"How do I look?"

Feliciano could not pull himself away from the mirror in his hotel room. He straightened his tie and flattened out the last wrinkle in his dress shirt. Only an hour remained until the start of the meeting, and he was still getting dressed. The longer he stood there, the more "flaws" in his appearance he noticed. He had never spent so much time picking out one outfit, but for some reason he just didn't feel satisfied. Daisy, on the other hand, had been ready for several minutes, makeup included. She sat on the edge of her bed on the opposite side of the room, putting her shoes on, while Feli had not yet made it to that point.

"Very professional," she replied. "As you always do, I might add. So why all the sudden anxiety over your appearance? Don't tell me it has anything to do with Monika."

"Ve, what makes you think that?"

"Well, first of all you didn't deny it just now. Second of all, I'm always the one who takes longer to get ready. Not to mention that Monika asked me the same question this morning."

"She did?"

"Si, she sent me a damn mirror selfie this morning so I could see her outfit. She has never done that before. Ever. Apparently when she asked Ludwig how she looked, he said 'fine,' but that wasn't a good enough answer. Don't get me wrong, I really love seeing you two together, but I just don't understand why you're suddenly trying to dress up for each other now that you're actually in a relationship. It's not like either of you needs to impress the other."

"I guess I don't know, really. Maybe because it's still so new to us. We want look nice when we see each other again."

"Feli, you've been together for almost two months now."

"Which is barely any time at all when you live as long as we do. Besides, you know how long it's been since the last time I had a real relationship—long enough so that this may as well be my first one. I can barely remember what it felt like back then, and I was so much younger. Things are a lot different this time around."

"I guess I can understand that. Still, I doubt that what either of you choose to wear is going to make or break your relationship."

"That's true… I guess I need to stop worrying so much, huh?"

"Yeah, and use that time doing what you need to do to be ready." Daisy looked down at her phone, which sat on the bed beside her. She picked it up and reviewed her most recent text message. "I got a message from Monika three minutes ago; they just left their hotel and are on their way to get us. They'll be here any time. Is Lovino riding with us today?"

"That would be a negative, captain."

"Just thought I should ask."

"I think he's catching a taxi with Chiara or something. That way he doesn't have to get dragged to lunch with us later."

"That makes sense."

"Yeah… although it kind of hurts that he isn't willing to even try to get along with Ludwig and Monika." Feliciano's face dropped when he spoke these words. Living with his brother had not exactly become easier in the past few months, and it had begun to wear on him. The normally upbeat Italian had started having increasingly frequent moments of doubt and unhappiness, and this worried his female counterpart.

"I know," she said. "But don't let it ruin your life. He can be crabby and miserable for the rest of his days if that's what he really wants, but that doesn't mean you can't choose to be happy. Try to look at the positives you have going for you right now."

"You know, when I was visiting Monika a few weeks ago, she told me something a lot like that. She said to not worry about what he thinks because I have to look out for myself and my own happiness sometimes."

"And she's exactly right. Now are you coming along or what? She won't be happy if you keep her waiting."

"Of course! Just give me one more minute…"

A short time—though a bit more than a minute—later, Daisy and Feliciano stepped out of their hotel and into the mid-summer air. It did not take long for them to find where the two Germans had parked despite their car being a rental, as Ludwig immediately rolled down his window and called out to them as soon as he saw them.

"I was starting to think I would have to go in there and find you two," he said. Daisy laughed and climbed into the back seat on the driver's side of the car. Feliciano, on the other hand, ignored the remark as he approached the passenger's side, and Monika rolled down her window as well.

"Ciao, how have you been beautiful?" he asked, leaning on the car door.

"Just fine, and you?" she replied. Her cheeks turned pink at their closeness to one another, as they often did in such a situation. She didn't mind the affection but felt somewhat uncomfortable when receiving it in the presence of others.

"Italy," Ludwig snapped.

"Hmm?" both Italians replied.

"Feliciano," he clarified. "Stop flirting and get in the car. We're pressed for time as it is. Besides, we're letting all the cool air out by having the windows open."

"Ah, yeah, sorry about that," Feli replied. Without another word, he opened the back door and slipped into the seat directly behind his girlfriend.

"We would have been out here sooner, but Feliciano spent forever getting dressed," Daisy told them. Though neither German said anything in response, she noticed Ludwig's subtle reaction in the rearview mirror as he briefly glanced at Monika. She knew what he had to be thinking.

"I just couldn't choose an outfit for some reason!" Feliciano explained. He then leaned forward in his seat so that his face was close to Monika's ear. "You look great, by the way," he told her. He remembered what Daisy had mentioned to him a few minutes before about how Monika had also had a difficult time deciding what to wear, so he wanted to be sure to compliment her on her appearance.

"Thank you," she said, turning her head to get a sideways look at Feliciano.

"You're welcome," he replied, stealing a kiss on the cheek before returning to his normal sitting position.

"So, is everyone ready for the meeting today?" Daisy asked.

"Do I have everything together that I need? Yes," Monika answered, "but am I mentally prepared for this? Not at all."

"Neither am I," Ludwig said.

"Aww, is everything okay with you guys?" Feli asked, somewhat concerned.

"Everything is fine," Monika assured him. "I just expect that things are going to be hectic, as usual. Plus I'm still jetlagged. I'm just hoping that everything goes smoothly today."

"Oh, I see. Yeah, I hope everything goes well, too."

Feliciano remained chatty throughout the remaining car ride. Seeing Ludwig and Monika always lifted his spirits and today was no exception, even despite the idea of having to sit through another boring conference. Any negative thoughts he had previously had concerning his brother melted away during the course of their conversations. It would not be long, however, before these thoughts returned to him

When they reached the conference building, it appeared that a large handful of nations were already there. In fact, it seemed as though the majority of those expected to be there had arrived ahead of them. This included Lovino and his counterpart.

"Hey look, the guests of honor have finally shown up," Chiara, Daisy's older sister, stated to Lovino with the greatest amount of sarcasm she could muster.

"So they have," he grumbled before raising his voice. "Hey brother! How is it that you still almost managed to be late even when being dragged along by the potato heads, huh? What, did you stop to make out with your girlfriend first?"

Of course, as Lovino had shouted to Feliciano from across the conference hall, there was not a soul in the room who hadn't heard him. All other conversations either ceased or were reduced to a quiet mumble. Some stared at Lovino while others stared at the four who had just walked in, attempting to gauge their reactions. No one really believed anything Lovino said at first, as he was well known to spew out nonsense at any given moment, but what happened next would cause others to start asking questions.

Monika immediately stepped in before Feliciano had the chance to respond.

"Ludwig and I picked up Daisy and Feliciano at their hotel this morning and came directly here," she said. "I can assure you that nothing else happened between here and there. You can ask any one of us."

"Of course you would say that," the southern Italian replied. "You're defending my stupid brother because you don't want the world to know that you're dating him!"

Any remaining voices then fell completely silent. All eyes were on them. Feliciano could only stand there in shock that even his brother would go that far, and Ludwig wanted nothing more than to find a way out of the situation.

"You must have been misinformed, Mr. Vargas, as I have no idea what you are talking about," Monika lied.

"Bullshit. You know exactly what I mean. Why else would Feliciano fly out to Germany specifically to see you? You remember that, right? The plans that I never heard about until after the fact?"

"Maybe it's because you need to mind your own damned business!" Daisy blurted out. "Who do you think you are right now?"

"Daisy, stop, you're only going to make things worse," Monika whispered.

"I see you aren't denying anything," Lovino said.

"Enough!" Ludwig finally said. "All of you. Break it up before I have to break it up for you. The meeting will begin as soon as the last few arrive which could be any time now, and we don't want to start off on the wrong foot even if it's going to end up there anyway."

"Of course," Monika hissed, and turned on her heel to exit the conference room. She wasn't mad at Ludwig for stepping in—in fact, she was grateful—but she couldn't help but let out a little bit of her anger at the situation as a whole. As it was quite unlike her to lose her patience, she then hurried off to the restroom to collect herself. That was one the few ways in which she differed from Ludwig; while he could often lose his temper, she was known for keeping her cool under pressure. This time, though, she couldn't quite manage it.

As soon as the door closed fully behind her, the murmuring in the room resumed. This time, it mainly consisted of whisperings about everything the other nations had just witnessed. Were they actually dating or was Lovino making things up out of spite toward the Germans? Was Monika okay? Did he really upset her enough to make her storm out of the room? That's rare for her. Maybe that meant they really were dating?

"Monika," Feliciano cried, hurrying after her once he regained a bit of his own composure. He rushed through the hallway down which she had disappeared, and then turned another corner just in time to see her enter the women's room. He hesitated only momentarily before following her in.

When he entered, he found her leaning over one of the sinks, taking a few deep breaths. She didn't appear to be crying, but it still hurt Feliciano deeply to see her in such a state. She had been the strong one ever since the start of their relationship, and he didn't quite know how to handle the situation before him. He did realize, however, that he needed to step up and take on that role, even if only for a moment.

"Monika?"

She glanced up at the sound of his voice, clearly quite surprised to see him standing there.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked.

"Making sure that you're okay," he told her.

"And you would come into the women's restroom to do that?"

"Of course," he said, walking towards her.

Taking her hands off the counter, she stood up straight and turned to face him. When he reached her, he placed his hands softly on her shoulders.

"It really isn't that big of a deal. I figured that everyone was probably in the conference room anyway, and even if there were someone else in here I'm sure they would understand."

"I suppose. After we explained the situation, that is."

"We can't hide it from the world forever," he said, "which makes me want to ask: do we go out there and tell everyone the truth, or do we pretend like nothing happened?"

"Well…" she thought aloud, "I guess there isn't really any denying it at this point. We may as well tell them. I just wish it hadn't happened this way."

"Me too," he replied, giving her shoulders a gentle rub. "I'm sorry about my brother. I know he can be a real dick sometimes but I never thought he would do something like that."

"It's alright. Maybe it's better to tell everyone at once anyway. Then we won't end up repeating ourselves too much, right?" A subtle smile appeared on her face as she spoke the last few words.

"Yeah! Let's go out there and tell them what's up, si?"

"I'm ready when you are."

The conference room fell silent once again when the two re-entered. People tried not to stare, but some clearly couldn't help it, especially as Monika and Feliciano walked to the front of the room. Monika then began to speak, capturing everyone's attention.

"I'm sure the incident a few moments ago left many of you wondering. Feliciano and I would like to confirm that yes we are romantically involved and have been for a little over a month and a half now. However, we would also like to stress that in a business setting such as this, our relationship remains and will continue to remain strictly professional. If you have any concerns, please wait to speak to one of us in private. For now, I would like to start this meeting without any drama." She turned to face the Americas in the room. "Alfred, Amelia—the head of the table is now yours."

The meeting went surprisingly smoothly. There were some arguments, of course, but they seemed to quiet down much quicker than usual. Though no one said it directly, there was an unspoken communication between everyone that pissing off Monika (or Ludwig, considering the threats he had made to break up the commotion earlier) would probably not be a wise idea, and so they kept themselves in check more so than usual. Even Lovino managed to pout silently through the whole thing.

When it was time to break for a few hours, Monika managed to slip out of the room without bringing too much attention to herself. Ludwig had been stopped by someone who had a question, and Daisy and Feliciano wanted to catch up with a few people, so she decided to wait for them on a bench outside. She soon regretted this decision, as the air had warmed quite a bit since arriving at the meeting that morning. Seriously, whoever had thought that having the July meeting in Washington, D.C. was a good idea had to be out of their mind. Luckily, she would soon have some company to distract her from the heat. A bit distracted by the day's events, she had not even heard them approach.

"Miss Germany?" she heard someone say. She looked up to see a male, brunette nation standing before her.

"Oh, hello," she replied. "And Monika is fine, by the way." She hadn't expected anyone to approach her and was unsure of why he of all people would. He was definitely familiar, but she could not quite place which personified nation he was. She ran through a mental list of all the female nations she knew, attempting to determine who his counterpart was.

"Alright, Monika it is then. Um, do you mind if I sit down?" he asked politely.

"Sure, I don't see why not," she said, scooting over to make room on the bench. She hadn't expected that someone would actually approach her about her relationship with Feliciano, and hoped that he wasn't there to pass judgement on them. As it turned out, he actually intended quite the opposite.

"I know we don't know each other very well, so I apologize if this is not my place to say, but… don't worry about what people think of your relationship with Feliciano."

"Oh," she said, surprised. "Alright. Um, thank you." It was so strange to hear someone else say that to her after all the times she had told the Italian not to worry what his brother thought. She was beginning to realize that was much easier said than done, and it was good to have someone remind her of it.

"I, well… I understand what it's like," he continued. "You see, Poland and I fell in love in a world that was much less accepting than it is today, and we're still going strong."

Lithuania, of course! It all made sense. Everything came in to place for her the moment he had said Poland. She thought back to the night she and Feli had gotten together and how he had mentioned that they would not be the first nations ever to date, as Feliks and Toris had been in a relationship for a very long time.

"That is quite commendable," she told him.

"Thank you. And I find it admirable that you would so bravely admit to your relationship in front of such a crowd. That is a big deal."

"Well, we figured it would be better to tell them all at once than to have rumors floating around for a long time, you know? It's simpler in a way. I just hope that they all decide it's really none of their concern."

"I think they will have all be over it soon enough," Toris assured her. "You watch, by the next conference, no one will even care anymore. And who knows? With all of us seeing more of each other so often, maybe some more people will get together. It's becoming a much different time for us than it used to be."

"You know, I hadn't thought of that," Monika replied.

"I don't know if it will actually happen, but you never know. Just don't give up hope that everything's going to work out for you guys, okay? I'm sure it will, even if it takes some time."

"Thank you, that really helps," she said. She then noticed that her three companions had exited the building and seemed to be looking for her. "If you'll excuse me now, I have to get going. I have lunch plans with Ludwig, Feli, and Daisy."

"Of course," he replied. "I'm meeting up with a few people soon myself. "

"Alright, then. Thank you for the talk, Toris, it was nice to have someone keep me company while I waited. It was also more reassuring than you might think."

"You're welcome, Monika. I'll see you when the meeting resumes this afternoon."

"See you then. And really, thank you."

"No problem."