A/N: A little one-shot for Prussia's birthday! Also known as the foundation of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701. Please enjoy!

The exact second that the alarm clock went off, Prussia slammed his hand down onto it and sat up, a wide grin spread across his face. He had been awoke for at least twenty minutes, but why get up sooner than he had to? Well, he didn't have to wake up this early, but it was necessary because today is a very special day!

Jumping out of bed, he tried his best to ignore the freezing cold of winter. It was like ice spears piercing his bare legs, and made him wish that he had worn more than just a t-shirt and his boxers to bed. He should have known better, but there was no time thinking about it! His excitement was far greater than his need for warmth, but he decided to put on a pair of pajama pants anyway. You know, so his legs wouldn't freeze off.

One must not forget to wear protection as well. Prussia hastily put on a pair of mismatched socks that were lying on the basement floor. Nearly tripping over a random box in the way of his path, he ran up the stairs and pulled the door open without a hassle. No sound came from either end of the house, but he did smell the usual aroma of coffee hailing from the kitchen.

Usually, he woke up too late to be able to grasp that wonderful smell, and always had to reheat it while Germany was gone off to work. This time, perhaps the younger nation was still there since it was early. He should have been there anyway, because today was special, after all.

However, when he finally reached the kitchen, the only thing that he found was a note on the table.

Dear brother,

I apologize for my absence this morning, however I did not expect you to wake up early enough for me to see you, anyway. After work, I will have to attend a meeting. However, I will be back afterwards. I'm uncertain of when I will return, but please try not to make a mess of things. Once again, I'm sorry.

Happy Birthday.

Sincerely,

Germany

The groan that rumbled from Prussia's throat obviously meant that he was not satisfied with that. But, it's not as if it was Germany's fault that he had work to do. He was a nation, after all, and nations hardly ever get a break. Still, he wouldn't let this ruin his day! With a sigh, he tossed the note back onto the table and moved towards the refrigerator. Before he could start his awesome day, he would need a nice bowl of cereal.

"What the fuck, West? Why isn't there any milk in here?"

Although he knew that no one could hear him, he still questioned why the main ingredient to his quick breakfaster was missing. That was when he slapped himself in the forehead, as he remembered that he was supposed to buy the milk the previous day. He really didn't feel like eating anything more, but looks like he had no choice.

"Hm, eggs and toast sounds alright. What do you think, Gilbird?"

He glanced up at the bird that had appeared on his head who knows when, and smiled brightly when the little creature chirped. That obviously meant that his idea was awesome, because they always were and he could speak bird. Somewhat.

Waiting for the toast to pop up from the toaster, Prussia cracked a couple of eggs into a small frying pan and whistled to himself. Being an ex-nation, he had stopped celebrating his birthday centuries ago, when it became just another day for him. In fact, nearly all of the nations had stopped celebrating birthdays so long ago, it was becoming harder to remember the actual dates.

However, Prussia decided to change that. Just a year ago, he was spending this exact same day doing what he always did: gaming, pulling pranks on Germany just for the hell of it, eating frozen dinner, and relaxing on the couch. However, when he saw what date it was, it took him awhile to figure out what was giving him a sense of nostalgia. Finally, he remembered that it was the date of his foundation. His birthday. It was night by then, nearly midnight, and he had been oblivious to the fact the entire day.

It made him feel like crap to forget something like that, since it was the most awesome day of the year. And well, everyone should have known! But, they all had forgotten. Just like he did. It made him wonder what he was doing with his life, now that he wasn't a nation. He can't deny that he wanted something to look forward to every year. Something that would take him away from reality for a few hours, and made him feel special. He decided that he would begin celebrating his birthday every year again, even if he wasn't exactly aging.

"Ah!" He screamed when the pieces of toast suddenly sprung up from the toaster, pulling him out of the little daze that he was in. Even Gilbird chirped frantically on his head. His eggs weren't exactly sunny side up now, but whatever. He could drizzle a bit of salt and pepper on it, and eat it as it was.

"Time to eat! You must be hungry, because I'm fucking starving as well."

As he was about to sit down at the table, he paused and glanced over into the living room, then back at the table.

"Screw it, West ain't here, I can eat wherever I want! He should let me, anyways, since it's my awesome birthday."

Gilbird chirped in agreement, as Prussia plopped down onto the couch and turned on the TV. He decided that he should eat slowly and carefully, since his brother had warned him not to make a mess. He happily placed Gilbird on the arm of the couch and fed the bird small breadcrumbs from one of his hands, while the other one picked up the fork and shoveled food into his own mouth.

"We've got a little while before I have to clean up the place, so we can watch TV some more!" Prussia announced to the little bird on his left. Once he had devoured his small breakfast, he set the empty plate on the little table before him and lifted his legs onto the couch, crossing them to get more comfortable. Today would be amazing, he continued to tell himself. Even Gilbird must have been excited, since he was nuzzling against the finger that gently petted him.

The sound of the phone ringing interrupted their leisurely time on the couch, and Prussia hopped up from the couch and ran to answer it. To his slight surprise, it was France on the other side of the line. He didn't notice it, but the man sounded a bit strange.

"Yo, France! How's it going?"

"It's going swell! For now, that is. Oh, and happy birthday! I didn't expect you to answer the phone, since it's still early. I was just about to leave a text message on your cell, instead."

"Thanks! And, of course I'm up early! It is a special day, after all. So, what time are you going to be here? Sometime this afternoon like the others, or a bit earlier than that?"

"Well… that's what I was calling to inform you about. You see, something came up. Major things, and as a nation I have to take care of them. How bothersome," France explained, sighing into the phone.

"And? What do you mean?"

"So… I won't be able to make it to the party. Please forgive me, my friend!"

"What the hell do you mean that you can't come? You promised over a month ago! What the fuck, France?"

Prussia continued to grumble curses into the phone, and suggest solutions to France's supposed "problem". In the end, the French nation just wouldn't be able to show up. Though, Prussia understood. A little. Even though his best friend had promised to be there, being a nation comes first. He can't let his people down, although Prussia didn't give a fuck what this stupid emergency was about.

Slamming the phone down, he returned to the couch with a pout. He didn't feel like watching television anymore, so he grabbed his plate and washed it, then drank two cups of coffee to get his happy mood back. It didn't return fully, but now he had energy to clean! So what if France wouldn't be there? So many other people would! Now he kind of felt sorry for the other man, because he'd miss out on all the awesome fun.

"We've got a lot of work to do! Well, I do. Gilbird, you need to get bigger so that you can help me one of these days."

The bird simply tilted his head at Prussia's rambling, and went back to staring at the mess that needed to be cleaned. Prussia figured that it would be best to clean the part that everyone would be in, first. Then he would move down to his basement and clean there. Boy, he did not look forward to that at all.

Sweeping, and then mopping seemed as if it had taken forever. He was already about to call it quits, but there were still counters to be cleaned and the table as well. If he didn't finish cleaning, how would he be able to put up the decorations? Then, this was a race against time! He had plenty of hours left, since it wasn't even noon yet. However, time limits always made him work harder, despite the fact that they were annoying as hell.

"And so, the living room and kitchen are spotless!" Prussia shouted, turning off the vacuum cleaner.

Just as he had said, the rooms looked even better than when Germany usually cleaned them. Well, they did to Prussia. He was just glad to have done such a great job at something that he hated doing. Now all he had to do was clean the basement, and then set up the little decorations he had bought the previous week. Before he could even take another step, the phone rang once more.

"G'morning, Prussia! Happy Birthday! How are you?"

"Good morning to you, too, Spain. And thanks! I guess I'm fine, a little worn out from cleaning everything up for the party. I mean, I'm not worn out but it's not as easy as I thought it would be! Still, all I have left to do is the basement, and putting up decorations."

Spain chuckled and hummed into the phone. "I believe you can do it! Don't give up!"

"As if I ever would. And, can you believe that France is ditching us? He called earlier and said that he won't be able to show up for the party."

"Aw, is that so?"

"Yup." Prussia leaned against the wall and sighed. "Even after promising to show up. What a loser. Oh well, I suppose he can't help it. I was a little pissed, but it's not even a big deal! The guy has work to do, so I understand."

"Um, would you be pissed if I said that he and I are in the same boat?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm actually calling to let you know that I won't be able to make it, either… there's lots of work to do here and I had been slacking—"

"What? Are you fucking kidding me? Not you, too! You guys have to be joking, I mean, you promised as well!"

"I know, I know! It was last minute, and I have been working as fast as I can, but I won't be done in time to make the flight to Germany. I'm sorry, Prussia. Lo siento!"

"No, no don't give me that Spanish crap. This just isn't fair! Can't you come anyway and finish when you get back? Who the hell told you to slack off, anyway? That's unlike you. Although you can be an idiot sometimes, you're not lazy!"

"I'm really sorry! It's difficult to simply go out of the country at this time of year. I mean, it's right after New Years and the holidays, so there is lots of work to be done. I can't even take a day off. I thought that I could, but I really can't. I mailed you your gift, at least! I'm sure France did the same… They should arrive in a couple of days."

Spain really hated the guilt that filled up in his stomach, as Prussia continued to complain for a short while before giving up. He didn't want to make his friend angry and ditch him on his own birthday, but what else could he do? It was all just a bad coincidence.

"You know what, screw you guys. Everyone else will be there, and you two won't. Because of your stupid work, you're going to miss the best birthday bash ever! I'll make sure to rub it in your faces whenever you're not too 'busy' for me."

Slamming the phone down once again, Prussia was ready to kick something. Hard. How could his two best friends do this to him? He was going to have the first birthday party that he'd celebrated in who knows how long, and they weren't going to be there! Well, fuck them. He didn't want anything to ruin this day, not a damn thing.

"We're still doing this, Gilbird. Nothing can stop my awesome party from happening."

With just that bit of confidence, Prussia stormed into the basement and began sorting through his crap. Who knew that leaving empty bottles of beer and old food wrappers would be so much work to clean up? Loose papers, empty bags and cartons of milk, even clothes that he hadn't worn in forever. All were scattered out, and it took well over an hour to clean it up. Once again he had to vacuum, and then he threw his sheets into the washing machine.

"Well, that took care of cleaning! Now time to decorate the walls and blow up some balloons! At least I don't have to bake my own damn birthday cake. West did that last night, and I wanted to taste it so badly! He let me lick the spoon, though."

Putting up the little decorations was far much easier than cleaning turned out to be. It was even a bit of fun! Gilbird helped as well by holding onto the tape. Well, he didn't hold onto it, but instead sat next to it. Oh well, that's still helping! Prussia happily whistled to himself as he worked, eager for the party that would be starting soon, now. It was going to be perfect, and maybe something special would happen!

"Now that the decorations are up, I need to shower and wear my new clothes since everyone will be here soon! I guess I'll set the snacks out when I'm finished. I don't trust you with the chips, Gilbird."

Although the bird didn't understand a single word that was said, Prussia disappeared into the bathroom for a long, refreshing shower. The entire time he imagined how it would all play out. Everyone would arrive, hopefully not one by one, and then they'd chat and stuff! That's always the first thing. Then, perhaps they'd all play some games? Obviously, they would. Hopefully Germany would be back before it would start to get dark, and then they'd sing happy birthday with Prussia in the middle! Once everyone ate a bit of cake, it would be time to open his gifts. Man, he would feel like a kid again. Except, even more awesome! They'd move the furniture against the wall so that there would be enough room to dance. And maybe, just maybe, Romano would finally dance with him again.

"Ah! I can hardly wait! Why can't time go any faster? Hm?"

Once he had dried off and put on his new clothes, Prussia set the table and idly chatted to Gilbird again. When the clock struck three-thirty, people would come pouring in! He could only hope that they wouldn't knock anything over. That would piss Germany off and everyone would have to leave or do a hundred push-ups.

"They'll be here in any minute, now! Look sharp, Gilbird."

Three-thirty came and went like a passing vehicle, and so did the minutes after that. Soon, thirty minutes had gone by and not a knock had been heard against the door.

"What a bunch of losers, being late like this. Maybe there's traffic? But then again, they'd have called… oh well, we've got all night to party! That is, until West starts being a party pooper and kicks everyone out, then we could just continue the party at one of the hotels!"

An hour had now passed, and no one showed up. Not even a car drove by the house. It felt like hundreds of years, as another thirty minutes came and went, and now two hours. Two whole hours of sitting at the table, waiting. Occasionally he went and sat on the couch, or stared out of the front window. However, no one could be seen. Even when he called a couple of people, it went straight to voicemail each time.

"I don't understand… where the fuck could everyone be? Did they forget? But, that's impossible."

What if no one forgot, they just didn't want to be there? The thought loomed around in the back of his mind, but he would never bring it forth. Sure, a nation celebrating their birthday and inviting everyone was very rare, but at least one person would have taken out their time to show up, right? Or at least call him back. Oh, right, he's not a nation anymore. That doesn't make it any better.

Gilbird chirped and lightly pecked at Prussia's sleeve, but he continued to drown himself in a million thoughts at once. What if no one came because they thought it was a waste of time? What if they don't care about him or his little party, because he's not even one of them anymore? Maybe they thought that he should have perished along with his nation. Maybe he shouldn't exist right now. No one needed him, after all. This celebration was just so that he could have something to look forward to again in his pathetic little life, but looks like even that was impossible.

Yeah, they had all forgotten about him. He was just a burden to Germany, and that's why he wasn't here, either. France and Spain probably ditched because he's annoying, not because of work. He knew that his best friends would never think that about him, but where were they? That's right, they weren't even here. And, Romano would probably never like him back, either. It was foolish to develop a crush on that fiery Italian nation, who was just as busy as everyone else. Even if he was awesome, no one else could see it. Who would fall for an ex-nation, anyway?

Prussia suddenly felt a cringe in his chest, as everything around him began to feel as if it were completely unreal. He felt dizzy now, and as if he was slowly drifting away. It didn't make sense, because he was still sitting at the table, not moving. But, something inside of him felt as if it were going to vanish into thin air. Was he really disappearing?

A loud knock at the front door shattered into his ears and knocked him out of that strange trance. The knocking came again, as he stood up from the chair warily walked towards the door. Crap, his eyes were watery and blurred his vision. He quickly wiped them and opened the door as fast as he could.

"Romano?" His voice came out almost in a whisper, as his heart was filled with hope again.

Standing in front of him, was the man himself. He had a deep blush on his cheeks as he shoved some sort of wrapped box in Prussia's face?

"What… is this?"

"Don't open it! I mean… just put it somewhere. For now, at least."

"Oh, um, alright… ah, it must be freezing out there! Come in—"

"There's no time, we're going out. Go put on a coat or something, and a scarf. Stop fucking staring at me like I'm some sort of alien, and just do it!"

Prussia really could only stare, as if his mind had been trying to take its sweet time to process everything. Where the hell were they supposed to go? And why?

"Why the hell should I?"

Romano looked as if he was about to start yelling and swearing, but he simply took a deep breath and smiled faintly. Which was way too odd.

"I'm taking you somewhere, that's all. Don't worry about the party, you and I will have fun. So… please, hurry and put something warm on because the taxi driver is waiting for us. I paid him extra for this."

"Ah… alright! I'll be right there, then."

Finally, Prussia ran back into the house and set the little gift down on the table, then searched for his coat, gloves, and scarf. This was strange, but he found himself yearning to leave the house for awhile. If anyone showed up, they could always call his cell. He felt like know one would be showing up, anyways.

"You're two whole hours late, you know," Prussia said, once they'd gotten into the taxi and the driver drove off into some direction.

"No, I wasn't."

"You were! Everyone was… only you showed up."

Romano couldn't ignore the sad tone in Prussia's voice, as an equally sad frown stained his previous bewildered face. He was about to say something to the frowning man, but he simply sighed and gave a lazy shrug.

"I wasn't simply late, bastard. A few things… came up, but I did show up and now we're on our way to do things."

"Well, where the hell are we going? You haven't said anything about it, yet. Is it far?"

Romano simply shrugged and continued to gaze out of his own window at the piles of snow on the side of the road.

"Romano, you know I like surprises, but I don't like when secrets are kept from me."

"Alright, geez. Shut up already… I have a little list of places that we're going to. That's all, now keep quiet."

Great. If that answer wasn't vague as hell, then he didn't know what was. But, since Romano obviously wasn't going to leak out any further information on the subject, Prussia decided to simply wait and see what mysterious plans were awaiting ahead.

After a few minutes, the taxi driver suddenly stopped and Romano stepped out of the vehicle. Prussia followed along, but their destination didn't make anything clearer.

"The park?" he asked.

"Not just the park. We're at the pond, see."

Romano pointed towards the frozen pond, and then quickly began to walk in that direction.

"It's frozen, though."

"Obviously. How else are we supposed to skate on it, you idiot?"

"Well you could've just said that we were going ice skating! Don't call me a fucking idiot, either. It's my birthday, you know. Can't you be nice to me at least for today?"

Once again, Romano had to desperately stop himself from making a sneer comeback and simply nodded.

"That's what I've been trying to do… you're not making it easy, either. Now come on, before it starts getting really dark. It's a good thing the sun hasn't set yet."

Romano was trying to be nice? Well, that's a new one. Prussia supposed that the fire ball of pasta and rage (as he sometimes internally referred to Romano as), wasn't yelling as much as usual. Not nearly as much. This was a once in a lifetime chance, then! He would definitely have to enjoy this to the fullest. But, why was he randomly being taken to ice skate on the frozen pond? He couldn't help but wonder, as he finished putting the skates on and joined Romano on the ice.

"You know that I'm a professional at this kind of stuff, right?" Prussia announced, his usual smirk showing above all else.

"You? A professional ice skater? Don't make me laugh. I highly doubt that, but whatever."

"Seriously! Okay, so maybe I'm not a professional, but I'm pretty fucking awesome at this. Far better than you."

And of course, Prussia had the audacity to skate around Romano in circles, poking fun at the half-nation the entire time. Although it was annoying, Romano didn't say anything at all, he simply watched at the idiot bragged on and on. Suddenly, Prussia met the force of a push against his back, as then went soaring across the ice and falling on his butt. Thankfully he didn't land on his face, because that wouldn't have been pretty.

"What the hell was that for? I thought that you said you were trying to be nice!" he shouted out, as a laughing Romano came skating towards him.

"I did say that. I never said that I couldn't have any fun, right? And pushing you half-way across the pond was lots of fun!"

"Yeah, well it wasn't fun for me," he pouted.

"Oh stop being a baby and come on already. We're supposed to be skating, remember?"

Romano reached his hand out to help him up. Prussia stared at it for a moment, before taking it. And when he did, he pulled Romano down with great force and the he came tumbling into Prussia's lap.

"Revenge is sweet, huh?" Prussia chuckled.

"You're a bastard, you know that? I could've fall on the ice and injured myself!"

"Chill out, you're the one who was asking for it. Now, we're supposed to be skating, right?"

Standing up together, Romano only decided not to push the idiot back down because he really did want to skate. Oh and, that probably wouldn't have been nice. Prussia really was highly skilled at skating, but Romano could do it backwards as well. They even held hands for a brief moment and slowly skated together like that. This was turning out to be an alright birthday now, and Prussia wasn't nearly as sad and disappointed as he was before. In fact, he wasn't sad at all! He was having the time of his life, although it was getting incredibly cold now. It didn't help that it started to lightly snow again, even though it had a couple days before, as well.

"I could really go for something warm right now, my hands feel as if they're going to turn into ice sickles!"

"Same here, I guess gloves don't really do shit after awhile," Romano said, but then pointed across the park. "They're selling hot cocoa over there, we could go get some. We have to hurry, though… we spent too much time screwing around over here. We mustn't miss the bus."

"We're going on a bus? Hey— Romano, wait up!"

For whatever reason, Prussia had noticed that Romano had been checking his watch the entire time they were skating. Whatever was coming next must've been good! He hoped so, at least.

When he received his hot cup of cocoa, all of the previous coldness melted away. It was like heaven spreading all throughout his nearly frozen body. Even the content look on Romano's face was something to behold. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself, earning an odd glare from the Italian next to him.

"Weird… anyway, drink up! The bus should be here in any second. Looks like we won't have time to visit some of those other useless places, after all."

"Wait, where the hell are we going? Or is that another surprise? And, why were we going to visit someplace useless, anyway? Isn't it… useless?"

"No more questions! We're catching the bus, and we're going to the only important place on the list. Always save the best for last, right?"

These silly little secrets were far beyond annoying now. Prussia wanted to know what was going on, and he wanted to know now! He chugged down the hot cocoa as fast as he could (stupidest idea ever, considering that he now has a burnt tongue), and the two of them hopped onto the bus that appeared around the block.

"So, you're not even going to give me a hint?"

Still nagging, Prussia lightly elbowed Romano in his side until he was not being ignored anymore.

"For the last time, no. You won't need a hint when we get near the place, anyway. And, it's outside so put your gloves back on. We're only staying there for a few minutes."

Well, that was helpful. This had better be good, because Prussia was starving now. He hadn't eaten a single thing since breakfast, because he was expecting guests and it wasn't awesome to eat before everyone arrived. Even though the deceiving bastards never showed up. What a waste! He'd make sure to give them hell with all the malicious pranks that he had previously spared them of.

"Prussia, look up. We're here."

After nearly falling asleep from burying himself in his own thoughts, Prussia quickly looked up to see where they were. He instantly recognized the area, but wasn't quite sure what they were doing there. Nonetheless, he followed Romano off of the bus, as they walked towards their destination.

As expected, a smile grew on his face when they'd reached the little surprise that Romano had wanted to show him so badly.

"Well? Go on, do your… talking thing." Romano lightly pushed Prussia forward so that he was standing directly before the statue of Frederick the Great, high on his horse.

Suddenly, Prussia felt a little strange, since he wasn't alone like he usually was when he talked to the statue. He had talked to Frederick's statue before, while Romano had been visiting the previous year when they had become the best of friends. How the hell did that happen, though? For the decades— no, centuries that he had known Romano, they only became close a couple of years ago. And it had been an accident, too!

He'll have to thank Veneziano one day, for the time that the silly nation accidentally locked him and Romano inside of the large tool shed at Spain's house that one summer. Man, he and Romano thought that they'd never get out! Sure, they argued while they were in there, but they had also conducted a casual conversation afterwards. It was the first time he had seen that side of Romano, and wanted to see it even more. That was why he set out to befriend that angry Italian man, who had eventually stolen his heart without his consent.

"Well? What the fuck are you standing there for? It's not like he can read your thoughts… or can he?"

"Ah, right! Sorry about that…"

Shit, why was he daydreaming about the first time he realized that he liked Romano in front of Old Fritz? That was beyond embarrassing, so he let out a deep sigh and stared up at the great statue, smiling softly in the moonlight.

"Hey, old man! I guess you probably already know what day it is… yeah, and I bet you're laughing at me right now. I mean, who celebrates their birthday nowadays? I don't know, but I wanted to try something new… you know me when I get into new things. Though, it's not exactly new."

Romano felt extraordinarily calm while watching Prussia talk to a statue. Though, he had gotten use to Prussia's weird antics so long ago. And he didn't particularly mind them much, either. These strange traits of his were apart of him, and so naturally Romano accepted them. After a very long time, that is. He also knew how much that particular king meant to Prussia, so of course he would take him there on his birthday. Time was running out, though.

"And I admit that at first, I thought my friends had completely abandoned me… being alone is awesome and all, but shouldn't I be with them on the day that is most special to me? That was when Romano showed up, and made me feel all better! I had so much fun with him, he's a nice guy once you get to know him. I mean, really know him. Like I do. Anyways, he's pestering me to hurry up now… I'll see you soon."

"You sure can talk a lot… and, you didn't have to tell him all of that embarrassing bullshit!" Romano yelled, as they began walking again.

"What's so embarrassing about saying you're nice? Well, when you want to be. Otherwise you're pretty much a dick all of the time. But, I know that you can't help it with your personality disorder."

"Shut up already, I do not have a personality disorder just because I have a short temper. But, um… did you really have fun this evening?"

Prussia giggled and wrapped an arm around the other man's shoulder. "Of course I did! I mean, my day was shitty at first. But, I had a lot of fun with you at the pond. And I'm also grateful for you bringing me to see the old man."

"All we did was skate and drink hot cocoa, though. We could've done that on any other winter day. You're really content with that?" Romano turned his head to look at the Prussian, as he was still a bit confused. Sure, it was fun, but a normal person would have been complaining by now.

"Well… it's not like having a huge party and drinking until I can't stand, but it was still fun because you took me there! Therefore, it was fun because it was with you. Just you and I! You're kind of stupid, Romano. I mean, it's pretty obvious why it would be fun."

"Call me stupid one more time, and I swear— N-never mind… but, the evening isn't over. It's still your birthday for another four hours? Maybe more?"

Prussia stopped walking and simply tilted his head. "But, aren't we going back to my place? I thought you were rushing me because you didn't want to miss the last bus. We could always take a taxi, you know."

"Of course not! There's still one more surprise left. Sure, I saved the best place on the list for last, but this next place wasn't on the list to begin with."

Before Prussia could question that statement, Romano walked to the end of the curb and whistled for a taxi. As expected, he wasn't told where they were going, but he didn't ask. He wanted to see what other surprise was waiting for him, as they reached some unknown place.

After about ten minutes, they stopped in front of a tall building with many lights everywhere. It looked pretty fancy, especially the inside. Prussia instantly took notice of what kind of building it was.

"Is this a hotel? I don't recall seeing this place before. Man, if I don't recognize a building like this in my own homeland, then I need to get out more. I bet West has been here, too. He gets to go to all the fancy places. So, what's here that you want to show me?"

"Stop talking, dammit. You've been running that mouth all evening. Just… close your eyes. When we get out of the elevator, keep them closed. I'll guide you. And smack you across the face if you peek."

What a nice heartwarming threat. Sighing to himself, Prussia closed his eyes as the elevator continued to go higher and higher. It almost made his stomach feel queasy. When the door opened and he heard the 'ding' sound, he kept his eyes tightly shut as Romano grabbed his hand and gave it a light squeeze.

For whatever reason, that made his heart jump. What if this hotel was the one Romano was staying at for the night? And what if they were going to his room? Fuck, what was Romano planning to do to him? Oh god, what would he do if this was some sort of birthday sex? No, no, Romano wasn't like that. Obviously it wouldn't be a strip tease and awesome sex. They may be best friends, but Romano wouldn't do anything even remotely sexual with a friend like France would. Well, what the hell was it, then?

His ears perked up when they came to a halt, and he heard the sound of Romano sliding a card through the door? That's what it sounded like, but he could feel his heart beating faster when the door came slowly creaking open, and he was pulled inside with a sudden jerk. They stood there for a second, before he heard the switch of a light.

"Open your eyes now, Prussia."

Romano didn't need to tell him twice.

"Surprise!"

Prussia gasped at the sight before him, as everything began to slowly come together. All around this vast, fancy room that probably cost a fortune to rent out for one night, was just about every nation that he knew. Everyone applauded him and said happy birthday, as Prussia only stared. Germany and Veneziano stood to his left, smiling faintly and giving him pats on the back as he was still in shock. Suddenly, France and Spain came forward and gave him hugs and more pats to his shoulders and back.

"What's… going on here? What is this? I thought that you two were busy with work!"

Spain laughed and handed him a bottle of ice cold beer. "Ah, we're sorry that we had to lie to you! I must've hurt your feelings so much, I really didn't mean to! But, we had to be convincing, you know? This is your surprise birthday party, after all."

A surprise birthday party? But, that didn't make any sense! His birthday party was supposed to be at home, and he invited everyone himself! So, why would it be a surprise?

"But… the party… I set everything up… what the fuck, guys?"

"Oh, cheer up already! You're really slow in the brain, you should be celebrating right now! We had originally planned to have the surprise party at Germany's house while Romano took you out and distracted you for awhile. But, we realized that that home is way too small for all of us, and Germany didn't want to clean up any messes, so… we all chipped in and rented this penthouse!"

Prussia's jaw literally dropped at France's explanation, as he looked over at his younger brother for a confirmation. And well, Germany nodded so it must have been true. Goddammit, and all this time he thought that his friends had been dickheads and ditched him! They sure did make it seem like that was the case, and he felt like shit that entire afternoon. This must've been the ultimate payback for all of the times he had pulled pranks on every single one of them.

Admitting defeat, Prussia took a quick swig of the beer and laughed along with his best friends. "And who was the mastermind of this plan?"

Everyone pointed to Romano, who had kind of gone silent as he watched the little reunion.

"Romano? This was your idea? You sneaky little devil! I never thought you had it in you."

"Y-yeah, well… you were practically hysterical about this whole party thing for an entire fucking month. So, I wanted it to be even better. I contacted everyone and told them to pretend as if they wouldn't go to the party, and avoid talking to you, except those two idiots. And then I took you out for awhile to waste time, while everyone met up here and got it ready for you."

Did he mention how much he really liked Romano? The half-nation suddenly found himself in a tight hug, as Prussia squeezed him as tightly as he could. Damn that Romano and his evil plans, he had to admit that the guy was good at this stuff! After a bit of squirming and cursing, Romano gave up and hugged him back with just as much enthusiasm.

"Hey, you! Happy birthday. Now you better stop messing around and enjoy every single thing that we've set up here! It took a long time to get things ready, you know."

Prussia finally let Romano go and turned around to see both Hungary and Austria standing before him, and they each wore something pretty damn classy. As expected.

"I'll definitely make sure to do that. And wow, 'Specs! I didn't expect to see you here, not at all!"

Austria sighed and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Happy birthday, and while I usually do not participate in this kind of— excuse me, but will you please distance yourself? You're wrinkling my blouse."

In the middle of his sentence, Prussia had begun to mess with whatever the hell the silly aristocrat was wearing, and would have even taken the man's glasses, had not Hungary smacked his hand away.

"Well then, let the party begin!" Prussia shouted.

And a wild but awesome night that turned out to be. Prussia drank as much beer as he pleased with Denmark, it was a miracle how neither of them passed out. But they both got smacked by Norway when they tried touching Iceland. And what's a party without a bit of teasing? Prussia didn't dare prey on Austria when Hungary came back from the bathroom, so he settled with messing with the Baltics. Those plans went astray when Russia wanted to join along. Who the fuck invited that guy, anyway? It was soon discovered that he showed up with the Baltics and brought along mountains of vodka.

Veneziano ended up breaking his nose when he jumped off the counter and tried to land on the master bed, which was on the other side of the room. Germany cursed his luck when he had to be the one to accompany the reckless idiot to the hospital. But the best part of all, besides the wild partying, drinking, and eating, was dancing with Romano. He and Prussia had danced to so many songs together, they had to stop from their feet beginning to ache.

"Man, this is the best birthday party ever. I mean, the most awesome one I've ever had!"

Prussia smiled up at the night sky, and didn't even mind the cold air from being so high up. He and Romano were sitting in the chairs outside on the balcony to get some fresh air and rest a bit before they would dance again. It wasn't even that late, but he was already getting exhausted. Still, they had all night! He would definitely party every single second of it.

"The best birthday party ever, huh?"

"Obviously! I mean, I got to hang out with you first, and then this surprise was fucking amazing! All of my friends and acquaintances are here— even some rather unlikeable people… but, I received so many amazing gifts as well! I've got some new accessories, games, things that I don't even know what they are… We even ate the cake that West baked for me last night! It's all just perfect. It's also all because of you, Romano."

"Well, it's not really a big deal— wait, what time is it? The time, check the time!"

Shrugging, Prussia lifted his sleeve and glanced at his wristwatch. "Um… my watch says it's eleven forty-five. So, fifteen minutes until midnight. Why, did something happen? Are you waiting for something?"

"Fuck, so soon… your birthday ends in fifteen minutes and I haven't even begun to explain!"

"What's the big deal? Explain what? Relax, the party is going on until morning… or until everyone passes out or leaves to go to their own hotel rooms."

"No, no! I have to do it now before it's too late…"

"Romano, what the hell are you talking about and why—"

Prussia blinked at what seemed to be a pair of lips moving against his. Romano had turned in his chair and suddenly grabbed Prussia's chin, pulling him forward into a deep kiss.

"What the hell… Romano, did you drink too much or something?" He nervously chuckled, but the deep blush on the other man's face and that usual scowl appearing, told him that it was no accident.

"Shut the hell up, you fucking idiot! I'm not drunk, asshole. I kissed you because I wanted to… that's it. I had planned to wait until Valentine's Day to confess, but… I couldn't wait any longer, and your birthday was a perfect time! S-so… do you understand, or do I have to write it down?"

Prussia's mind temporarily unfroze and he quickly nodded.

"Y-yeah, but… why? I mean, how? I thought that you didn't like men! I mean, you're always trying to flirt with women and you're also a complete jerk to guys, even when they know you. Hell, you're even like that to Spain and he practically raised you! So, why..?"

"I'm Italian, what did you expect? I'm just nicer to the ladies. And… If I didn't fucking like men, then I wouldn't be here right now, confessing to you! Goddamn idiot! I mean, I don't generally like men, and it's not as if I had a choice to have been that bastard's colony. But, I do like you… a lot. I don't know how, or why, but it's true! I like you, and we understand each other… if you don't fucking like me, then you better say so now or else I'll—"

No further argument was made when Prussia cupped his hands on Romano's cheeks and engulfed those lips in between his own once again. Romano instantly returned the kiss, but was left craving more when the Prussian pulled away and smiled sweetly at him.

"I like you as well, Romano. I like you a lot! And, what ever happened to being nice? It's still my birthday for another… ten minutes, you know."

"W-well… being nice is overrated. I'd much rather just… kiss my new boyfriend here under the stars, alright?"

And so that's exactly what they did. Prussia shared many more kisses with his 'fire ball of pasta and rage' that night, on his best birthday ever. It was around about four in the morning, when everyone else had finally returned to their own hotel rooms to sleep until who knows when. Prussia and Romano passed out cuddling together in the fancy bedroom that they'd probably never get another chance to sleep in. Who knows, maybe he'd rent that same place out when they were far along in their relationship, and decided to do other 'things' in that bed instead of simply sleeping. All Prussia knew was that he'd definitely have to do something even more awesome for Romano's birthday, which was only a couple months away.

A/N: Oops, I'm sorry. I wrote this at some unknown hours of the night when I should've been asleep. I fixed the error, and to those wondering, Romano just gave Prussia a cute little ring with a ruby gemstone on it to match his eyes. He likes things like that, just because.