"Hai. Italy-chan was--(F/n)-chan?" Japan stares at you in confusion from the bottom of the stairs, England and China on either side. They all stare up at you. You stare back — like a child with its hand caught in a cookie jar — and blink slowly before taking a step back, waving your hands around in panic.

"I'll get right to it now! This instant!" You babble before running towards the room that Italy and Germany reside inside of, disappearing. You enter the room with the iron door; your heart racing, as though you have just run a marathon. Japan and the others scared you. You thought it was the Oni, and so you laugh at the misconception. You see Italy standing in the corner, looking down with a melancholy expression, head slightly tilted. How he didn't hear you enter is beyond you, but nevertheless, a smile creeps up on your face as you quickly approach him. "Italy." You wave.

"(F/n)!" A smile immediately engulfs his face, eyes brightening up. "I'm so glad you're safe!" He opens his arms for a hug as he steps towards you. "What happened to you?" He asks, wrapping his arms around your form. "We were so worried! Japan said you went to the toilet but you were gone for so long and hadn't come back! We thought the Thing got you both!" He pulls back, now placing a hand on each shoulder.

"It didn't. I'm fine." You give a timid smile before you let your hands fall to your sides, instead of against your chest. "But I'm... not exactly sure what happened." You stare at Italy in confusion. You have so many questions, and not many of them can be answered by Italy. But out from anyone, he'd understand best. He would know what to do.

You go to speak, wanting to spill the truth, the weight on your shoulders suddenly lifting before a loud noise makes you jump. Peering over Italy's shoulder, who in return moves his hands, you stare at the iron door. Germany is in there, doing God knows what. You and Italy share a look, addled. But, perhaps that disruption is for the better, as now you have no confidence about confiding in Italy.

"I ran into the Allies, and they're in the fireplace room. Japan told me to fetch you and Germany."

"What? So, everyone is here!" Italy's eyes widen, but his face stays neutral. He's trying his hardest to act surprised. "Let's go back to the fireplace room then!" Italy grins as he waves his hands around. "Some are missing, but we'll have an emergency meeting now." Italy nods along to his words before he stops. But then he lowers his voice, hunching over a bit to stand at your level, looking at you straight. "You are okay? I was so worried about you..." He takes your left hand and brings it to his chest, pressing it over his heart. You feel the solid bumping against your fingertips, so you smile, albeit heat flooding you. You lock eyes with Italy. It is nice to see he cares. He cares for all the right reasons.

No wonder this boy managed to melt even Germany's solid exterior.

"I'm fine, Italy." You smooth your fingers over his chest and onto his shoulder blades, bring yourself to the tip of your toes, smothering the man in a hug. "I was scared, but I pulled through. Just like you can, too." You could feel the heat of his chest against yours, but Italy still hasn't wrapped his arms around you. "What was it you said?" You hum, looking up at the ceiling. 

"Che cosa?"  

"'I thought, I need to calm down and figure out a solution so everyone can get out as soon as possible'?... or something like that?" You chuckle to yourself. "So, we can both be strong together, for everyone's sake." Italy tries to look at you, but your hair blocks his view. 

This human, popping up from nowhere, is now comforting him. Before they had been against physical contact, but now they openly hug him. His heart swells as he sighs, humming, and hugs you back as you bury your nose in his chest. You calmly take a breath. The lightly smell his cologne fills you, zesty and woodsy as if he had recently walked through a patch of rosemary. For once, you are calm and comfortable. Is this what a hug feels like? You wonder how this action of psychical contact could release all your worries. It is surreal how therapeutic it feels as your body relaxes against his. But your mind wonders if it depended on the who, rather than the why.

"Grazie." Italy buries his head in your shoulder. "Grazie. You have no idea how much that means to me." You pat his back and gaze up at him as he pulls away, creating more space but not quite letting go, his hands lingering on your hips. You realise the intimacy, your breath suddenly becoming rough, harder to release smoothly, as heat rises in your cheeks. You were hugging like lovers do, ever so gently and full of warmth.

"You give the best hugs." You smile, letting out a giggle to cover up how awkward that was. You don't usually go around giving affection, and you don't particularly like psychical contact; but maybe this bond - created inside this mansion - is strong enough to overcome your teenage awkwardness.

"Really?" Italy asks, a smile on his face. "I'll make sure to give you lots of them."

"No, no, you don't have to." Your voice weakens as you step away. Italy chuckles, the action almost contagious as you regain a smile.

"You're very nice, (F/n)." Italy gives a soft chuckle, closing his eyes. You shuffle in place as you tilt your head, eyes crinkling.

"Not really. I'm just doing what a friend should." You move past him. He hums in agreement as you walk over to the iron door and knock. "Germany, can you come out, please?"

"Understood." Germany's voice echoes before he opens the door, his figure blocking you from seeing inside. "Sorry for making you wait." He steps out and looks around, blue eyes searching. You halt, eyebrows drawn, before losing your smile, guilt draining you.

He's looking for Prussia.

"Ve, are you okay now? Do you want to go in there again?" Italy asks, moving up behind you. He rocks back and forth on his heels, arms swinging.

"Nein, it's okay." Germany locks the door securely, turning his back to you both. "And I probably won't come back here. Or rather, I hope I won't." He looks down, letting out a sigh of exhaustion.

"Are we going then?" You question as you motion towards the door. Germany turns to face you, blue eyes looking downcast as he runs his fingers through his hair.

"My brother wasn't with you, was he?" Germany is drained, barely meeting your gaze. He's asking like he already knows the answer. You can feel the heavy emotion it holds. Hope glitters in his eyes but the moment he sees your pitiful gaze, it's purged from him.

"No." You answer, leaving no room for niceties. You let out a sigh and look at the ground, almost in shame. "He was gone before me, sorry." Germany frowns, eyebrows creasing.

"It, it'll be okay!" Italy comforts, jumping forward to place a hand on Germany's shoulder. "Cheer up, Germany! If you're like that, we'll never find Prussia!" He encourages.

"You are right. Sorry." Then he looks to you. "We were worried about you, and I am happy you're safe." Germany informs you as he pats your shoulder.

"Thank you for worrying." You smile. "Prussia is a grown man, and strong at that. He'll be okay. He seems resilient enough." You then move toward the door. "Come on. They're waiting for us." You encourage. They exit the room and head towards the fireplace room. You all walk in to see China and Russia on the foremost side of the table, Canada at the left end and Japan and England on the south side. You step behind the two, eyes glancing to the space on the bench before looking away.

"Would you like to sit, (F/n)?" England asks, turning his body to face you. He shuffles up, and Japan follows suit to make room.

"Oh," your voice is flat. It's not like you can say no after they moved to make room. "Thank you." You pop down, swinging your legs over the bench. You can feel eyes on you, so you absentmindedly fiddle with your hair. Italy and Germany stand behind Russia and China, Italy on the right, closest to the fire.

"Sorry for making you wait." Japan apologises, looking around to acknowledge everyone. "Well then, I'll go straight to the point and explain our current situation." Japan starts. "First, as you know, I received a message from China-san that said you had arrived here." China nods at Japan's words. "Italy-chan, who was with me at the time, thought it would be interesting to come as well. So, Germany, Prussia and I came along with him." Japan looks to the Allies. "A short while after we arrived, we heard a sound, and I went in its direction. In the meantime, Italy-chan and the others were attacked by the monster you saw just now." The Japanese man gestures towards the rest of the axis.

"Good job surviving that." England purses his lips, jutting his chin towards Italy and Germany in approval.

"Sí!" Italy smiles gleefully. "For better or for worse, I was the one being targeted by that monster. But luck was on my side, and I managed to escape!" He crosses his arms behind his back.

"You escaped, aru?! How fast can you run?!" China asks in disbelief, blinking as he cranes his neck to look round to the Italian behind him. "You young ones are so spritely." Italy 've's and skips closer to the fireplace next to Germany, seemingly to cuddle towards the burly German. You cannot help but watch them from the corner of your eye with apprehension.

"Later, we found each other. We ran into (F/n)-chan after they happened to walk in here by mistake, and they helped us in our search. We didn't know the monster's true nature, so we decided to spend the night in this room thinking things out." He gestures around him. "Since we had the key, we felt a sense of security and let our guard down..."

"The night? " Russia tilts his head at the statement.

"That's really odd... I mean, we..." Canada furrows his brow in thought before colouring, giving an apologetic smile to Japan. "Oh, I'm sorry. I started thinking out loud. Please continue." He looks down shyly, pulling at the end of his sleeves. You look to him, then over his shoulder to Germany and Italy again, their whispers catching your attention. They stand together and exchange a couple of words before Italy throws a small wooden box into the fire. It slowly burns, flames flickering around the edges, slowly turning the polished brown box into black charcoal.

"We decided that one of us should keep watch, and Prussia kindly took up this duty." You feel a smile curl up on your face in fondness at the memory. Kindly is the wrong word. "But, as I said, we ended up letting our guard down... The four of us fell into a deep sleep..." Japan looks over to you, but you are too busy watching the box burn. The fireplace starts smoking and Germany walks back to the table. "When we woke up... Prussia and (F/n)-chan were gone." You look to Japan, now paying attention at the mention of your name. "There were bloodstains in the hallway. We followed the trail, but... eventually..." Japan looks to the door, floating off.

"The trail ended." Russia finishes. Italy walks over to the table and adds his concerns.

"We tried looking for him and (F/n), but we didn't want to lose anybody else, so Germany and I stood by. That's when Japan found you guys." Italy said, speaking up once again.

"You went on your own?" You raise a brow at Japan, surprise clear on your face. Everyone looks to you. "Ah, sorry." You shake your head, looking at your lap. You just realised the weight of Japan's actions. even though in the game nothing happened, he still ventured out on his own. You thought everyone agreed on not being on their own? better to be in a group? Japan risked his life for you!

"Hai." Japan confirms. "That is what happened to us until now. But... I do not know what happened to you, (F/n)-chan?" 

"I don't know who this child is." Russia stares at you, a smile on his face. At least this is giving you time to come up with an excuse.

"I'm not familiar with them, either." Canada raises his hand slightly. You look at them both, apprehension drifting about before you compel yourself to speak.

"I'm (F/n), it's nice to meet you both." You send them both a small smile, awkwardly playing with your hands.

"I'm Russia, little one." Russia smiles innocently, tilting his head as he crinkles up his eyes. Closer, his baby face is rough, chiselled, and figure beefy.

"And I'm Canada. It's nice to meet you too." He smiles. Even being the second tallest in the room, he didn't attract attention to himself. He keeps his arms inwards, legs together, and a small smile on his square jaw. You nod to them both before Japan waits for you to explain. You clear your throat, all eyes falling on you.

"I, well..." You look at the tabletop, hands fiddling with the end of your jumper. "I woke up this morning to find myself in the room with the Mochi. I'm not sure how I got there," you suck in your lip, "and all my things weren't with me, so?" You let out a nervous laugh, eyes squinting. "I guess that I sleepwalk--"You scrunch up your face. "Slept walked?" With a shake of your head and an awkward chuckle, you rephrase it. "I walked up there in my sleep."

"But when I found you, you were awfully pale and... your eyes were puffy." England points out. You look at him in panic, before looking away. Your dreams are the furthest thing from your mind, but now, your hands instinctively wrap around yourself, a hand holding an opposite elbow. You feel shame rising as a room filled with strong people stare at you.

"Well, I guess everything that's happened," you make a circular motion with your finger, "caught up with me?" You hesitate, eyes darting over the wood of the table, following the cracks as they twist around the planks. "I mean, being stuck in a mansion with a monster should spook anyone, right?" You question with nervous laughter. "So, yeah..." you clasp your hands together, placing them on the table so you would finally stop moving them. "Nightmares." You force a small laugh.

"Sorry, (F/n)." England's voice is soft as he consoles you, rubbing your arm softly. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

"It's fine. I'm awake now so... yeah." You shrug, letting his hand fall. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Such a poor sunflower," Russia says. "Become one with mother Russia; it will make everything better, da?" He giggles. You blink slowly, the mood shifting as you muster a smile.

"No, thank you." You say with a chuckle.

And to add to this weirdness, I'm here with the personification of countries.

Russia tilts his head at you, wondering why you found it so amusing. Noticing his bewildered stare, you clear your throat and get back to the topic at hand.

"Where's France and America? England and China said that they were downstairs, but they're not here." You change the subject, looking to the people around you. Your question is met with perturbation.

"Hai, I thought for sure that America and France-san would be here, too?" Japan questions, his hands rubbing together.

"They did." England nods, justifying Japan's question. "The six of us came here on America's suggestion and split up into two groups. China, France and I went to check out the first floor, while America, Russia and Canada explored the ground floor."

"Something about the second floor made us feel uncomfortable," China wiggles in his seat. "So, Opium and I want to check out the second and third floor out, aru. There we found (F/n)." China jesters to you, eyes slithering over your form. "When we were finished looking and came down to the first floor, not only was France gone, but I found Japan's burnt clothes in this room."

"We then went downstairs and found Russia and Canada fighting that Thing." England grumbles, thinking back to the event. Underneath the table, he flexes his fingers, brow twitching in agitation as he waits for something – anything – but all he is met with is disappointment. Why, when this mansion unsettles him so, does his magic become so weak? What is a sorcerer without his magic?

"I see." Japan nods slowly. "I vaguely noticed it when I was fighting against it, but that strange creature..." Japan wonders off as he looks to Germany, brows pulling up.

"It resembles America's alien friend, doesn't it?" Germany nods, thinking along the same lines as Japan.

"Aiya! That right!" China hits his hands on the table, his long sleeves making it more of a thud than a smack. "I noticed it the moment I saw it, aru! That is it! Um," he loses his tenacity, head bowing down as he stops to think. "Its name was..." China slumps down again, trying to put his finger on it.

"To..." Germany joins in too. "Tommy? Wasn't it?" Germany looks around for confirmation.

"Almost, it's Tony." England corrects, his tone haughty. "They look identical." A sour expression makes its way onto his face. "This is all America's doing." A silence falls over the room. England has a valid point. Who else, when to pull a prank this stupendous, would you invite to join in on the fun than Prussia and France? France is a convincing actor, even if England believes his popularity is based on his looks, and Prussia loves to mess with others, so why not use his swordsmanship to string along the getup. The three combined could easily make special effects and rent out a building and coerce everyone into their web.

"America was the one who heard the rumours and told us about this place..." Russia adds, his voice floating off. This upsets him. Why had America not told him about this extravagant prank? "We could search for America to ask him, but I don't think-"

"You're wrong!" Canada speaks up, anger rising in him. "America isn't the type of person to pull this sort of prank, and you're completely wrong about the Thing." He simmers down, body relaxing as he releases a stressed breath before he continues, words soft and yielding. "You're mistaken... really."