Secrets

14

After that whole fiasco, Amelia wasn't allowed to be out of sight. She didn't fully understand what was going on, but just went with the flow. Matthias grabbed the book and opened it. He looked at the entry and then looked at Feliciano in shock.

"Feliciano still relapses into bouts of depression and self-hatred," Matthias read. "It gets worse and worse every time. Ludwig is secretly afraid there will be a day when Italy is too far gone, and he won't be able to do anything about it."

Feliciano looked at Ludwig, who returned the gaze. The other nations were shocked. Lovino didn't look too shocked, but was stunned, nonetheless.

"I thought you said you were getting better?" Lovino asked, his eyes wide.

"I was," Feliciano responded, now looking at his twin, "for a while, but then I wasn't anymore."

"The Potato-Bastard knew, but I didn't?!"

"Can we just continue?"

Matthias cleared his throat and nodded, "Toris may look happy, but he is depressed and feels extremely lonely most of the time, even being in a room full of people."

Amelia pulled Toris from his chair and into her lap, holding him close. Toris had a small blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Why didn't you tell us?" she asked, concerned for him.

He looked down and quietly said, "same reason you don't tell anyone your secrets."

Amelia nodded and looked at Matthias to continue, who complied quickly.

"When Fritz started to get older and weaker," he read, "Gilbert took to sleeping in his bed, for fear that Fritz would pass away in the night and Gilbert wouldn't know until morning."

Gilbert looked down, hiding some tears that started to spring up. Matthew rubbed Gilbert's back lightly.

"You really loved him," Roderich stated, knowing it wasn't even a question.

"Yeah," Gilbert nodded, "he was like a father to me."

Without realizing it, the nations had a moment of silence for those they've lost. After a while, Matthias handed the book to Elizaveta.

"Okay," she said as she opened the book. "Matthew will kill for his twin... he has."

"Wait- really?" Arthur asked, not believing the book.

"Do you not remember the memory where Gil and I saved Alfred from those government scum?" Matthew deadpanned. He turned to Elizaveta, "I suggest you continue."

"Okay..." Elizaveta trailed off, "sometimes, England misses his Golden Years, he doesn't mean being an Empire."

"What do you mean, mi amigo?" Antonio asked, smirking, he had a guess, but was unwilling to share.

"You know bloody damn well," Arthur mocked glared at the Spaniard.

"I miss being on the open sea as well."

"Oui," Francis joined the conversation, "it was one hell of a time."

"It was freeing."

While the pirate trio was reminiscing, Elizaveta turned the page on the book. She cleared her throat loudly to get the pirates' attention.