[Fanfiction] Mia Patria
Title: Mia Patria (1/?)
Fandom: Hetalia
Genre: Romance/Drama
Rating: PG-13
Word count: +3,300
Warning: This fic is toxic and not meant for human consumption.
Summary: Romano poses as a high school student to flirt with the girls. [temporary summary]
A/N: Based on a dream I had. And before you ask, no, I wasn’t any of the OCs in the dream; it was all from Romano’s POV.
xxx
Chapter 1
Naples, September 19th, 2008
Patrizia wasn’t the kind of girl who was easily impressed by boys. She wasn’t averse to dating, but it simply wasn’t her priority, especially since she had started her last year in high school. She had been too busy with her studies, knowing that she needed excellent grades to get into the university she wanted, so she just didn’t pay much attention to boys these days.
So, when the new boy knocked on the door of the classroom and came in, excusing himself for his lateness even though his expression lacked the slightest hint of regret, Patrizia would normally have taken one indifferent glance at him and then gone back to taking notes, completely disregarding his existence.
However, something made her eyes linger on him. She didn’t even notice at first that she was staring.
“You are the new student, correct?” said the teacher.
“Yes, Mr. Torricelli. I’m Lovino Vargas. I just got transferred here,” said the boy curtly.
“Very well, Vargas. You may take a seat.”
“He’s cute, isn’t he?” Patrizia’s best friend, Gabriella, commented with her in a stage whisper, her eyes also glued to the new arrival.
Patrizia had to admit that he was indeed quite cute, but that wasn’t why she was still staring at him. She didn’t actually know why she was still staring at him. There was just something about him, something she couldn’t put her finger on, that was both fascinating and slightly repulsive at the same time. She felt drawn to him, but she also felt wary, unsettled. Maybe it was his cold expression when he spoke, or the way his lip curled unpleasantly when the teacher told him to take a seat. He was cute - some would even say hot - but he didn’t look very friendly. To put it quite bluntly, he looked like a right jerk.
There were a few unoccupied desks in the room, and one of them happened to be right in front of Patrizia’s. Lovino sullenly made his way to that desk, and Patrizia couldn’t decide if she was glad for that or disappointed. His gaze met hers when he reached his desk, startling her into realising that she had been staring at him. However, she was even more surprised when he offered her a smile. It was a beautiful, breathtaking smile, completely contrasting with his previous frowning expression.
Unfortunately, it only lasted for a few seconds, until Lovino turned around and sat down, leaving Patrizia to stare at the back of his head. She vaguely heard Gabriella muffle a giggle next to her, but didn’t bother to look at her and ask what she found so funny. Angry at herself for paying so much attention to some new guy, she tried to focus on the class and keep her gaze from drifting back to his head.
oOo
Even though everyone kept sending glances in Lovino’s direction throughout the class, their attention also slowly returned to the teacher’s lecture. Then, during lunch break, it all fell right back on him - both positively and negatively. Perhaps Patrizia really had misjudged the new student. He had been nothing but friendly so far... at least towards the girls. He completely ignored the other boys, but greeted every girl with a smile.
Thus, the class was divided into two groups; one group made up of girls, surrounding Lovino and all smiles, and the other group made up of boys, watching from a distance with jealousy in their eyes. Even Patrizia eventually joined the former group, curious despite herself. Just what was so fascinating about this guy? Sure, he was cute, but not drop-dead gorgeous. There were other, much better-looking boys in their class who had never been this popular.
Even though she tried to be inconspicuous in her approach of the group, he still noticed her right away and made no exception for her, offering her another sweet smile.
“And what is your name?” he asked her.
“Patrizia,” she replied, managing to keep a casual, neutral tone of voice. She frowned a little as she finally felt free to study his face more closely. “You look kind of... familiar. Have we met before?”
He blinked, a little taken aback. “No, I don’t think so. I’m sure I’d remember such a pretty face if I had seen you before.”
She could feel her face redden, and she once again found herself caught between two conflicting emotions - annoyance and flattery. She didn’t know how to react, couldn’t even think of anything to say. As if moving on its own, her body just walked away from the group, her mind too caught up in turmoil to even notice it until she was alone in a corridor.
Now that she was alone, she just felt confused. What the heck had just happened? She had of course been on the receiving end of compliments and come-ons before, by guys much better-looking as well as ugly guys, quite a few times before, and she had handled it a lot better every time. So why, why did she feel so disturbed under this guy’s gaze, hearing him talk to her like that?
Maybe it was her feminine intuition telling her that he was no good and that she should stay away from him. Well, that sounded like a great idea. She had more important things to worry about, anyway. She would go on with her life and completely ignore his existence from now on, she decided.
oOo
Granted, keeping her decision to ignore him would have been a lot easier if he had had the grace to take a hint and mind his own business, rather than come to talk to her at the of the last class. He caught up with her at the school’s gate, that sugary smile still on his lips even when his eyes reflected a glint of distress.
“I’m sorry if I embarrassed or offended you,” he said. “I didn’t mean to. I thought-I thought it’d be a nice thing to say. It was an honest comment.”
“It’s fine,” she muttered. Then, because he sounded so earnest in his apology that it was beginning to make her feel guilty, she felt compelled to concede, “I guess I overreacted, too.”
He opened his mouth to say something else, but she was quick to interrupt him. “No hard feelings, right? ‘Kay, see you tomorrow, then,” she spoke in a rush, walking past him.
“W-wait!” he said, catching up with her again. She stopped and looked at him. “I’m new in this part of the city, so I was wondering if you could show me the way to the best gelateria around here?”
Patrizia pointed to the distance. “Second street on the right, then left-”
“Nah, that won’t work,” he interrupted her, with an apologetic grin. “I’m terrible with following directions. Can’t you just walk me there? I’ll pay you for your trouble. Please?”
“Fine,” she said reluctantly. What was the harm, after all? It would only take a few minutes, they wouldn’t have to go to any deserted, particularly dangerous places, and she might still get some change to make up for it.
They soon reached the gelateria without incident, but Lovino took his sweet time to pay Patrizia for her trouble as he had promised. He just stood there, looking at all the different flavours with a thoughtful expression.
“They all look delicious,” he remarked to Patrizia. “Which one do you think is the best?”
“Well, I like the strawberry and tiramisù-”
“Strawberry and tiramisù gelato for two, please!” Lovino quickly ordered.
For a moment, Patrizia vaguely wondered why ask for two. Was he that hungry for gelato, and if so, wouldn’t it be easier to eat one first and then buy another? Then she decided to stop thinking about it and just tried to remember if she needed to buy anything on her way home.
She was startled out of her bored thoughts when she saw a very delicious, very tempting strawberry and tiramisù gelato in front of her. She raised her gaze to meet Lovino’s.
“For your trouble,” he said.
“Who said I wanted gelato?” she grumbled, but accepted it anyway, because it did look very delicious and tempting, and it was her favourite flavour.
They sat outside, chatting while they ate their treats. Now that she had finally had a chance to have a normal conversation with him, Patrizia decided that he didn’t seem that bad. In fact, he was really nice company. He asked many questions, but not to the point of coming off as intrusive. Mostly, they talked about school.
“So, what’s your favourite subject?” he asked her.
“History. I’m thinking of getting a major in it.”
“Really? History is one of my favourite subjects, too. It’s... pretty much the only subject I excel in, I guess. I’m also good at Geography.”
“Are you going to major in History, too, then?”
“I don’t think so. Actually, I haven’t decided what I’m going to do after high school yet.” He seemed to give it some thought. “Maybe International Relations or something like that.”
“Oh, that’s really interesting, too!” She paused to take another bite of her gelato. “So, where are you from?”
“Rome. But I lived in Naples for years.”
“Maybe we have met, after all? You really do look very familiar.”
“I don’t think so... I used to live on the other side of the city.”
“I see...”
Even long after they both finished their ice cream, they continued to talk until the sun began to set. As night fell, Lovino began to get fidgety and look around warily.
“It’s getting late,” he said, getting up. “We should go home. Come on, I’ll walk you back to your car.”
“I don’t have a car. I live close enough to school that I can just go on foot.”
The anxiety in his eyes suddenly turned into full-blown worry. “A young, pretty girl like you shouldn’t walk on her own in this city this late. It’s too dangerous! I’ll drive you home.”
“No, really, I’m fine-”
“It’s my fault you stayed out till this late, anyway,” he insisted. “I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to you.”
Patrizia gave in, partly to soothe his conscience and partly because she was beginning to feel a little worried herself. She was naturally aware that this wasn’t exactly the safest city in the world. Maybe a few hours earlier she would have preferred to risk the dangers of Naples rather than get into a stranger’s car, but that mysterious feeling of wariness about Lovino was gone now. She was surprised to realise that she actually felt very safe in his company, as if he were family.
They both got on his scooter - which, incidentally, he had parked in an unauthorised spot - and Patrizia told him the name of the street where she lived, just for future reference, but it had been enough for him to know where to go. She didn’t need to give him directions at all. All she had to do was point out which building she lived in.
“You’re not directionally challenged at all, are you?” she asked him as she got off the scooter. “You just tricked me into going on a date with you.” Despite the fact that she felt a little naïve and manipulated, she was actually amused at the idea.
Lovino’s answer was a hybrid smile, half-apologetic and half-smug. “Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Well...” she mumbled, looking down. She had to give it to him. “Yeah, I guess I sort of did.”
“That’s what matters.” He touched her chin gently and coaxed her to raise her head a little, then leant closer and gave her a peck on the cheek, his lower lip just shy of touching the corner of her mouth. “We should do it again sometime, then. See you tomorrow, Patrizia.”
And for some reason, hearing him say her name had a greater effect on her heartbeat than the kiss or anything else he had done today.
oOo
He was in a wonderful mood for once. His plans for today had gone over much better than he could have ever hoped for. Patrizia was so pretty and bright - though easily distracted. Gabriella was funny and also very pretty, and Roberta had such a nice voice and stylish clothes, on top of being very pretty as well. Actually, all the girls in this class were pretty and brilliant in their own way. He definitely looked forward to seeing them all again tomorrow.
He hummed cheerfully at the thought as he entered his flat and locked the door, not even noticing that the light was on until it was too late.
“Romano!”
He jumped and whirled around to find that his brother was sitting on his couch as if he owned the place. His brother stood up and hurried to give him a bone-crushing hug.
“Veneziano?! What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded to know. His good mood had evaporated the moment he had laid his eyes on his brother.
“You know, Romano, it’s funny, because that’s exactly what I came here to ask you,” said Veneziano as he pulled back from the embrace. “Why did you leave Rome? At such an important moment? We have several meetings to attend!”
“We don’t both have to go to the meetings, you know,” said Romano, shaking his brother off. “As long as someone is there to represent Italy, it’s enough. All the other nations seem to do fine on their own, so why can’t you do the same?”
“Why am I the only one who does any work here?” Veneziano wondered, looking unusually distressed and on the verge of tears. “Why don’t you do your part, too? If it were another time, I wouldn’t mind, but the situation is really serious now, and it concerns you, too, Romano! Can’t you feel this financial crisis creeping up on you? Everyone else-Nations much stronger than us are falling apart! I can’t do this alone any more! I need you! Italy needs you!”
Romano cursed and threw his schoolbag against the wall in anger. “Why don’t you ask Germany for help?” he asked, with bitter sarcasm.
“Romano, please-” Veneziano began to whine, but then seemed to realise something. “Is-Is that a schoolbag? Romano, have you been indulging in that weird hobby of yours again?”
“Y-you make it sound like something perverted!” Romano protested, feeling his face heat up. “It’s not like I’m doing the kind of stuff that sick potato bastard does!”
Veneziano sighed. He no longer looked like he was about to have a panic attack; rather, he just looked sad.
“Why do you keep doing that to yourself?” he asked.
Romano crossed his arms defensively. “I just want to spend some time with my people. To mingle with them. Is that wrong?”
“Of course not!” Veneziano took a couple of timid steps towards his brother. “It’s a very good thing. We should all spend some time with our people once in a while. It’s just-if you spend too much time with the same group of people, you’ll get too attached to them. On a personal level, I mean. And that’s really bad. Humans have such short lives... Remember France and Jeanne d’Arc? Remember Russia and the Romanovs? Remember all the other times? I don’t want that to happen to you again, Romano!” his voice cracked at the last word, and he sniffled slightly. Romano averted his eyes from the pathetic sight that was his brother.
“It won’t happen to me. Not again,” he assured. “I know better now.” He began to retreat to his room. “Go away, Veneziano. I’m not going to any meeting and that’s final!”
oOo
“Romano!” Knock, knock. “Why are you doing this? Is it something I did? Are you mad at me?” More knocks at the door. “Whatever it is that I did, I’m sorry! Please, talk to me!”
Romano didn’t even bother to respond. He completely ignored his brother’s pleas and allowed himself to get immersed in his own musings. Eventually, Veneziano would get tired and leave. Go back to Rome, where Romano could pretend he didn’t exist.
It wasn’t that Romano was mad at him. No more than usual, at least. He did love his brother, but his company could be stressful after a while - as Germany should know very well by now. It wasn’t just Veneziano, either. Romano had never got along very well with any of the other nations, except maybe Spain. In fact, when one came down to it, none of the nations got along very well with each other, with few exceptions. That was just the nature of their kind. An ally today could easily be an enemy tomorrow. All the time, the nations fought each other for territory, for control.
Wars, politics, financial crisis... Romano was sick of it all. He was weak and couldn’t deal with those problems. He hated them all. And his own brother was a reminder of his life and duties as a nation. Romano tended to keep to himself and leave the politics and the economy in his brother’s hands even at the best of the times. Now that they were in the middle of a crisis, he felt overwhelmed. He needed a break, needed to get away from it for a while.
He honestly enjoyed being with his people. Even when they were idiots. It was relaxing, and it made him feel at home, much more so than when he was with Veneziano. These people were a part of him, after all. And he enjoyed their company even more when they were pretty girls. He couldn’t help but be attracted to them; it was in his blood.
Likewise, they couldn’t help but be attracted to him. Nations tended to have this effect on their people. Even when the humans did not recognise the personification of their nation, they were still attracted to them. It was the perfect arrangement, and that was why Romano would sometimes infiltrate schools or universities and pose as a student. Since he wanted to forget about his life as a nation, he was glad when he wasn’t recognised. Being treated like an ordinary human for a change, interacting with ordinary humans, going through a mundane routine and attending classes like an ordinary human, without having to worry about world wars or alliances, worrying instead about something as ludicrous as homework... He could almost feel as though he were actually one of them, a human being, and not a nation at all. It was refreshing. It was liberating. It was wonderful. It was about the only time when Romano wasn’t seen with a permanent scowl on his face, when his smile was open and genuinely warm instead of a sarcastic smirk.
However, this spell would be broken as soon as he heard or looked at another nation, even if it were only his brother or Spain. It brought him back to the harsh reality that he was indeed a nation, with more important responsibilities, yet weak, unable to really connect with anyone. That was why he didn’t want the other nations to find him when he was with his people. Only Veneziano had caught him a few times - this one included - but he would normally leave Romano alone afterwards.
He knew he couldn’t keep up the act forever. Even if the other nations left him alone, the humans would grow old, move on with their own lives. But even if for a little while, even if just for a year, he wanted to lose himself in this sweet illusion of humanity, of normalcy.
Fandom: Hetalia
Genre: Romance/Drama
Rating: PG-13
Word count: +3,300
Warning: This fic is toxic and not meant for human consumption.
Summary: Romano poses as a high school student to flirt with the girls. [temporary summary]
A/N: Based on a dream I had. And before you ask, no, I wasn’t any of the OCs in the dream; it was all from Romano’s POV.
xxx
Chapter 1
Naples, September 19th, 2008
Patrizia wasn’t the kind of girl who was easily impressed by boys. She wasn’t averse to dating, but it simply wasn’t her priority, especially since she had started her last year in high school. She had been too busy with her studies, knowing that she needed excellent grades to get into the university she wanted, so she just didn’t pay much attention to boys these days.
So, when the new boy knocked on the door of the classroom and came in, excusing himself for his lateness even though his expression lacked the slightest hint of regret, Patrizia would normally have taken one indifferent glance at him and then gone back to taking notes, completely disregarding his existence.
However, something made her eyes linger on him. She didn’t even notice at first that she was staring.
“You are the new student, correct?” said the teacher.
“Yes, Mr. Torricelli. I’m Lovino Vargas. I just got transferred here,” said the boy curtly.
“Very well, Vargas. You may take a seat.”
“He’s cute, isn’t he?” Patrizia’s best friend, Gabriella, commented with her in a stage whisper, her eyes also glued to the new arrival.
Patrizia had to admit that he was indeed quite cute, but that wasn’t why she was still staring at him. She didn’t actually know why she was still staring at him. There was just something about him, something she couldn’t put her finger on, that was both fascinating and slightly repulsive at the same time. She felt drawn to him, but she also felt wary, unsettled. Maybe it was his cold expression when he spoke, or the way his lip curled unpleasantly when the teacher told him to take a seat. He was cute - some would even say hot - but he didn’t look very friendly. To put it quite bluntly, he looked like a right jerk.
There were a few unoccupied desks in the room, and one of them happened to be right in front of Patrizia’s. Lovino sullenly made his way to that desk, and Patrizia couldn’t decide if she was glad for that or disappointed. His gaze met hers when he reached his desk, startling her into realising that she had been staring at him. However, she was even more surprised when he offered her a smile. It was a beautiful, breathtaking smile, completely contrasting with his previous frowning expression.
Unfortunately, it only lasted for a few seconds, until Lovino turned around and sat down, leaving Patrizia to stare at the back of his head. She vaguely heard Gabriella muffle a giggle next to her, but didn’t bother to look at her and ask what she found so funny. Angry at herself for paying so much attention to some new guy, she tried to focus on the class and keep her gaze from drifting back to his head.
oOo
Even though everyone kept sending glances in Lovino’s direction throughout the class, their attention also slowly returned to the teacher’s lecture. Then, during lunch break, it all fell right back on him - both positively and negatively. Perhaps Patrizia really had misjudged the new student. He had been nothing but friendly so far... at least towards the girls. He completely ignored the other boys, but greeted every girl with a smile.
Thus, the class was divided into two groups; one group made up of girls, surrounding Lovino and all smiles, and the other group made up of boys, watching from a distance with jealousy in their eyes. Even Patrizia eventually joined the former group, curious despite herself. Just what was so fascinating about this guy? Sure, he was cute, but not drop-dead gorgeous. There were other, much better-looking boys in their class who had never been this popular.
Even though she tried to be inconspicuous in her approach of the group, he still noticed her right away and made no exception for her, offering her another sweet smile.
“And what is your name?” he asked her.
“Patrizia,” she replied, managing to keep a casual, neutral tone of voice. She frowned a little as she finally felt free to study his face more closely. “You look kind of... familiar. Have we met before?”
He blinked, a little taken aback. “No, I don’t think so. I’m sure I’d remember such a pretty face if I had seen you before.”
She could feel her face redden, and she once again found herself caught between two conflicting emotions - annoyance and flattery. She didn’t know how to react, couldn’t even think of anything to say. As if moving on its own, her body just walked away from the group, her mind too caught up in turmoil to even notice it until she was alone in a corridor.
Now that she was alone, she just felt confused. What the heck had just happened? She had of course been on the receiving end of compliments and come-ons before, by guys much better-looking as well as ugly guys, quite a few times before, and she had handled it a lot better every time. So why, why did she feel so disturbed under this guy’s gaze, hearing him talk to her like that?
Maybe it was her feminine intuition telling her that he was no good and that she should stay away from him. Well, that sounded like a great idea. She had more important things to worry about, anyway. She would go on with her life and completely ignore his existence from now on, she decided.
oOo
Granted, keeping her decision to ignore him would have been a lot easier if he had had the grace to take a hint and mind his own business, rather than come to talk to her at the of the last class. He caught up with her at the school’s gate, that sugary smile still on his lips even when his eyes reflected a glint of distress.
“I’m sorry if I embarrassed or offended you,” he said. “I didn’t mean to. I thought-I thought it’d be a nice thing to say. It was an honest comment.”
“It’s fine,” she muttered. Then, because he sounded so earnest in his apology that it was beginning to make her feel guilty, she felt compelled to concede, “I guess I overreacted, too.”
He opened his mouth to say something else, but she was quick to interrupt him. “No hard feelings, right? ‘Kay, see you tomorrow, then,” she spoke in a rush, walking past him.
“W-wait!” he said, catching up with her again. She stopped and looked at him. “I’m new in this part of the city, so I was wondering if you could show me the way to the best gelateria around here?”
Patrizia pointed to the distance. “Second street on the right, then left-”
“Nah, that won’t work,” he interrupted her, with an apologetic grin. “I’m terrible with following directions. Can’t you just walk me there? I’ll pay you for your trouble. Please?”
“Fine,” she said reluctantly. What was the harm, after all? It would only take a few minutes, they wouldn’t have to go to any deserted, particularly dangerous places, and she might still get some change to make up for it.
They soon reached the gelateria without incident, but Lovino took his sweet time to pay Patrizia for her trouble as he had promised. He just stood there, looking at all the different flavours with a thoughtful expression.
“They all look delicious,” he remarked to Patrizia. “Which one do you think is the best?”
“Well, I like the strawberry and tiramisù-”
“Strawberry and tiramisù gelato for two, please!” Lovino quickly ordered.
For a moment, Patrizia vaguely wondered why ask for two. Was he that hungry for gelato, and if so, wouldn’t it be easier to eat one first and then buy another? Then she decided to stop thinking about it and just tried to remember if she needed to buy anything on her way home.
She was startled out of her bored thoughts when she saw a very delicious, very tempting strawberry and tiramisù gelato in front of her. She raised her gaze to meet Lovino’s.
“For your trouble,” he said.
“Who said I wanted gelato?” she grumbled, but accepted it anyway, because it did look very delicious and tempting, and it was her favourite flavour.
They sat outside, chatting while they ate their treats. Now that she had finally had a chance to have a normal conversation with him, Patrizia decided that he didn’t seem that bad. In fact, he was really nice company. He asked many questions, but not to the point of coming off as intrusive. Mostly, they talked about school.
“So, what’s your favourite subject?” he asked her.
“History. I’m thinking of getting a major in it.”
“Really? History is one of my favourite subjects, too. It’s... pretty much the only subject I excel in, I guess. I’m also good at Geography.”
“Are you going to major in History, too, then?”
“I don’t think so. Actually, I haven’t decided what I’m going to do after high school yet.” He seemed to give it some thought. “Maybe International Relations or something like that.”
“Oh, that’s really interesting, too!” She paused to take another bite of her gelato. “So, where are you from?”
“Rome. But I lived in Naples for years.”
“Maybe we have met, after all? You really do look very familiar.”
“I don’t think so... I used to live on the other side of the city.”
“I see...”
Even long after they both finished their ice cream, they continued to talk until the sun began to set. As night fell, Lovino began to get fidgety and look around warily.
“It’s getting late,” he said, getting up. “We should go home. Come on, I’ll walk you back to your car.”
“I don’t have a car. I live close enough to school that I can just go on foot.”
The anxiety in his eyes suddenly turned into full-blown worry. “A young, pretty girl like you shouldn’t walk on her own in this city this late. It’s too dangerous! I’ll drive you home.”
“No, really, I’m fine-”
“It’s my fault you stayed out till this late, anyway,” he insisted. “I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to you.”
Patrizia gave in, partly to soothe his conscience and partly because she was beginning to feel a little worried herself. She was naturally aware that this wasn’t exactly the safest city in the world. Maybe a few hours earlier she would have preferred to risk the dangers of Naples rather than get into a stranger’s car, but that mysterious feeling of wariness about Lovino was gone now. She was surprised to realise that she actually felt very safe in his company, as if he were family.
They both got on his scooter - which, incidentally, he had parked in an unauthorised spot - and Patrizia told him the name of the street where she lived, just for future reference, but it had been enough for him to know where to go. She didn’t need to give him directions at all. All she had to do was point out which building she lived in.
“You’re not directionally challenged at all, are you?” she asked him as she got off the scooter. “You just tricked me into going on a date with you.” Despite the fact that she felt a little naïve and manipulated, she was actually amused at the idea.
Lovino’s answer was a hybrid smile, half-apologetic and half-smug. “Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Well...” she mumbled, looking down. She had to give it to him. “Yeah, I guess I sort of did.”
“That’s what matters.” He touched her chin gently and coaxed her to raise her head a little, then leant closer and gave her a peck on the cheek, his lower lip just shy of touching the corner of her mouth. “We should do it again sometime, then. See you tomorrow, Patrizia.”
And for some reason, hearing him say her name had a greater effect on her heartbeat than the kiss or anything else he had done today.
oOo
He was in a wonderful mood for once. His plans for today had gone over much better than he could have ever hoped for. Patrizia was so pretty and bright - though easily distracted. Gabriella was funny and also very pretty, and Roberta had such a nice voice and stylish clothes, on top of being very pretty as well. Actually, all the girls in this class were pretty and brilliant in their own way. He definitely looked forward to seeing them all again tomorrow.
He hummed cheerfully at the thought as he entered his flat and locked the door, not even noticing that the light was on until it was too late.
“Romano!”
He jumped and whirled around to find that his brother was sitting on his couch as if he owned the place. His brother stood up and hurried to give him a bone-crushing hug.
“Veneziano?! What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded to know. His good mood had evaporated the moment he had laid his eyes on his brother.
“You know, Romano, it’s funny, because that’s exactly what I came here to ask you,” said Veneziano as he pulled back from the embrace. “Why did you leave Rome? At such an important moment? We have several meetings to attend!”
“We don’t both have to go to the meetings, you know,” said Romano, shaking his brother off. “As long as someone is there to represent Italy, it’s enough. All the other nations seem to do fine on their own, so why can’t you do the same?”
“Why am I the only one who does any work here?” Veneziano wondered, looking unusually distressed and on the verge of tears. “Why don’t you do your part, too? If it were another time, I wouldn’t mind, but the situation is really serious now, and it concerns you, too, Romano! Can’t you feel this financial crisis creeping up on you? Everyone else-Nations much stronger than us are falling apart! I can’t do this alone any more! I need you! Italy needs you!”
Romano cursed and threw his schoolbag against the wall in anger. “Why don’t you ask Germany for help?” he asked, with bitter sarcasm.
“Romano, please-” Veneziano began to whine, but then seemed to realise something. “Is-Is that a schoolbag? Romano, have you been indulging in that weird hobby of yours again?”
“Y-you make it sound like something perverted!” Romano protested, feeling his face heat up. “It’s not like I’m doing the kind of stuff that sick potato bastard does!”
Veneziano sighed. He no longer looked like he was about to have a panic attack; rather, he just looked sad.
“Why do you keep doing that to yourself?” he asked.
Romano crossed his arms defensively. “I just want to spend some time with my people. To mingle with them. Is that wrong?”
“Of course not!” Veneziano took a couple of timid steps towards his brother. “It’s a very good thing. We should all spend some time with our people once in a while. It’s just-if you spend too much time with the same group of people, you’ll get too attached to them. On a personal level, I mean. And that’s really bad. Humans have such short lives... Remember France and Jeanne d’Arc? Remember Russia and the Romanovs? Remember all the other times? I don’t want that to happen to you again, Romano!” his voice cracked at the last word, and he sniffled slightly. Romano averted his eyes from the pathetic sight that was his brother.
“It won’t happen to me. Not again,” he assured. “I know better now.” He began to retreat to his room. “Go away, Veneziano. I’m not going to any meeting and that’s final!”
oOo
“Romano!” Knock, knock. “Why are you doing this? Is it something I did? Are you mad at me?” More knocks at the door. “Whatever it is that I did, I’m sorry! Please, talk to me!”
Romano didn’t even bother to respond. He completely ignored his brother’s pleas and allowed himself to get immersed in his own musings. Eventually, Veneziano would get tired and leave. Go back to Rome, where Romano could pretend he didn’t exist.
It wasn’t that Romano was mad at him. No more than usual, at least. He did love his brother, but his company could be stressful after a while - as Germany should know very well by now. It wasn’t just Veneziano, either. Romano had never got along very well with any of the other nations, except maybe Spain. In fact, when one came down to it, none of the nations got along very well with each other, with few exceptions. That was just the nature of their kind. An ally today could easily be an enemy tomorrow. All the time, the nations fought each other for territory, for control.
Wars, politics, financial crisis... Romano was sick of it all. He was weak and couldn’t deal with those problems. He hated them all. And his own brother was a reminder of his life and duties as a nation. Romano tended to keep to himself and leave the politics and the economy in his brother’s hands even at the best of the times. Now that they were in the middle of a crisis, he felt overwhelmed. He needed a break, needed to get away from it for a while.
He honestly enjoyed being with his people. Even when they were idiots. It was relaxing, and it made him feel at home, much more so than when he was with Veneziano. These people were a part of him, after all. And he enjoyed their company even more when they were pretty girls. He couldn’t help but be attracted to them; it was in his blood.
Likewise, they couldn’t help but be attracted to him. Nations tended to have this effect on their people. Even when the humans did not recognise the personification of their nation, they were still attracted to them. It was the perfect arrangement, and that was why Romano would sometimes infiltrate schools or universities and pose as a student. Since he wanted to forget about his life as a nation, he was glad when he wasn’t recognised. Being treated like an ordinary human for a change, interacting with ordinary humans, going through a mundane routine and attending classes like an ordinary human, without having to worry about world wars or alliances, worrying instead about something as ludicrous as homework... He could almost feel as though he were actually one of them, a human being, and not a nation at all. It was refreshing. It was liberating. It was wonderful. It was about the only time when Romano wasn’t seen with a permanent scowl on his face, when his smile was open and genuinely warm instead of a sarcastic smirk.
However, this spell would be broken as soon as he heard or looked at another nation, even if it were only his brother or Spain. It brought him back to the harsh reality that he was indeed a nation, with more important responsibilities, yet weak, unable to really connect with anyone. That was why he didn’t want the other nations to find him when he was with his people. Only Veneziano had caught him a few times - this one included - but he would normally leave Romano alone afterwards.
He knew he couldn’t keep up the act forever. Even if the other nations left him alone, the humans would grow old, move on with their own lives. But even if for a little while, even if just for a year, he wanted to lose himself in this sweet illusion of humanity, of normalcy.