A/N: This is the first Itacest piece I've written in a long while, and this new piece is written with the experience I've gained over time and gives a better depiction of these two brothers than I could've ever managed before. I hope it's enjoyable, and that it's much better than my past attempts at writing these two.

Enjoy!

Feliciano could've sworn that Lovino had purposefully brushed their hands together on the day of their unification.

Regardless of whether he did or not, however, Feliciano reached out to grasp it, giving it a soft squeeze, as he leaned heavily and tiredly against his brother's arm and side. Lovino squeezed his hand back, and watched the sun set, other hand still clutched around their new flag.

Trying to find a rhythm of life after their unification was difficult. The two brothers had spent most of their lives apart either due to being owned and tossed around between the other European powers, or simply from being too wrapped up in their own homes and politics to pay much attention to each other.

They were practically strangers on the day they moved into their new countryside home together, but they tried to make it cozy despite it all.

It was a slow-going process. War tended to drain money from the nations' personal coffers, as well as that of the government's. But despite the struggles that came with trying to organize a newly formed and unified Italy, the brothers managed to get themselves a rather roomy home, as their new kingdom made sure to treat their nations well and provide them with something more than comfortable.

After all, a happy home between the brothers would be prospective of a good future for Italy, wouldn't it?

So Feliciano and Lovino stepped into their new, rather lovely house, and started to make it a home.

For the first decade, Lovino claimed the master bedroom and Feliciano took another smaller bedroom, but by the second decade, Feliciano had started to insistently worm his way into Lovino's bed every night.

Lovino would grumble and protest, but despite his words, he would sigh and settle back down into sleep whenever Feliciano curled up to him for a bit of warmth during the winter nights. (And eventually, on the summer nights, too.)

There was something comforting about cuddling and sleeping together, skin on skin, no barriers between them.

They spent the first several decades just getting to know each other, catching up, making up for centuries' worth of lost time. They traded memories and shared stories, demonstrated recipes and old traditions they'd learned from each of their caretakers, and the ones they'd created themselves.

Sometimes, as they cooked together, their fingers would brush together or they would playfully bump their shoulders or hips together, just messing around and laughing as they prepared their meal.

They were comfortable, now. Enough time had passed that they were no longer strangers, and they were happy. They knew each other so much better now, had fought and loved and seen each other through ups and downs, through their best and worst. It just made the bonds between them stronger.

So when Spain or Belgium or Austria or anyone saw that the Italian brothers were fighting again, they never really were too concerned, no matter how violent the squabbling became. They all knew by now, that despite the brotherly fights and squabbles, even if it came down to fists, the two brothers would eventually give in and nurse each other's wounds, swallow their pride, and overcome the hurdle- they'd work it out.

And so it continued, until the wars started.

The World Wars were rough on them. The first brought victory at a heavy toll of life, and the second brought even more loss of life, but a bitter defeat.

The brothers were torn apart from the beginning of the Second World War, because Feliciano had originally gone in hoping to sabotage, and Lovino grudgingly went along with it.

But then Ludwig Beilschmidt became Feliciano's friend, an ally instead of an enemy.

And Feliciano's loyalty wavered.

Lovino felt the frustration bubbling inside him at the German man quickly become boiling hatred- because this man had taken away his brother after so many decades of working hard to finally be together, to work out the rough patches and solidify their unification.

Lovino Vargas had been jealous, and Feliciano had been completely oblivious, because Feliciano had just made a new best friend in the most unlikely of circumstances, and now Feliciano was loyal to the side he'd sworn to sabotage.

The divisions started, the war raged on, blood was spilled, atrocities came to light.

The war was a farce, Lovino spat one day. They were bound to lose, for Germany's leader was insane and everyone was starting to see it, and the Allies had more power than them now. Lovino's people were being bombed and attacked for Feliciano's mistake, and the bitterness flowed through the cracks in his heart and started to pump through his veins.

He needed to force Feliciano back, because he was being turned into a puppet for Germany, and he hated it.

Oh, and he knew it wasn't Ludwig's fault, but no, he still blamed him, because that stupid naïve German bastard was too young and too inexperienced to see that his people had put their trust in an utter monster of a man, and Ludwig could've stopped it.

Ludwig could've stopped it, if he'd known, and Lovino hated that ignorance, hated that Feliciano had gotten so attached to the one that would bring them to a downfall.

That ignorance had gotten a gun put to Feliciano's head, and the trigger pulled.

Even though the World War was nearly over, the civil war in their own country had just begun.

Feliciano woke back up with vengeance in his eyes and darkness in his heart, and the first words out of his mouth when he woke up in Lovino's arms was "Destroy him." With a gunshot, he had been freed from the mental effects of German influence, and he knew now that he needed to reclaim his country and defend it.

The Germans were slaughtering North Italians and invading Northern soil.

Feliciano was furious at how twisted this war had become.

Lovino fought tooth and nail to bring Feliciano home at the end of the war, and that meant using his forces to fight German soldiers out of their land, out of their country. Feliciano was a venom-filled viper seeking to sink his teeth into one man and see him writhe. Feliciano was torn between helping his best friend and also forcing that same friend's army out of his land.

Civil war came and went, and the brothers were torn further apart, especially as the Allies occupied the south and took Lovino away from his recovering, weakened, but very much fighting little brother. Feliciano was still out there, struggling to reconcile the last few years' mistakes with current attempts at solutions, and he didn't know what to do.

Did his loyalty fall more heavily to his brother, or his former ally, his best friend?

The answer came in 1945, and Mussolini hung.

Feliciano let himself rest.

Feliciano, tired and drained, collapsed at the steps to their home, and Lovino carried him inside.

The uncomfortable and tense silence hung between them like the bodies of tyrants, and it took a decade for them to open back up to each other.

The stillness in the house silently killed them both, so very slowly, and they knew that if they were going to continue, they needed to adjust and speak. Feliciano yearned to see his best friend, and Lovino just wanted Feliciano to stay here and oversee the reparations in Italy, like he should be.

Anything, to keep his little brother away from Ludwig.

Who knows what Feliciano might get dragged into next?

Feliciano resented being cooped up in that house, now. He wanted his freedom and he wanted to go see his friends, but Lovino wouldn't allow it, and the world watched his movements carefully. To be on the losing side of a war had its consequences, and Feliciano was feeling them all slam into him at once. He was barred from leaving his own home, barred from seeing his friends and loved ones- because they'd all really gotten affected by this war somehow or other, and to be honest, Feliciano would be ashamed to face some of them.

Lovino accepted Feliciano's mistakes, but wouldn't let them go.

They slept apart.

Feliciano had bags under his eyes. Lovino could see them clear as day, and it broke his heart.

"You look like shit. Go take a vacation or something," Lovino grumbled, looking aside and not looking Feliciano in the eyes.

He heard Feliciano gasp and drop the towels he'd been carrying into the kitchen, before he also heard a hitch and hiccup of breath- Feliciano was on the verge of tears.

"S-Si, I… I'll go pack." Feliciano darted upstairs so fast it made Lovino's heart ache more.

He finally let his brother have the freedom he wanted to badly, and he instantly regretted it, because Feliciano took off the next day and was gone for months, just visiting those he'd missed and hadn't gotten to see for so long, trying to mend and rekindle friendships and move past the war.

Being forced off the world stage made Feliciano feel such terrible wanderlust and restlessness that he didn't turn his sights toward home for long after he'd left. By then, Feliciano had lost the bags under his eyes and Lovino had gotten them instead.

For Lovino, it had been what seemed like endless weeks of silence and stillness in a house he was used to feeling a bit warmer, a bit brighter. Feliciano tended to have that effect- he lit up rooms, his smiles warmed the heart. And even if Lovino hadn't gotten to see those smiles very often in the last decade or so, the few times he got one made his heart feel lighter and more at ease.

So Lovino bore the brunt of the silence, and took care of their lands and fields, their gardens and their orchards and vineyards and home. (And of course, the two cats they'd taken in.)

Feliciano came home with the earth of a hundred nations in his skin, and he looked revitalized, bright, lively.

Lovino looked exhausted.

"I'm home," Feliciano ventured, his smile wavering slightly when he saw how tuckered out his brother looked- with his eyes carrying some sort of deep sadness he couldn't express.

"Welcome home," Lovino said softly, stepping aside and letting Feliciano brush past him and into the house. "Thought you weren't ever coming back, idiot…"

Feliciano laughed. "If that was true you would've come and gotten me yourself."

Lovino turned a bright red, sputtering slightly, and said, "W-What makes you think I'd waste all that energy trying to bring your stupid ass home?"

Feliciano smiled up at him, his smile strong this time, and replied, "You always bring me home."

Lovino was startled, eyes widening a fraction, before he scoffed, and the sound melted into genuine laughter. He even covered his mouth with a hand to try and hide his smile, but Feliciano could see it, and Feliciano's heart leapt to see it again. "I-Idiot…" Lovino repeated again, still laughing, before reaching out and ruffling Feliciano's hair.

His little brother relaxed and melted, giggling before hugging him. Feliciano was warm, radiating sunshine and warmth, and Lovino returned the hug tentatively at first, before finally giving in and altogether clutching him close and tight, making Feliciano laugh again in delight.

Things were okay again, Feliciano was home, and he noticed the way Lovino kept looking him over now that he was back.

Not in a concerned way, or in a critical way, not at all. Lovino was just taking in how Feliciano seemed to have changed. The bags under Feliciano's eyes were gone, he'd gotten a tiny bit of softness around the middle (he could feel it when he'd held him), he'd even gotten that wonderful shine back to his amber eyes. His smiles were vibrant and his words were filled with vigor and love of life again, and he seemed at ease, no longer troubled by the isolation or by the past.

Feliciano thrived around people, and withered without them, it was as simple as that.

"You should sleep," Lovino murmured after a moment, and Feliciano hummed, nuzzling into Lovino's chest sleepily. "What, what is it?"

Feliciano murmured, "Which room is mine?"

Lovino felt his cheeks burn. He knew what Feliciano was really asking- Can we stay together again?

So he replied, "End of the hall, Feliciano… like always." And it wasn't like always, but it was back to the happy comfort of being together from so long before.

Feliciano smiled and went upstairs with his mass of bags, his cat Gino greeting him and happily meowing loudly and weaving between his ankles as he walked. "Ciao, Gino~ I'm home," he said to the little puffy cat, setting down his bags in the master bedroom and then kneeling down to pick up his pet and cuddle her. (Yes, the cat turned out to be female, but Gino already thought her name was Gino, so it was far too late to change her name.) Gino purred and rubbed all over him, looking delighted to see him home, and the other cat Vito even came over to greet him with a few rubs and muted purrs. Vito was a more reserved and fussy cat, a bit of a troublemaker too, but even he'd missed Feliciano in his absence. "Vito! I missed you too, you fussy cat," Feliciano laughed, ruffling up Vito's fur a little and laughing at the way the cat puffed up and gave him a grumpy murr before grooming his fur back down.

But soon, Feliciano was just shedding his clothes and stepping into the shower, wanting a rinse to get rid of the feeling of dirt and dust in his skin from the travel, and ushered the cats out so they wouldn't root through his bags while he was cleaning up.

It was nice to be home.

He towel-dried himself off and promptly flopped into bed, taking a pillow and hugging it tight as he settled under the covers.

He turned a bit pink when he realized that Lovino's scent on the pillow was part of home. It wouldn't be home without Lovino, and the realization made him feel a little guilty about rarely calling home while he'd been off travelling.

Lovino had just been trying to protect him, in his own odd way, and he'd succeeded in some and failed in others. It was difficult to think about, so Feliciano set those thoughts aside and went to sleep.

Lovino came up once he'd finished cooking dinner for his newly arrived brother (once he made sure that the cats wouldn't get to the food first, that is) and stepped into the bedroom, catching sight of Feliciano sleeping peacefully on the bed. His brother was curled up in a ball, cuddling Lovino's pillow, and mumbling in his sleep as if he were peacefully dreaming.

Lovino chuckled a little and moved over to shake Feliciano awake, but once he was close enough, his hand paused over Feliciano's shoulder.

Feliciano had tanned more… but even so, his features were otherwise the same. The same cute small nose, the soft lips and large eyes that were currently shut, the- wait. When did he start paying so much attention to things like that?

Shaking his head, Lovino snapped out of it and woke his brother up.

Feliciano whined and buried his face into the pillow in protest, mumbling incoherent sounds that were probably some variation of "five more minutes." Lovino shook his head again, this time in amusement, and shook him again.

"I made dinner. Get up."

Feliciano did, rubbing at bleary eyes and looking adorable as he sat up, the sheets sliding down to pool around his hips. He'd been too sleepy to notice the way Lovino's gaze had lingered on the movement of the sheets, and that was probably for the best.

"Nn… okay, 'm coming," Feliciano mumbled, before squeaking out a yawn and stretching, standing up and putting on an oversized t-shirt and padding downstairs.

"Put on some underwear, at least, what the hell," Lovino scolded as he followed along after his brother.

"But I don't want to. I'm just going back to sleep after dinner, and it's just you and the cats," Feliciano replied as he descended, settling down at the kitchen table and lighting up at the sight of dinner. "You made gnocchi…! But you hate potatoes-"

"S-Shut up and eat it," Lovino quickly interrupted, cheeks scarlet. "Are you hungry or not?"

Feliciano was ecstatic that Lovino remembered his favorite pasta dish, and he chirped, "Grazie, 'Vino!"

Lovino grumbled, "Yeah, yeah, whatever…"

Despite his dismissive attitude, Lovino felt proud, and Feliciano's smile glowed in the way it did when he knew his brother was trying to hide his sweetness.

He'd said that he was going back to sleep right after dinner, but in the end Feliciano insisted on doing the dishes since Lovino had worked so hard on dinner. He was in the middle of scrubbing at a plate when he started saying, "Lovi-"

And then there was a spoon in his mouth. Entirely confused, Feliciano closed his mouth around the spoon and turned his head quizzically back towards Lovino, who was wearing a little smirk on his lips and holding a cup of chocolate mousse in his hand.

Feliciano tried hard not to laugh around the spoon, and pulled back, swallowing a spoonful of the sweet, creamy treat as he went. "Vino! It's delicious!"

"Thought I'd surprise you."

Feliciano burst into laughter. "Well, you definitely did, fratello… You could've given me dessert before I started doing dishes."

"Si, well. Motivation," Lovino teased, waving another spoonful of chocolate mousse in front of Feliciano's face, making his brother pout.

"Mean! Making me wash dishes for sweets."

"You were going to wash them anyway."

"True," Feliciano giggled, before taking the spoonful and continuing to wash the dishes.

It was surprising for a number of reasons- Lovino hadn't been playful like this in so long, it startled him. But it was an easy, happy rhythm Feliciano was more than happy to fall back into. He was happy to have gotten his relationship with his brother back- and ironically enough, to do so, he'd needed to take off from home for three months.

Feliciano had been so eager to see everyone else, that he'd set Lovino aside in his mind- but when he curled up in bed, he felt the absence strongly. He had missed his brother, and the more time he spent away, the more time he had to think over the past decade, over the war. He realized where he'd gone wrong, where he hadn't, and why Lovino had been so reserved and protective.

Lovino, at the same time, had been able to think over the last several years, seeing where he'd gone wrong and the few things he did right, and how his attempts to protect Feliciano from falling into another pitfall like WWII had only ended up making Feliciano more miserable. He learned that he had to trust Feliciano to go out there and not make the same mistakes, because he should know by now that Feliciano was intelligent enough to reflect on his actions.

The brothers shared their chocolate mousse and Feliciano finished the dishes, and then murmured, "I'm glad I'm home."

Lovino paused, getting a little more somber, before he wrapped his arms around Feliciano's waist from behind and rested his chin on his shoulder. "I'm glad you're home, too," he mumbled, and Feliciano smiled, leaning back into the comfortable hug and drying the rest of the dishes.

It was only after they climbed into bed that they really talked about everything.

Feliciano curled up against Lovino, and Lovino loosely draped his arm over his waist to keep him close.

"I'm sorry for taking off. And for… what I dragged us into back then. Thanks for trying to protect me."

Lovino was silent for a moment, stunned by both the suddenness and succinctness of the statement, before he murmured, "Me too. I'm sorry, I mean. For… handling it the way I did. And for cooping you up like that. And not listening to you. And being a terrible brother. And-"

"Vino, shh. You're not a terrible brother. You were trying to snap sense into me and protect me. And cooping me up wasn't the way to go about it, but I know you meant well, and I said it's okay. So stop feeling so guilty."

Lovino turned scarlet and huffed. "I'm no-"

"You are, 'Vino," Feliciano giggled, and Lovino lightly swatted his brother upside the head.

"Don't interrupt me, Vene."

"Call me Feliii," Feliciano whined, cuddling more and trying to be as squirmy and annoying as possible- and it worked, since Lovino gave a groan and swatted at him and tried to push away his overly affectionate little brother.

"Fine, fine, Feli! Now quit moving so much and go the fuck to sleep," he grumbled, making Feliciano laugh and finally settle down, a little satisfied smile on his lips.

"Ti voglio bene, 'Vino." It was soft, and barely audible, but the words were breathed out on a contented sigh.

Lovino's heart suddenly sped up, and his cheeks burned, and he gave Feliciano a little squeeze. "Y-Yeah… ti voglio bene, Feli," he mumbled back.

Feliciano seemed pleased, and was out like a light- but Lovino couldn't sleep.

The years passed, but the more and more time went on, the more both of them noticed a certain… tension.

It was growing between them by the day, and it always happened at the seemingly most innocuous of moments.

It could be busy moments before rushing to a meeting, the two of them hurrying to get their ties on and suits buttoned up, and Feliciano's fingers would linger on Lovino's tie and his eyes would briefly roam over how Lovino's form was very nicely outlined by the suit.

It could be during leisurely dinners, when Feliciano would toy a bit too much with the whipped cream on his dessert and Lovino would watch the way his tongue swept over the spoon and his lips.

It could be during workdays in the fields when it got far too hot and Lovino would shed his shirt, showing off his tanned and toned body that made Feliciano keep stealing glances as they worked to keep their home and land in order.

After all, they had to focus and work hard to get good crops to sell. The brothers had decided early on that they preferred a country life to the bustle of the city- and while they still had to do their jobs with politics, most of their time was left free at home. They made sure to make it clear to each new boss that they wanted to be able to work like their people. The small country town they'd settled in had promised and made them a well-kept secret, and the longer they stayed, the more the two Nations became beloved members of the community.

The moments morphed into something else over time, like how Feliciano would feel jealous when Lovino flirted away with the belle in the town plaza, or when Lovino felt himself bristling every time he caught Feliciano eyeing attractive Nations during the world meetings. (He would get more irritated if he noticed Feliciano eyeing men.)

Lovino would end up watching Feliciano's lips a little too closely when he talked, and Feliciano started to look forward to cuddling up to Lovino every night, just to feel Lovino's fingers brushing over his back as he was pulled in close. Feliciano was far too eager to tip-toe and pull Lovino down so that he could kiss his cheeks, and Lovino swore sometimes Feliciano brushed their lips together just barely, on the corners, entirely on purpose. They couldn't stop their gazes from wandering whenever they undressed or stepped out of the shower, sneaking furtive glances at each other's bodies that were more than just curious.

The tension got worse when the dreams started.

At first, Feliciano dreamt of kisses. He could see Lovino getting closer to him, pulling him close, a hand on the small of his back and the other tangled into his hair as Lovino lowered his face to press their lips together. Over the nights, the kisses got more passionate, and Lovino would press their bodies closer together, and bowl them over onto something- the floor, a couch, a bed, it didn't matter. Hands would start to wander, and Feliciano's skin would warm up, and then-

His eyes snapped open, and he found himself hot and bothered, pressed right up against Lovino's body.

And Lovino was still soundly asleep.

Dio santo…

What was he supposed to do? If he tried to move away now, he'd wake up Lovino, and this would be humiliating to explain! Ah, but he ached for release, and… was he just supposed to wait in agony until it went away? Feliciano bit his lip and gave a whimper, before freezing as Lovino shifted. Was he waking up?

Lovino had been having dreams of his own, the last few weeks. They started out innocently enough, with holding Feliciano close and touching his face and hair, but the dreams quickly would turn to something much more explicit and erotic. His dream self would run his hands all over Feliciano's body, touching soft skin and soft hair and feeling muscle quivering under the skin he touched- he would spread Feliciano's legs and see his little brother flustered and pink, body hot beneath him, cock hard and-

Then his eyes would snap open, and he'd groan softly to himself, realizing he'd gotten hard, over Feliciano of all people! So he'd ignore it, wait it out and hold perfectly still so as not to wake Feliciano. (And in the mornings, he spent a bit of extra time in the shower to relieve some tension.)

But no, tonight Lovino slept soundly, and Feliciano lied awake in blatant sexual frustration until he finally managed to get back to sleep.

He wished Lovino wasn't still touching him and holding him so close, because it only gave his dreams fuel.

The dreams added an entirely new level of both awkwardness and incredible stress, because the two of them were trying very hard not to pounce each other, so caught up in their own worries, fears, and secret fantasies that they were far too oblivious to notice the other's preoccupation.

Now, when their fingers brushed and their gazes lingered, they stammered, blushed, fidgeted, made any excuse to avoid each other and leave the situation.

The thing about tension, though, is that eventually, no matter how durable something is, if it's put under enough tension, it will snap to relieve that tension, like a rubber band pulled far too taut.

A few years later, on the night of their birthday, the two brothers clambered and fell over into bed together after a long day (and night) of partying, after stripping bare as they usually did.

Except this time, when Lovino pulled Feliciano close, he kissed his forehead and then pressed their foreheads together, looking into Feliciano's eyes with a warm, but strangely inexplicable gaze.

Feliciano's heart leapt and started to pound, and his mouth suddenly felt a bit dry, and he felt a little nervous- because it hit him just then. It hit him hard, with the way Lovino was looking at him so lovingly, that Feliciano was in love with his older brother.

Feliciano's gaze slowly broke away from Lovino's eyes to instead make its way down to his lips. Lovino followed his gaze, knowing full well what Feliciano was looking at and thinking about, before seeing Feliciano's sweet honey-amber eyes looking up at him through his lashes, his lips slightly parted.

Snap.

Lovino was on top of Feliciano in a moment, kissing him passionately, and Feliciano's arms looped around Lovino's neck and held on tight. They shared kiss after kiss before they finally had to pull apart just to breathe and look each other in the eyes, an uncertain and hesitant heat glowing between then.

Feliciano broke the silence. "Ti amo," he ventured softly, as their breaths mingled and he looked up at his brother with a half-lidded gaze.

Lovino swallowed hard, before murmuring, "Anch'io ti amo," and cupping Feliciano's cheek gently, only to kiss him again, this time sweetly, as they took their time in the next meeting of their lips.

But that slow, sweet kiss quickly grew heated and passionate, the two of them shamelessly starting to press their bodies together, running their fingers through each other's hair and groping each other, lips sometimes straying to instead kiss and mark up the soft skin of their necks and shoulders.

And just like in their dreams, their passionate kisses wandered all over each other's bodies and Lovino spread Feliciano's legs apart and saw his brother spread out and wanton, needy beneath him, and Feliciano got to see Lovino's hungry gaze and feel his firm touches and the heat of their bodies joining again and again.

They made passionate love for the first time and knew there was no turning back, but they didn't mind at all.

When they'd finally finished and exhausted themselves, Feliciano was a purring, contented ball curled up to Lovino, who was very possessively holding him close and tight.

"That was… amazing," Feliciano panted, giving a few breathless laughs before nuzzling into his brother's shoulder.

"Mhm…" Lovino was breathing hard too, still catching his breath, and occasionally nipping at Feliciano's neck just to mark him up more and hear Feliciano's adorable little squeaks and whines. "We should wash up, though," he murmured after another moment, chuckling and looking down at the white mess all over Feliciano's torso. Feliciano turned a bright scarlet, aware of how much of a mess he was, and gave a nod.

"But you have to carry me, you made my hips sore," Feliciano huffed, and Lovino smirked and laughed.

"Si, si, mio principino," Lovino teased, before slowly sitting up and carrying Feliciano off to take a bath together.

When they finally settled down in bed to sleep, they felt more at peace than they had been in centuries.

Italy had truly unified, now, and they were happy.

"Buon compleanno to us, amore," Lovino murmured, holding Feliciano close as his brother continued to nuzzle and cuddle into him.

"May we have many more," Feliciano said with a smile, looping his arms around Lovino's neck and pulling him down into slow, lazy kisses until they'd finally fallen asleep. Before Lovino fell asleep, his gaze lingered on his brother's sleeping form, and he smiled before shutting his eyes, heart at ease.

They would be alright, he thought.

And so, have many more birthdays together they did.

A/N: And there it is! Let me know how this new style looks to you guys.

Drop a review?