Archive of Our Own ^beta

Germany 

• The thing about Germany is that he’s young. Young by Nation standards and not as skilled or as experienced when it comes to dealing with the world. When he finds out that the reader exists, he… He kind of freaks out.
• Immortal beings, he knows they exist and he is definitely one of the many phenomena that counts as immortal, but he has never been borne witness to an immortal human before! 
• Germany definitely calls Prussia for advice on how to deal with teenagers. 
• He also consults parenting guides, child psychologists, counselors, and even turns to other Nations who either reared younger Nations or are particularly close to humans. He takes meticulous notes and systematically tries out the advice—to varying degrees of success. 
• What he finds out after he starts taking care of the reader is that the advice given to him isn’t a one size fits all situation. The reader isn’t a Nation who can govern themselves with minimal assistance. The reader isn’t a human who can die any day. The reader is special. 
• The reader’s needs will be subsequently different. 
• Once Germany realizes that not all advice will be good advice, he’ll turn to the reader. This time, he preps himself by actually listening and asking questions to find out the reader’s personality and their baseline needs and wants. 
• After he finds out what makes the reader happy, what makes the reader tick, that’s when he’ll become the world’s greatest guardian. 
• Yes, Germany will be a socially awkward mess at the start, but everything he does for the reader is because he cares so much, it almost hurts. Over time, he will gain more confidence and will show the reader that he is capable of taking care of them. 
• Germany is a wonderful teacher, patient and enduring. He is keen on technology and the mechanical world, but he also has a keen grasp on other subjects. If the reader has any trouble learning about basic concepts on disciplines that Germany isn’t familiar with, he will personally stay up late at night going through research documents and looking up video lectures so that he can help out the reader with whatever questions they might have. 
• On lazy days, Germany will bake as many sweet treats as possible because the measuring process relaxes him. He won’t force the reader to help him, but he can’t deny that the sound of someone whisking the batter or banging pots together by accident makes him warm on the inside. What makes the baking process even more wonderful is watching the reader stuff themselves silly with whatever he’s made. (Don’t worry, Germany has already noted their likes, dislikes, and allergies).
• If the reader doesn’t like sweets, that’s completely fine! Germany still makes great, hearty meals! Whenever he does go on a baking spree, he’ll take the reader to visit his neighbors so that they can taste his baked treats. Not only is it a great bonding experience between Nation and immortal human, but it definitely fills Germany with great joy to know that he is doing the parenting thing all right whenever Hungary, Prussia, or Austria tell him how wonderful and helpful the reader is. 
• Germany is strict with rules, but he is lenient if the reader pleads their case with sufficient evidence to amend the rules. (As time goes on, Germany may bend more often than not).
• Although he is very introverted, if the reader is not, he will definitely brave crowds and scheduled outings if it makes the reader happy. If the reader is more introverted, he makes sure that the both of them have lives that are equally spent inside and outside enjoying other people’s company. 
• Germany doesn’t say “I love you” often, but the reader can see it when he gently corrects them as they measure flour into a batter. Or when Germany teaches them how to change a lightbulb. Or when Germany lightly scolds them for being reckless. Germany reveals his love by caring actions. 

Italia Romano

• When Romano finds out that there is an immortal human and there’s no one to take care of them, of course he’ll take them in! What, did you think that he let any child—immortal or not—starve and freeze to death?
• Food. The language that Romano is most familiar with is food. He doesn’t care about the reader’s situation, their name, or why they’re immortal. Romano will take one glance at their face and immediately start boiling water and rolling the dough for fresh pasta. YES. HE WILL MAKE FRESH PASTA FOR THE READER. 
• Sure, he’s suspicious of outsiders, but this is a child. Un bambino! He can interrogate them later after they’ve been fed. So what if you’re immortal and loved for a long time, you’re still a child mentally and by the grace of God, Romano will make sure that the reader is comfortable in his home.
• Romano isn’t always the best parent, but he definitely tries. It may have been almost two thousand years or so since Grandpa Rome has come by to raise him, but Romano knows the basics. And well, Spain did teach him a thing or two regarding discipline. 
• Once the pasta frenzy has worn off, Romano will make sure that the reader knows how to manage and clean a household, how to garden, cook, and what the best marketplaces are for great produce. He’ll be damned if the reader gets scammed and doesn’t learn basic life lessons while under his care. 
• That said, he can be quite gruff and not as patient as most, but he’ll do his best to rein in his temper. His temper is reserved for those idiots at world summits and for terrible people. For the reader, he’ll either leave the room or train himself to know the signs that he’s getting angry so that he can calm himself down before then. (This is a skill that he can learn and hone if he realizes that the reader is scared of angry yelling or is uncomfortable in general with loud sounds).
• (He’ll never admit it, but this is a skill that helps in international meetings).
• When Romano isn’t busy with paperwork, he’ll make the reader help him with household chores. Never before has his household looked so clean! He can be a bit of a taskmaster, but now that he has to set an example for the reader, he finds that he isn’t as lazy and willing to commit to weeding his entire garden or dusting every inch of his house. 
• Romano is also a bit of a fashionista. Milan may be in Veneziano’s territory, but Romano has Rome so that obviously makes him better. He’ll make sure that the reader is decked out in clothing that will make any person green with envy. The style and the colors will match whatever the reader likes and Romano will spare no expense so that the reader can show off. 
• On most days, Romano does not like staying inside of the house all the time. He’s the outdoorsy type who needs continual stimulation from his surroundings. He’ll take the reader out on walks in the late afternoons and early evenings, when the air is cool and the day is winding down. Sometimes, he’ll talk about the plants and the houses they’ll pass, the history of the inhabitants from centuries past. Other times, he’ll remain quiet, lost in his own thoughts. Walking calms him down whenever he’s most stressed and he hopes that the reader will use this as a coping mechanism should life become just as stressful. 
• Romano says “I love you” like it’s a fact that can’t be contested by skeptics and scientists alike. He says it likes he’s berating his little brother or scolding Spain for being stupid. Of course he loves the reader! Are they deaf, blind, and stupid? He made the reader pasta for God’s sake! (Now shut your mouth and let Romano mother you, you oblivious ingrate).

Italia Veneziano

• Veneziano loves children! They could be small, they could be big, talkative or quiet, boisterous or reserved—he finds children so enchanting! They are God’s gifts to the world and Veneziano finds himself entranced by them. 
• When he finds the reader, immortal teenager and all, Veneziano immediately tries to take them under his wing. He may have missed out on the reader’s formative childhood, but he will do his best to provide for a better future for them!
• However, Veneziano is Veneziano. He can be a flighty person at times, which results in scatterbrained decisions and short term gratification. Unlike Romano, Veneziano may not always behave like an older guardian should. 
• That isn’t to say Veneziano won’t be a good parent. Parenting, like any other discipline, requires patience and consistent practice. He was a child once, wasn’t he? Veneziano prefers both the words of his former guardians and personal experience rather than turning to guidebooks or advice from professionals. Veneziano will definitely contact Austria and Romano for help. After that, he’ll pay very close attention to his reader. 
• While he may be scatterbrained and may make impulsive decisions, he can be very observant at times. As an artist, he knows what brushes to use, the strokes certain hairs can make. What hues and dyes are complimentary and contrasting. He uses his eye for details to know if the reader is doing well. 
• He’s an emotional person—often prone to tears or wide grins. The instant he knows that the reader is feeling down, Veneziano will immediately come running with warm hugs and pecks on the cheeks. Depending on what the reader needs at the moment, Veneziano can lend an ear, offer a glass of water to calm them down, or simply sit in silence as the reader tries to process their emotions. Veneziano knows what it’s like to be put down and smothered rather than express how he truly feels—he’d rather prostrate himself in front of the pope and give up his faith than let his reader feel the same way under his care. 
• Similarly, if the reader is feeling joyful, Veneziano shares in their happiness. Happiness is bright yellows and oranges to him, warm colors that light up the earth and sets an inviting candle aglow within. 
• Veneziano, whenever he feels introspective and nostalgic for the past, often paints. It’s a medium that has enraptured him since the days of his infancy. While Romano favors work that hardens his fingers and limbers his muscles (gardening and sculpting are one of many), Veneziano prefers arts that are finely tuned and detailed. He likes to doodle, to draw. Sometimes, he might brush his fingers playfully on guitars or bang on the keys of a piano. If the reader wishes, and he hopes that they do, he’ll impart his knowledge of the arts. He’s a patient teacher, and while his instructions may leave a lot to be desired, that doesn’t mean he isn’t trying his hardest. Eventually, he learns how to teach and the reader eventually learns the art of their choice. 
• Like Romano, Veneziano likes dressing in nice clothing. He’ll let the reader run around in the shops of his finest cities with his credit card. He’ll let the reader express themself. You want that fabric in that specific color and pattern? Well, he isn’t wearing it and he can definitely give the reader tips should they want it, but for the most part, he’s hands off with the aesthetics. He trusts the reader to come into their own, and if they don’t, at least Veneziano knows that they aren’t in want of new clothing. 
• Veneziano’s heart is in the ocean. He loves swimming and on odd days, fishing. Being close to the water makes him somewhat childish at times, but for the most part, he feels somber. He’ll teach the reader to swim and maybe he’ll give them private tours of his beloved birthplace in a gondola. (Yes, he’ll even wear the attire associated with gondoliers if they really want it).
• When Veneziano says “I love you”, it’s always said in private. He’s more extroverted than his brother and infinitely more scatterbrained, but this? This declaration of love for a teenager under his care? It’s meant to be a decision handled with care and deliberation. As a child, Veneziano had lost so many: his famed predecessors, a little empire who fought too many battles young, and countless humans he had befriended. Love had been fleeting in the past, does he dare hope to hold onto it now? Veneziano says it in the moments where he is at his most stressed, when pressure needs release and he needs to let the reader know that he cares, that he always cares. “I love you” he says when he feels like he’s about to lose everything.

Japan

• Japan doesn’t know what to do. As a Nation who had once been the king of isolation and closed borders, he isn’t always keen on opening up to others. He’s gotten better over the years, but even he needed some time to be by himself so he can enjoy the solitude. When he meets the immortal, teen reader, he’s beside himself in panic. 
• The reader had to have spent some time by themselves, right? Would it presumptuous of him to take them in when they don’t really know each other? Did the reader already have an established place to stay? What about family? Would he be overstepping to offer them a place to stay?
• Unlike Romano and Prussia, Japan doesn’t immediately welcome the reader. He’s polite and kind as always, but the change in dynamic from strangers to a family unit is slow and gradual. Like a river burrowing through the base of a mountain. 
• At first, Japan will visit the reader and hope that they are doing well. He’ll make sure that their education is taken care of, that all of their needs are met. He might be an acquaintance checking on a citizen of his country, but he cares. 
• Honestly, it’s up to the reader to give Japan the go ahead to take them in. At that point, all of Japan’s anxieties about parenting seem to decrease by tenfold. (He still has anxiety, always will if he’ll answer you truthfully, but now he knows that the reader actually wants to spend time with him!) 
• Japan may be an old man like China and France, but he is definitely up to date with the times. He’s not as obnoxiously adamant on getting cute things for the reader like China or making sure that they have finery that will make their peers jealous like France, but Japan can provide for the reader in his own understated way. He’ll take them out to the best districts in some of his favorite cities for clothing, video games, certain knick knacks that he thinks the reader might enjoy, and whatever entertainment they want. 
• While he may not speak much or physically emote, he is still very keen on showing some of his favorite things to the reader. When he’s busy with work or if he can’t muster the energy to speak, he’ll text them his favorite anime, recommend new pop bands, and even provide the names of catchy light novels. 
• Because Japan is very quiet, he might end up startling the reader at the most inopportune of times. To accommodate the reader (and to decrease the chances of suffering a heart attack because startling the reader also startles him as well), he’ll often knock on hard surfaces twice to alert them. It’s a simple system that has evolved to include simple words and phrases that sometimes replaces a lot of their conversation. 
• It’s mostly quiet in their shared house, which Japan greatly appreciates. However, if the reader is more vocal or generally louder than what Japannis used to, he doesn’t particularly mind. There’s something oddly human about listening to a person hum or sing to themself while washing the dishes or dance a silly little jig while sweeping the floor. It’s not Japan’s usual way of expressing himself, but he won’t stop the reader from doing what they can to be happy. 
• Sometimes, when the night is unbearably warm and they can’t sleep, Japan will invite them to sit outside with him. They can sit and watch the moon sail across the sky in silence. Other times, Japan might tell them stories about conversing with China or other Nations while sitting under the very same moon. It’s during these quiet moments that Japan’s inhibitions leave him and he starts talking like a river breaking through a dam. It’s not until the reader starts to show signs of sleeping that he’ll start to sing and bring them back inside. (The reader never remembers Japan singing and that’s fine by him).
• It’s under the same moon and with the waning scrap of unconsciousness that the reader hears “I love you” come from Japan’s mouth. It’s a secret that is carried by the wind and is observed by the moon and stars. Perhaps, one day when Japan is confident that he feels worthy of being a parent for the reader that he will say it to their face without hesitation or the cover of night to mask his emotions. It’ll take a while, but so did the beginning of their relationship. It will happen and like all inevitabilities, Japan has already prepared for it.

Prussia 

• Well. Prussia raised Germany. Of course he knows what he’s doing! Sure, Germany may have ended up taking many of his lessons to heart and that ended up in the culmination of the Second World War, but the reader is an immortal human teenager! They can’t be hard. 
• And because Prussia is awesome like that, it isn’t. 
• There’s a learning curve, of course, but Prussia is a seasoned warrior and guardian. Routines and discipline come easily to him; the dreams and wants for a progeny that will continue his legacy live on in Germany. For the reader, his dreams aren’t as big, but they don’t need to be. He put too much pressure on Germany when he was younger, now Prussia is adamant that he won’t put that same pressure on the reader. That doesn’t stop Prussia from instilling discipline and order into the reader.
• Prussia is a disciplinarian, but he means well. He likes order in his own chaotic way and once he knows that the reader can meet his expectations, he doesn’t want anything lower than their best. It’s for their own good; he wants to see them grow into their potential. 
• This means that Prussia will make sure that the reader has access to the best education. Sharp minds are the key to success. 
• Discipline is also another aspect of order that he prides above all else. One day, he’ll show the reader his collection of journals, of how he religiously spends at least half an hour noting down his thoughts and experiences every day. He’ll give the reader a notebook and expect them to fill out a page each day. If the reader proves that they are disciplined, they can graduate to a journaling app, but Prussia would be secretly delighted if the reader stuck to the old pen and paper method. (They could totally have matching notebooks!)
• Prussia isn’t always a drill sergeant, it’s just that he’s so used to Germany easily falling into line when he was a small Nation. If this caused conflict with the reader, it might take both parties to stand back and look into the situation with fresh eyes. The reader can’t deny that Prussia is right—discipline and order are necessary—but Prussia has to also admit that the reader is not Germany and that compromise is necessary. Once they both realize this, then their relationship becomes more lighthearted and Prussia becomes less of a disciplinarian and more of a strict, but doting father. 
• (It’s hard to accept that the reader isn’t some sort of redemption arc for what happened to Germany. They’re different people, but Prussia will always carry that guilt with him. He hopes to never explain this to the reader, but he suspects that they already know).
• Prussia isn’t all that up to date with modernity. Germany is more in line with trends, so he’ll just ask his dear sweet brother on how to deal with modern day teenagers. If Germany takes too long compiling PowerPoints on how to deal with humans, Prussia just straight up asks the reader what they want. Sometimes, handling the situation as bluntly as possible is the best way to go about things. 
• Not many Nations know this about him, but Prussia loves baking. Who do you think taught Germany? There’s a science in the measuring of ingredients, a magic in how different times and temperatures affect the pastry. Prussia likes to bake traditional breads and cakes, but he doesn’t shy away from foreign foods. He’s a stickler for rules in the kitchen, so he won’t ask the reader for help, but he is Getty surprised and impressed if the reader can handle his austere attitude. Together, they can put the world’s best pastry chefs out of business.
• Prussia loves Germany and he loves the reader. It should be apparent, right? He does say it… sometimes. But probably not enough. When was the last time he had told West that he… But this isn’t about him! Prussia doesn’t like admitting vulnerability on the best of days, but he will say “I love you” in his own way. In handwriting that had been taught to him by monks when he was still the Teutonic Order, Prussia writes his “I love you” in the covers of the journals that he bequeaths to the reader. Even if the reader doesn’t use journals anymore, he’ll slip heavy parchment into their pillows, pockets of their clothes, or in the gaps between their bedroom door and the floor. His “I love you” is quietly confident, his writing in a hand that cares deeply, but quietly. Prussia never uses his special parchment and pen for anyone else but for Germany and the reader.