after a few days of keeping him prisoner.
Bella likes being a ferret, bouncing around the Italian’s shoulders and giggling. She’s quick, and provides an interesting challenge to Addie. She and Bella seem to get along, and once on a long and rainy day, he sees the two daemons playing.
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Germany’s daemon’s name is Adelaide, or Addie for short. Italy learns this months after they meet the duo.
Addie is usually a German Shepherd, loping silently at Germany’s side, clean and healthy. Bella likes to challenge her, and they play more than they train.
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Italy’s away with his annoying brother, Romano, when Addie says what they’ve tried to deny for years.
Germany’s doing paperwork, and Addie turns into a gray cat, then jumps on his desk. Germany looks up, somewhat annoyed.
“Vhat now?” He asks.
“Nothing. Except…” Her voice trails off, and her tail flicks. “I miss them. When they’re gone.”
Germany thinks about that for a second. “It’s too quiet.” He says, agreeing.
“Do you think…” Addie sighs, and gazes out the door. “Do you think that we care too much. I mean, if… If Italy and Bella got hurt because of us…” Addie’s voice trailed off.
Germany patted her head. He understands what she’s trying to say.
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Bella remembers Addie after the first world war.
Ginnifer and Marie, a lioness and a wolf, were growling at her. Addie was thin and worn looking, with wounds on her sides and a torn ear.
She remembers Addie shivering, as if cold. Bella knew that the economy tanked and the people were starving and the government was unstable. She knew that Germany looked worse, and that England and France knew no mercy.
“I’m sorry.” Bella had said.
“It’s not your fault.” Addie had said, but she didn’t seem to mean it. Bella wouldn’t of minded taking the blame.
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Addie after the second world war was worse.
She looked starved and half wild. She had wounds all over her back, and she’d been branded.
Addie shook like a leaf, and flinched when Mel snapped at her.
“Addie, what did they do to you?” Bella had whispered.
Addie didn’t look at her. “We didn’t agree with Hitler. So he locked me away.”
Bella had remembered when Addie escaped that one time and ran all the way to France. She had splinters in her paws and the brand had been fresh. She didn’t say then.
Bella remembers growling softly in the back of her throat, anger overwhelming her. “If I had known…” Bella doesn’t finish because Addie lightly nuzzles her shoulder.
“It’s over now.” Addie says. “We’ll survive-we always have.”
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Germany has nightmares.
Not as frequent as he used to, mind you, but they’re still there. Some nights, when Italy sleeps with Germany, Germany will start muttering in his sleep. Then he’d start to shift and whimper, and there were occasions when he start to cry.
So one night, instead of waking Addie up to soothe him, Bella decides to be adventurous.
She turns into a ferret and crawls up to Italy’s chest. Bella sighed and shifted again, this time into a cat.
Germany muttered something in his sleep and he flinched. It must’ve been one of his war nightmares.
Bella steps lightly on Germany’s arm. Normally, touching a human that wasn’t her’s felt like touching a live wire. But with Germany, a feeling that can only be described as coming home races through her. She climbs onto Germany’s chest and lays down.
A fearful look crosses his face for a second, and Bella’s heart breaks a little. “It’s okay, piccolo guerriero. You’re just dreaming. No one will hurt you now.” She whispers.
It breaks her heart to see big, strong Germany, so weak and so vulnerable.
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It’s Addie who starts to remember first.
She remembers little Bella, a fearful little puppy under Ilysia’s glare.
She remembers cobblestone streets, and fighting France for Italy’s sake.
She remembers blood everywhere.
Eventually she pieces everything together, and the truth hurts.
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Bella’s known for a very long time.
She remembered Del’s full name. She remembered Holy Rome’s face. She remembered loving her for eons and eons, and how much it hurt when a wounded Ilysia told her that Del was dead.
From the day she met Germany though, she knew. Holy Rome was not dead, just transformed.
But they don’t remember, and god that hurts.
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“Bella?”
“Yes?”
“I think I’m in love with you.”
“Love you too, Del.”
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Germany does not recognize his emotions. They’ve piled up inside his brain, and he’s not quite certain on what to do or what they are.
“You’re in love, you dummkopf.” Addie says, like the caring motherly figure he almost wished he had.
He doesn’t want to believe her-love between two nations is very hard- but Addie doesn’t lie, not to him.
He looks at her and she wags her tail. “Don’t worry, they love us too. Well, at least Bella does.”
“Some how that’s not comforting.”
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Valentine’s Day was a bust (for the humans at least-Addie and Bella laugh to themselves.).
Germany tries, he really, really does. But after years of suppressing emotions, it’s really hard to admit that he’s in love.
“Marie?” Addie flops down next to the beautiful Brittany Spaniel during a break in a world meeting.
“What?” Marie sounds tired-she always does these days- but she glances at Addie.
“My human’s hopeless.”
“How so?”
“He’s been trying to tell Italy that he loves him and he’s sucking ass,”
Marie chuckles. “And you’re asking me for help?”
Addie shakes her head. “No, I’m leaving that to Germany. I mainly wanted someone to bitch to.”
“Fair enough.” Marie says. “So, do you think America and England are together?”
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Addie and Marie gossip throughout the meeting, because their lives are the best soap operas ever, and they are so going to take advantage of that.
England and America have a relationship cosists of ‘I hate you lets go fuck’. Austria, Hungary and Prussia still are the never-ending love triangle of doom, despite the fact that Prussia’s dating Canada. China and Russia have been fighting again, poor dearies, they’ll get back together by the end of the month.
Then there’s them.
France has an on-and-off thing with Scotland, which isn’t going to last. He’s probably in love with England, but England’s with America, so it’s not gonna happen.
Germany is head over heels for the ever oblivious Italy. Enough said there.
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Germany was shy about his feelings for a few more years, then they planned.
France gave some good pointers, and Addie was really hoping it’d work, because at this point the longing looks and wistful sighs were getting annoying.
“I swear to god, Germany, if you back out of this then I will bite you in the ass so hard.” Addie growled, head butting the back of Germany’s thigh to get him out the door.
“I von’t, I von’t. But what if he says no, or if he-”Germany was cut off mid-sentence.
“Germany, we will burn that bridge when we get there.” Addie said sternly.
They’d settled for meeting at a café in Venice. It was beautiful out, with night falling and the low, happy hum of the crowd around them.
Italy was waiting for them, with Bella at his side. She was an Italian Greyhound now, black and white, like she was wearing a tux.
Perfect.
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Scratch that-not perfect.
Halfway through the meal the plan hit’s a snag, and Germany internally panics.
Addie rests her head in his lap. ‘Calm down, it’s okay, just breathe.’ She seems to say.
The rest of the plan goes smoothly. Well, right up until Germany tries to confess.
He’s shuffling his feet and blushing and oh shit not now. Germany’s floundering, poor little shit.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand.” Italy says, confused.
Addie sighs. Leave it to her to save her human’s ass.
“Italy, what he’s trying to say-what we’ve been trying to say for years- is that,” Addie looks at her human, embarrassed as hell, but regaining confidence. She looks at him, and nods. ‘You can do this.’
“I-I love you.” Germany is looking at the ground, face flush and heart pounding. For such a strong man, he was so embarrassed by the little things.
It seems to dawn on Italy, and his smile is soft and his eyes are warm. He walks to Germany, and Germany looks up. He and Italy are face to face.
“Ti amo troppo” He says, and he kisses Germany.
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It’s not happily ever after. They know this.
But it sure as hell feels nice.
They wake up in the same bed, daemons sprawled all over. They make breakfast, they train, they talk, they kiss, they…Well it’d be easier to list what they don’t do.
As Addie lays half on Germany, half on Italy, she smiles.
“We have loved you since the year 900.”