A/N: I feel a bit awkward for uploading after over a year of silence. Still, I promised this would come, so here it is. I'm finally over my writer's block which means I will be writing actively again, and I will probably move to a livejournal account soon for all my fics. I'll keep you guys updated. Most importantly I want to say THANK YOU to EVERYONE who reviewed/favourited/alerted in the past year, all your wonderful comments have kept on making me fight this block! I hope I will be able to bring stories to you again after so long. Please enjoy! :Meresta
Summary: Love wasn't that complicated, right?
Rating: PG
Warnings: Malexmale, brotherxbrother, slight use of alcohol.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.

Epilogue

"-and with that I would like to conclude this final presentation. Thank you all for your attention."

A moderate, polite applause rang through the large conference room as Japan bowed and gathered his materials. Once he was reseated, America walked up and grabbed the microphone; it wasn't needed, but he liked using it anyway.

"Thank you Kiku! Well, that marks the end of day two, I'll see you all back here tomorrow at eight for the wrap-up!"

A few groans were mixed to the second applause, which was slightly less genuine. Spain let his head drop from his hands to collide with the table, sighing in defeat. France chuckled and patted his shoulder in a somewhat comforting manner.
Germany was chatting with Japan, praising him on his outstanding presentation, and the two soon ended up talking about innovations in car design and development- completely tuning out all sounds around them.

Italy looked at his friends and smiled, arranging his papers before putting them in his suitcase. Well technically, it was Romano's, but he didn't use it anyway.

"Feliciano."

Happily, the called Nation turned to face his brother. He smiled broadly, and Lovino answered with a warm, yet careful smile of his own. They held each other's gaze briefly, then Romano took the suitcase from Feliciano's hands, Italy linked their arms, and both Italians made their leave.

England glanced away from his soon-to-be argument with America to see them go, and smiled. Of course, Alfred took this as if it were directed at him, and raised his voice again to tell him the threat of aliens wasn't funny at all.

It's been almost year since the brothers reunited in the cold streets of London, the chilly air of back then heavily contrasted by the mild weather America sported this time a year. Everyone had recognized and accepted their newly found bond, relieved that the tension they used to project was lifted. It made communications and arrangements a lot easier as well, because everybody now knew that you weren't talking to either Feliciano or Romano; you were talking to Italy.

As Romano walked with his brother back to the hotel, something suddenly came to mind. He halted instantly, his eyes widened a little and stress shot through his body. Valentine's day was the day after tomorrow, and he had not made any preparations at all.

Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem. They had never exchanged gifts, they would just give advice to other Nations seeking romantic gestures, and enjoy the spreading of love around them. Well, it was mostly Feliciano who did that, but still.

Now, however, the situation had changed. Valentine's day is a day to show appreciation to the one you love, and Feliciano was definitely the one he loved. He didn't have to hide it anymore, so it would be appropriate to participate in the celebrations, and give him something from his heart.

The problem was, that he had no idea on what to give him.

"Fratello? Is something wrong?"
He snapped out of his thoughts and let out a nervous chuckle.
"Er.. no." He looked around him, trying to see if other Nations had left already. "Say, Feli, would you mind going back on your own? I have to.. talk to some people."

Italy blinked, and for a split-second Romano got worried, but then his brother showed him one of his widest, happiest smiles yet.
"You're going to bond~! I'm so happy~ I'll go cook delicious pasta for when you get back~"

With those words and a supportive thumbs up, Feliciano bounced off. Romano's eyes followed him for a while, then he shook his head, a small smile forming on his face. Right now, it didn't matter what reason Feliciano made up; as long as it wasn't the real one.

"..Valentine's Day? Aren't you the expert on that?" Antonio replied, grinning.
Romano growled, regretting he even asked. Spain saw the anger forming in his eyes and raised his hands, smiling apologetically.
"Ah, perdone perdone.. What about food? Love goes through the stomach, they say, and I'm sure it's no different for our little Feli."

Romano narrowed his eyes, expressing another warning. It wasn't our little Feli. And food just wasn't going to cut it. He needed something real, something valuable, something special.

"Never mind."

On to ask the next person on his list.

Unfortunately, France's only suggestions involved taking off clothes ("Best videotape it too, so I can check if you did it right"), or getting him drunk and then taking off clothes. Prussia wasn't at the meeting, but Lovino was pretty sure he'd say something along those lines as well. Bunch of bastards are all the same anyway.

England blinked at the question and told him that flowers always do well, while America seemed to make a mental note of this information. He himself said that it didn't matter what he bought Feliciano, as long as it was very expensive.

Most other Nations had left already, and the only one still present was Japan. He was still gathering his documents, cleaning up now that Germany had departed as well. Romano hesitated for a small moment, and then realized that he had nothing to lose.

"Ehm.. Kiku?"
Japan turned, and smiled politely, if not a little surprised.
"Hello Lovino-san. Is something wrong?"
Romano took a deep breath.
"..I was just wondering.. What do your people do for Valentine's Day?"

Japan blushed a fierce red and looked at the ground. Such a forward question.. Yet, Romano hardly spoke to him as it was. Kiku felt he should try to answer him as well as he could, if only to prevent him from getting angry.

"Well.. it differs.. Some people like to buy expensive gifts like jewelry or very big plush animals.. But most people just give chocolate."

Romano pondered this, a little disappointed by the similarity. Japan noticed his wondering, and decided to take a risk.

"Why, if I may ask, do you want to know?"

Now it was Lovino's turn to blush, and he was just about to shout a "That's none of your business, dammit!", but Japan was the only one who could help him at this point. So he took another deep breath, and decided to just let it out.

"I.. want to surprise Feliciano.."

Japan smiled instantly, his suspicions confirmed. This made things a lot easier.
"You shouldn't make this so hard on yourself, Lovino-san. Italy-kun is very easy to please."
Romano shot him an angry look, and Japan realized his slip-up.
"Eh, I mean, he is not picky when it comes to things like this. He is one to like the love behind a gift, instead of the gift itself. It should not matter what you chose to give him, I am sure he will appreciate the gesture."

During dinner, Romano kept on thinking about what Japan has said. It was a good thing that his brother would like pretty much everything, but that didn't make choosing a gift much easier. Maybe he should just stick with what he knows and prepare dinner for him.

Italy noticed his brother was clearly somewhere else, and waved his hand in front of his face.

"Lovi~ Wake up~"

Lovino blinked at having his stare interrupted and looked up, taking a moment to realize they were still having dinner, and he was spacing out completely.

"Ah..err.. Sorry." He murmured, picking up his fork and spoon again. Italy didn't quit his questioning look, and Romano started to feel a bit awkward about it. He had to say something. "..the pasta is really good."

He sighed in relief as Feliciano's eyes instantly lit up at hearing this praise.

"Uwaah~ I'm so happy you think so! I think it's delicious too~ There's a lot more in the kitchen if you want seconds~"

Lovino smiled, and took another bite. Crisis averted, for now.

Later that evening, both brother's sat on the couch of their hotel room, staring at a television screen that was far bigger than the one they had at the London hotel. America had said something about 'supersizing' and how it was all the rage, but Italy had told his brother that America was just trying to outshine England. Or impress him. Lovino didn't understand how putting large TVs in hotel rooms would do either, but he digressed. There were far more important matters to think about.

Like finding a proper gift for Feliciano.

Tomorrow would be the final day before Valentine's Day, but he would be forced to spend most of that day inside a hall listening to boring presentations. After that, he'd probably be expected to join celebratory drinks (to celebrate the meetings were over, of course) and he couldn't escape those, because his brother had already announced that he'd really like to go this year.

That left him about now to find a present.

Slight panic overcame him upon realizing this, and he sat a bit more upright, possibilities running through his mind. Not that there were many. Why did a day dedicated to love have to be so hard? Love wasn't that complicated, right?

Then, he had an idea. Hopefully, the stores were still open. He didn't want to run the risk of going there for nothing, so he asked Italy for America's phone number. His brother showed a content smile at this question and handed him his cell phone.

"I'm so happy Lovi is making friends~"

Romano smiled nervously and left the room for the hallway, copying the number into his own phone. It rang three times, before America picked up.

"Yo!"

"..ehm, is this Alfred?"

"Yes? Who is this?" Some noises in the background drowned out Romano's answer. America seemed to scream at someone to turn the volume of the TV down. "Sorry, who is this?" He repeated.

"..it's Lovino." Who was starting to regret calling already.

"Ah, Feliciano's brother! What's up?"

Ouch? Ah well, he didn't call to actually make friends.

"I wanted to know what time your stores close."

"Oh, that's easy! They don't!"

Romano looked surprised, though this remained unseen by America. The silence that followed did lead to further explanation on the larger Nation's part.

"People always want to buy stuff, so we never close the shops! Isn't it awesome?"

"..alright, eh, thanks."

"No problem! See you tomorrow, Feliciano's brother!" America was the first to hang up, and Romano went back into the room to return Italy's phone. His brother looked at him with a smile, but did not ask any questions. It was great enough that Lovino actually called someone to begin with, asking questions would only make him feel uncomfortable.

"I'm going out for a while."

This, Italy hadn't expected. He sat upright. "Are you~? Where~?"

"I'm eh, going to meet up with Alfred." This wouldn't be a complete lie, right? I mean, technically, they already were at America's place. Another smile from his brother ensued, and Romano felt a bit bad for making Italy believe he actually was making friends.

"Have fun then~ ..oh, and say hi from me~!"

Romano just nodded as he grabbed his bag and headed out. The moment cool, fresh air hit his face he felt calmer. It was going to be fine. Like Antonio said, he was the expert on this kind of thing. He could do this.

Twelve shops later, Romano's confidence wasn't as strong as it were before. He found some cute things, but nothing that Italy could actually use. A plush animal was nice, but it would just sit there and catch dust all the time. Matching key chains.. way too corny. Chocolate was an option, but that would just be eaten and left at that. It didn't feel special enough.

He also had to keep in mind that whatever he bought, it had to be taken back across America's extremely well-protected borders. He had to be careful not to buy something that Italy could not keep with him on the airplane.

Browsing through yet another Valentine's section at the shop he was currently in, he decided that these things too, weren't good enough. It was all too pink and too fluffy and too.. meaningless, to give to someone like Feli. He sighed and turned to leave for another place, when his eye fell on some bright colours in the corner of the store.

It turned out to be a tiny Arts and Crafts section, and it was full of supplies like thread, felt, pencils, paint and different kinds of paper. Maybe he could make his brother something? That would be more personal than a bought gift, at least. But where would be find the time? Not to mention he shared a room with Italy, it would be next to impossible to keep a project like this a secret.

He thought about it for a while, then picked up a few things and headed for the counter.

"Is it a gift, sir?" The shop clerk asked rather automatically.

"..yes please."

"Regular, birthday or valentine?"

"err.." Was there a difference? When the clerk noticed Romano's confusion, he sighed and took a red ribbon from a plastic box next to the cash register. He tied it neatly around the gift, ending the knot by tying a small bow.

"Will this be OK sir?"

Romano nodded, and the man proceeded to put the gift in a bag.

"Oh, I'd rather just take it with me like this." The Nation interrupted, and with another sigh, the man handed him the gift and thanked him for his patronage. Romano could understand the man's trouble, because the shops never seem to close, he never had time off. He couldn't imagine a life like that.

When he got back home, he found Italy sleeping on the couch. A quick glance at the clock told him that he'd be gone for three whole hours, and he couldn't blame his brother for dozing off. He hid his bag in his own suitcase, before carrying Feliciano to bed. He joined him with a content feeling and overwhelming relief of finally getting this whole 'finding-a-gift' thing over with.

The next day went almost exactly as expected. Everyone showed up at eight, aside from America, who came running in with apologies a quarter past nine. He muttered about a really good movie being on last night while unlocking the meeting hall, and all other Nations just shrugged as they took their place.

The final few presentations are always the most boring, because they recap what has been discussed during the course of the entire world meeting. Even America couldn't make them exciting to listen to. When the final slide had been talked about and the presentation closed, everyone started clapping to prevent further speeches.

The celebratory drinks weren't all that bad either. Romano and Italy had one wine each, and the first waited patiently at the bar while the other made his rounds chatting to everyone. When he had seen and spoken everyone who was there, Italy returned to his brother and asked to leave. He was tired, and Romano couldn't deny his own weariness either.

Then, before Lovino knew it, it was Valentine's day. He woke up feeling giddy and nervous, suddenly not that sure of his gift anymore, and wondering if Feliciano would have gotten him anything. Speaking of his brother.. he wasn't in the bed.

"Lovi~ Are you up yet~? I made breakfast~"

If he hadn't been up already, that definitely would have woken him up. He got up, dressed himself, retrieved the gift from his suitcase and went to the table, where Italy was waiting. Romano's jaw dropped at seeing what he had prepared.

The entire table was filled with food, brioche, bread rolls, panini.. He'd made coffee too, the milk poured in such a way that a heart appeared on the drink's surface. A small vase with a single rose stood in the centre, and Italy seemed to bounce on his seat, proud of the work he'd done.

"Happy Valentine's day Lovi~!" He said with a smile, and Lovino felt an unexplainable happiness bubble up inside of him. Feli went through all this trouble, just for him? He was so stunned that he almost forgot to give his gift. He offered it to Feliciano, who's face brightened and smile widened at the sight of what Romano had gotten him.

It was a box of watercolours, with a brush inside. While Italy was busy studying the colours, Romano offered him a sketchbook.

"..It has special paper.. for the paint.." He said softly, and Italy couldn't express his happiness. He put the gifts aside and jumped his brother, hugging him so tightly he could hear a few bones crack back into place.

"Thank you so much~! I really love this!" Feliciano said, holding his brother even closer. Lovino smiled and returned the embrace, truly relieved that the gift was so well-received.

Turns out Japan was right after all. It didn't matter what he would give him. The two Nations sat down for breakfast, and Lovino couldn't help but close his eyes and savour the taste every now and then. It was that good.

The time to leave America had come. Italy had asked for some water on the plane, and proceeded to paint during trip home, making many stewardesses nervous with fear of paint getting on the interior. Romano would calm them down with a charming smile, promising that his brother wouldn't make a mess.

Halfway there, Italy dozed off and Romano had to quickly seize the brush from his hand to make sure he would be able to keep his promise. He couldn't resist stealing a glance at the yet unfinished painting, and his heart leaped inside his chest at what he saw.

Feliciano had painted a boot-shaped land, with the liveliest of colours. There were no borders, to lines to divide. It looked as if he was still busy filling in the rest of the painting, with blues for the sea and outlines of neighbouring lands. Though still unfinished, the picture was clear.

One, united Italy.

Fin.

Again, THANK YOU ALL for your support and patience. I will be finishing up any fic or request that has been neglected for the past year, and then I will move on at a livejournal account that is not yet in existence. I hope to see all of you there! :Meresta