He stood timidly at the door, not sure if he should knock. This was his first purposeful visit here and he didn't really want to get shot. His fist hesitated centimetres before the door, uncertain.

"...Brother, how is it any of your business who I talk to? We were just talking!"

"It is my business if he's going to-"

"Going to what? Cook with me? Talk to me? I thought you'd be happy I finally have someone to talk to. You're always saying I need to get out of the house more! Well, here's an opportunity."

A heavy sigh. A pause as the speaker phrased things in his head. "I am happy for you, Lilli. But why him? Why does it have to be him? What about Hungary? You're her friend! But you never visit her! Yet all of a sudden, you've decided to meet up with Italy various places and invite him into our house and-"

"I didn't 'plan' to meet up with him anywhere! We bumped into each other while shopping for groceries! Which, by the way, we need to go back and get because we're really running low on eggs and bread and milk and just about everything else now too! And as for inviting him into 'our' house, if it really was 'our' house, that wouldn't be an issue, would it? But it isn't our house, I'm just your younger sister who lives in your house and cooks and sews and cleans." A longer pause this time.

The reply came again, pleading this time. "Lilli... That's not what I meant. I just, I want to protect you from-"

"From what? From him? Or the world? Because no matter what you do, it's always going to be there and someday you might not be there to help me face it."

Backing away from the door, Italy pulled his arm back just in time as the door flew open and Lilli stormed out with tears streaming down her face. She glanced up at him, shocked to see him there. "Why are you here?"

"I came to return your pants, but I can leave and come back another time?" Or not at all. He never wanted to cause problems between her and her brother. He just wanted to talk to her.

"No!" she exclaimed, then with a look of shock at what she had said, she wiped the tears off her face and repeated, "No. Now's fine. Thank you. I'll take them inside." She paused, unsure, then hugged him tightly. "Thanks for helping with dinner the other day. I appreciate it."

Italy, embraced her as well and when the embrace ended, he looked at her face and saw a tear trickling down her cheek. He took her chin gently in one hand and wiped the tear off with the other as her wide, emerald eyes glistened with their tears. "You shouldn't cry, ve. It makes your face go all splotchy." He paused for a moment and leaned in, hesitating. Then with a blush, he released her face and turned away, starting the walk home. He couldn't do that to her. She couldn't mess things up even more than they were already.

She stood there and watch him walk away, the borrowed pants grasped in her hands.

In the doorway, Switzerland's arm fell, gun in hand. He knew she would never forgive him if he shot him now. He had already lost too much of her trust. He couldn't bear to have her leave him. He loved her too much. She was his sister after all. All her wanted to do was keep her safe.