A Kiss for You

A/N: Also known as AKY, Aete Kuuki Yomanai (don't read an atmosphere intentionally) XD. Not really.

Here's a fluffy oneshot centered on Romano and Matthew~! I seriously love these two~ They're soo cute together! But there's hardly (read: near zero) fanfics about these two in a romantic way…This isn't a romantic one either/shot. I can't help it! I'm not good at writing romance, let alone between these two! I'd love it if this motivated someone to make a romantic story involving these two, though! …-puppy eyes- Please?

Warnings: Human/nation names used, harsh language, whatever possible historical statements might be incorrect, slight OOCness, attempted cuteness overload, France being…himself, momentary gender confusion, and making Boss mean for a little while (It hurt me. It seriously did QAQ).

Genre: Friendship x Hurt/Comfort

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. It's sad, I know…

On a hot summer day, Antonio Fernandez Carriendo, human personification of Spain, made his way towards the house of one of his closest friends. He was quite used to making the trip from his home nation to those of other Europeans near him, and though he often did this alone, he decided to break the habit this time around and bring his charge along. Usually, Antonio didn't bother bringing company with him, as his stays were short ones and more for personal reasons than anything regarding his homeland, but the change in scenery might do some good to little Romano. He noticed that the young boy seemed a bit moodier and temperamental than usual, for some reason.

Lovino Vargas – young, human personification of Southern Italy—followed diligently behind Antonio, though not without letting out curses through his small mouth. His usual frown was prominent as always, and although he'd never admit it, he was rather relieved to be getting a break from doing chores at his so called Boss' house. For some reason, every single time he tried to actually do some good and help, his ideas seemed to blow up in his face and fail completely. Of course, he'd never admit so to Spain, hence why he was cursing and complaining about going so far away from home to the "wine bastard's" house instead of staying home and taking a siesta.

"C'mon Lovino, some fresh air and a good walk is just what you need to feel better!"

"Wh-who said I wasn't already feeling well, idiota!"

"Ah~… Lovino's face looks just like a tomato's again~…"

Indeed, Lovino's face had gained a blush from the older man's previous words. He was the oldest grandson of the great Roman Empire after all, and he had a reputation to keep, no matter how young he was. Antonio sayings stuff like him feeling better—which, more importantly, implied he was feeling bad to begin with—was insulting to the very image he was trying to maintain. This is exactly why he hated to be surrounded by idiots. Spain was more than twice the age of Italy-Romano- the very least he could do was act like it!

"You'll enjoy France's home. It's very pretty and friendly, especially since he decided to calm down a bit after he got his newest colony."

The little nation fixed his light brown eyes on his Boss' back as he talked. This was the first he had heard of that French bastard gaining a new colony… Though now that he gave it some more thought, it made sense as to why he had been so silent and much less greedy than he used to be. Now he understood why Antonio didn't mind bringing him along; after all, last time France got near Romano, Spain ordered one of his bulls to run the blonde over.

Romano unconsciously let a small smirk slip. He certainly wouldn't mind if that certain event happened again.

"Hey!" Antonio had a sudden idea and flashed one of his famous, bright smiles. "Maybe you and his colony can get to know each other, Si? From what Francis keeps telling me, his colony is very young, too. You can finally make a friend your own age!"

Romano promptly head butted the Spaniard on his gut as hard as he could and stomped ahead angrily. The very nerve of him… He had plenty of friends! They just annoyed him too much, so he preferred to ignore them... Really, he had millions of friends his age, and there's no way he felt lonely without his younger fratello around, either! Stupid Spain…

After gaining his second wind from the sudden attack on his stomach, Antonio followed after Romano, laughing the whole thing off. "Hahaha, you need to control your strange impulses, Lovi! Attacking people for no reason isn't very nice~."

"Chiggi!" As he grinded his teeth together and stomped away faster, Lovino couldn't help but make his curses louder.

If something annoyed the Italian more than his Boss' stupid comments, it was his attitude when he failed to read the atmosphere… Why couldn't he be under the rule of people as smart as him?

Later that day, both nations found themselves inside their destination: one of France's many villas across his lands, no more for wear than any of his other adobes, and no less extravagant. After they had been escorted by a well-mannered butler to a garden as flamboyant as its owner, Antonio soon caught sight of his friend and approached him. Lovino soon followed in his steps, being momentarily surprised that the garden had Daisies.

"Now where could mon petit be? I know I told him we had guests coming…"

Francis Bonnefoy, also known as France, stood near some flower-filled bushes as he mumbled under his breath. He seemed to be in search of something, if the way he was constantly gazing about and scratching his hair was anything to go by. He completely failed to notice his aforementioned 'guests' had arrived until he felt Antonio slap a hand atop his shoulder and exclaim loudly.

"How are you, mi amigo!"

"Mon Dieu!" Francis quickly whirled around and gave his friend a small glare, "Dear Antonio, you really must stop giving me such surprises, they are simply horrible for my health!"

"Ah?" Antonio just tilted his head in slight confusion, still smiling brightly. If he noticed the way Francis sighed at his reply, he didn't show it.

"Well, mon ami, I am glad you managed to come here so early, but I was looking for my little colony, Nouvelle-France. Nonetheless, let's catch up, I'm sure mon fils is fine and will eventually show up when hunger calls. "

Romano couldn't help but frown as soon as France started talking. He couldn't understand some of his words! Why did he have to speak so much blasted French! Well, apparently that new colony, Nou-something, was missing. Not that he minded; if that colony was as obnoxious as his owner, he'd be happy to last the whole day without meeting him. Or her, he wasn't sure what they were yet.

Antonio nodded and let himself be guided by Francis to some quaint chairs and tables nearby, specially built for gazing at the garden while having snacks. Lovino scrunched his nose a bit in distaste, slightly annoyed by how everything was so different compared to Spain's house. The very air seemed different, like it had magically changed along with the location. It was just like when he had to live with Antonio for the first time. The very atmosphere surrounding Spain was different from the one around Italy, but France's just felt…heavier? Then again, it might've been all the different flower scents colliding. Antonio's voice knocked Lovino off his thoughts, making him grateful for the distraction.

"Is Gilbert already here? I wanted to ask him how little Italy was doing over at Austria's."

Scratch that, Lovino preferred to worry about getting drunk off the air than hearing two grown men fussing over his younger brother. Again. He got enough of that at home with just Spain and it was a pain to hear; he didn't need twice the annoyance.

Francis shook his head and took a sip from his wine. "Non, Gilbert is still back in Prussia. He's been up to his neck with work, not to mention he got a particular nasty bruise from Elizaveta's frying pan, which left him bedridden for quite a while."

"Oh, seriously? I don't understand why Gilbert keeps bothering Hungary just to complain about all the hits she gives him…"

Francis gave his signature laugh as he slowly inched his seat closer to Antonio's. "Oh hon hon~! You, my friend, simply can't grasp the atmosphere even when it's right in front of you, oui?"

"Ah?" The tan man, unaware of Francis' tone, remained oblivious to the wandering hand slowly making his way up his left leg. "What do you mean?"

Francis just laughed again as the hand traveled further up the other's body and under the white dress shirt. "I'm obviously referring to Gilbert's little denial on the Hungarian woman! What pains he is willing to go through in the name of l'amour~." Francis might've ventured further if Romano hadn't decided to intervene.

"Pay attention, stupido!" The small Italian smacked a fist hard to his Boss' stomach, more as a reflex than an act of real malice. Didn't he notice the wine bastard roaming his hand all over him? Even Lovino saw the perverted man's motives and he had been watching some other flowers as soon as his brother's name popped up! Not to mention the air suddenly got very heavy again, no wonder because of Francis' intentions…

"Ack! R-Romano! What's wrong with you! We're guests at Francis' house and I thought you better than his, so try to behave!"

Irritation was steadily growing inside Lovino, but it hardly compared with how disappointed he suddenly felt. Was he disappointed about Spain, for not noticing how he was trying to help? About France, for not keeping his hands to himself? Or was he disappointed in himself, for trying to help and failing to do things right yet again? He wasn't sure, and not knowing just made him angrier. He gave Spain the coldest glare he could muster and ran away between the bushes, far away from the older nations. He didn't care that he was in an unknown house inside probably the biggest garden he had ever seen; anywhere would be better than staying back there with those two idiots.

As soon as Lovino glared at him and ran away, Antonio felt bad about what he said and tried to stop his charge. "W-wait! Roma—Lovi, come back here! Argh, me and my mouth…"

Francis also felt bad for the little boy, knowing he was partially responsible for the boy's sudden escape. He laid a well-intended hand on his friend's shoulder and spoke calmly to him. "Don't worry, he probably just needs a moment to cool off. I'm sure a nice walk through the garden will help clear his mind," he flashed a comforting smile, "And this is petit Lovino we're talking about, rarely does he not overreact about how he feels."

The deep sigh that escaped Antonio showed his many years being alive well; it made Francis notice small bags under the Spaniard's eyes he hadn't seen there before. "I know Lovinito will be fine, but I can't help but worry about him. I've had many colonies before, but never had they been as aggressive and expressive as he's been," the sad smile he gave was positively heart-wrenching, "Do you know that, in all my years taking care of him so far, I haven't seen him smile, not even once? It makes me wonder if he had been better off never meeting me-"

"Non." Francis' voice held no room for argument, gaze strong and unrelenting, "Don't even think such stupid things! Lovino cares deeply about you, even if he's as crude as Angleterre when it comes to expressing his feelings..."

He walked ahead and looked back to Antonio. "Well? We must begin the search for your, comment vous dire… Lovinito?"

The smile, although small, that gave his friend made Francis feel he helped Antonio, if even just a little. "You're right. He might get irritated that I didn't shoot off to look for him immediately, verdad?"

When Lovino stopped running, he was far away from anywhere he had gone before. He didn't know exactly where he was, but he didn't mind. He certainly didn't want to see Antonio's oblivious face and France's perverted grin. He'd rather be there among the Lilies.

He plopped down on the grassy ground and caught his breath. He couldn't believe the nerve of that man! He said to 'try' to behave, as if he was incapable of doing that whenever he wanted! He could behave, so excuse him if he wanted to protect some of that tomato idiot's dignity!

"R-Romano! What's wrong with you! We're guests at Francis' house and I thought you better than his, so try to behave!"

Lovino's head dropped as he gave a heavy sigh. Antonio called him Romano…he only did that when he was greatly disappointed in the other. Any other time, he would've called him Lovino or Lovi…guess he blew it, big time. He tried to help, and it crashed and burned in his face again, just like when he tried to clean the house back home but ended up tripping the bookshelf or flooding the floor while trying to mop. Not only that, but he ran away instead of just staying and apologizing like a good boy would.

'Like Feliciano would…'

He shook his head violently. He wouldn't even think about him. He's with Austria in some other part of the continent, far away from where he was and it would stay that way. If his Boss wanted his more talented and diligent younger brother, then he was in for a big disappointment. Austria wasn't planning on releasing his grip on Veneziano anytime soon. The closest Boss could have to Veneziano would be… would be…him.

'So…I'm just a replacement, huh?'

This thought wasn't new to Lovino, not in the slightest. He knew that everyone loved his younger brother. Feliciano looked more like their Nonno, Roman Empire, and had the best art, and the prettiest cities… So Romano would always be second best, no matter what. He knew this, so why did it still hurt to think that way? Why did he even try to do good anymore? It would all be for nothing in the end. When everyone realized that the only similarity between the brothers would be their looks, he'd be left behind, just like his Grandfather did when he took Feliciano away and left him behind… And dammit, he wasn't getting teary eyed from this bullshit! He wasn't!

"Umm…Excusez-moi?"

Lovino whipped his head at the unexpected voice, his eyes slightly red from holding back tears, as his honey eyes locked with light purple ones. This stranger was holding a stuffed bear that was, oddly enough, white with coal black eyes like it was some sort of a lifeline. Lovino moved his eyes from the toy to the one holding it. It was a kid, seemingly around ten years old just like him, since their heights were almost identical, but unlike Romano, the kid had shoulder long strawberry blonde hair that changed into soft orange the farther away from the roots it was. Lovino immediately thought this was one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen.

The way she stood, holding her toy tightly, was so cute! And her wide violet eyes and silky-looking hair made her look like a shy-type.

"Umm, are you okay? You seem kinda sad…"

'Oh right, she was talking to me… Uh, what did Spain teach me to say when this happens? I don't remember!... Oh, that's right!'

The kid's head tilted to the side, unknowing of the internal dilemma inside Lovino's head. The Italian stood and spoke loudly to her.

"D-Dame un b-besso!"

Silence.

"Uhh…" Lovino let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding at the girl's words. "Quoi? I don't really know Spanish yet…"

"Oh, r-right…" Well, he felt dumb. This had to be the wine bastard's new colony, so of course she wouldn't know many different languages yet. "W-well, forget what I said…" he extended his hand out for a shake, "I'm Italy-Romano, Lovino Vargas."

The other happily took the offered hand and shook it, "I'm Canada, though I guess I'm called Nouvelle-France now, huh...M-my name's Mathieu Williams."

Wait. Mathieu Williams? Mathieu, as in Mateo? As in, a boy? He pulled Canada forwards by the hand he still held, taking a closer look at the other kid's face. Violet eyes blinked back at him in surprise, though he paid that no heed. If you looked closer, he certainly had boy-like qualities…Not to mention the clothes were formal looking trousers, shirt and a vest. It was just like with Feliciano, with his cute face and girly-voice! He'd been duped!

"W-W-Wh-Why didn't you say you were a b-boy before, bastard!" Romano's face was bright red at his mistake, and his body shook in embarrassment, though Mathieu, scared at the sudden yell, thought it was in anger.

"I'm s-sorry! I-I th-thought you kn-knew!" Matthew's eyes began to tear up, and his body started shaking as well. He didn't know why this boy was suddenly so angry with him… He just asked if he was all right, he didn't mean any harm! He clutched his bear closer to his chest as a reflex.

"Wait wait wait! Why are you tearing up, you dummy! D-don't do that!" Lovino started panicking, looking around to see if anyone was listening to them. He didn't want to be scolded again for misbehaving…though in all honestly, he was just embarrassed, and angrier at himself than at the girly-looking kid before him. And what if Antonio passed by and saw Francis' colony crying? He might scold him—or worse…he might take away his tomatoes for a whole year! That was like, forever!

"Chigi…P-please don't cry! I wasn't being mean, h-honest! And you're a boy, and boys don't cry, dammit! What if that tomato bastard sees you and takes away my tomatoes? Then every pizza or pasta that I eat will taste as bland as English food and I'll die of horrible taste buds! Then when I'm older and date a signora I can't say I'll take her to a nice place to eat!" now he was the one tearing up. That kind of future would be terrible…his little Italian heart wouldn't be able to take it… He probably would have started breaking down if he didn't hear the blonde giggling softly over his own frantic words.

Canada was hiding his face behind his polar bear, stifling his giggles. Romano sure liked to talk very fast, and he did many gestures at the same time… He knew laughing was sort of rude, but he found him really funny, especially since every single one of his words had its own unique hand gesture to accompany it.

"You're weird, b-but funny, too!" The blonde trusted his bear forwards a bit and showed him off to Romano. "I think Mr. Kumashiro thinks so, too!"

"…Right…" So this kid wasn't as perverted as his owner… but he acted like a baby. He cried easily and still carried around a stuffed and pale be-

"Who?" The bear tilted its head to the side as it murmured the words.

"Merda! That freaking thing talked! What the heck?" grasping the front of his brown shirt tightly in his small fists, Lovino looked at the thing with caution. Stuffed, inanimate objects didn't freaking talk, it wasn't normal! What was up with this kid?

"Of course he talked, silly!" Mathieu flashed a bright smile at Lovino's worried one, not bothered in the least, "Mr. Kumijitsu is very smart, when he wants to be."

'Wasn't its name Kuma-something-else a second ago? What is this guy on? Maybe he likes to act crazy like Belgium's fratello gets when he smokes sometimes…'

Holding the bear tightly again, Mathieu grabbed Lovino's arm and pulled him in a random direction the other didn't know, talking the whole time. "I'll take you to my room! We can wait there until both our Papas are done talking!"

Though he didn't object to being pulled closer to the house, and away from the still heavy atmosphere, he didn't like the Canadian's choice of words, "That bastardo isn't my father! We look nothing alike!"

"Oh? S-sorry…If he isn't your dad, then what is he?"

"My Boss… Isn't the wine bast—I mean, isn't France your Boss? Why do you call him Papa?"

Mathieu's smile was really contagious, as if he won a prize every time he knew the right answer to something, "He likes to be called Papa and frère. He says anything else makes him feel weird. Don't you call your Boss something else?"

"No. Boss is Boss… and tomato bastard sometimes." Lovino hadn't ever called anyone Papa, really. The oldest memory he had was of living with his nonno and his fratello before they left him behind, and Spain always liked to be called Boss, not anything else. Not to say he ever even tried of calling him something closer. The thought had never even crossed his mind before, really. It must be a French custom or something. Culture shock and all that stuff.

Apparently, his words were somehow funny, because Mathieu giggled again. "Well, I saw you and 'Boss' coming, but I didn't want Papa to find me. I was hiding from him all day because he was so worried about you guys, but then I saw you run away and decided to talk with you!" he quickly got a sad look on his face next, "But you looked really sad…"

"I wasn't sad! Che, what made you think that?" Lovino spluttered out, blushing again.

Mathieu just laughed again, but dropped the topic, to Lovino's relief.

They talked about pointless things and anything that came to their minds as they made their way inside the villa and Mathieu gave him a small tour of the place.

"And this is my room!"

When Mathieu opened the door to his room, he spread his arm as wide as he could while his other kept its hold on Kumajirou. It was normal in size, with pale blue colors on the walls and a great view of the garden from the window across the main door. It was divided according to its uses; all his clothes, wardrobes and his bed were on the right side while his toys and painting tools were on the left side of the room. He made his way to his bed to place Kumajirou on it, who happily snug atop the covers while his master joined his new friend by the paints and canvases. Soon after, the boys were painting different things as they talked about their favorite hobbies and preferences. They were having fun, and Romano was even cursing less than he usually did.

"There!" Mathieu put his brush away in a small bowl filled with water as he turned his canvas for Lovino to see. It was an amateur painting of Kumajirou sleeping on his bed, though the bear looked more like a blob with three black stones instead of its face, and he seemed to be resting atop a box, instead of a bed. On the corner it read 'Mr. Kumakichi', and the Italian boy was completely certain the bear's name had a tendency to change every time it was uttered. "It's Kumahare!"

'Of course it is…' thought the brunette sarcastically, but decided not to ask the boy about the bear's name. He would probably get a wrong answer anyways. Mathieu went over to Lovino's painting and looked at it in awe.

"It's so pretty! You're very good at drawing, Lovi!"

Romano frowned, though not at the nickname, but at his own drawing. It was a drawing of the garden from the view of the room, and even the shadows caused by the sunny afternoon were drawn clearly. Although it was still only half colored, he had already painted the basic colors of all the flowers in the canvas. All that was left to color in were the bushes, skies and the occasional garden furniture here and there. It truly was a great work of art for someone so young, but Lovino didn't like it at all.

"It's awful. It's nothing compared to what Feliciano would be able to paint…"

The blonde slightly gaped at his friend, unable to comprehend how he could call the painting awful, but even more confused by the unfamiliar name. "Felishiano? Who's that?"

"My perfect younger brother." He was careful not to use his usual Italian words, or Mathieu would be unable to understand him. He took the canvas from its stand and placed it beside a wall, not bothering to finish it. What would be the point? "Everything he does is so much better than how I do it. He knows how to clean, how to cook, how to trade, and his paintings are always so much better than mine. Everyone wants to be with him because he's so much like our Grandfather, the Great Roman Empire."

The violet eyed boy sat on the carpeted floor near his bed and patted the ground so Lovino would sit beside him. From the way he sounded, he seemed like he never talked about him so openly before, and Mathieu knew when someone needed a shoulder to simply complain to all to well. There wasn't a day that passed without France saying something mean about England, after all.

"Ever since we were little, Grandpa Rome would spend more time with him, and whenever someone praised Italy, they'd always be talking about him, sometimes not even knowing that Southern Italy even existed!" He was obliviously bummed, not even trying to do hand gestures to accompany his words. He had never talked to anyone about his troubles before. Well…that one bird that heard him before the Ottoman Empire grabbed him by surprise didn't count. That dammed bird was annoying anyways, and Mathieu was much better and kinder to talk to. He was hanging on his every word, not interrupting him, and only nodding to show he followed what was said. "Everyone praises him and never even care about what I have to offer, so why should I even bother anymore? Whenever I try to help it goes wrong anyways…"

Canada understood how Romano felt, but there was something he didn't quite get… "But…you don't hate your brother, right?"

That made Lovino think for a while. Did he hate Veneziano? Sure he might be a little annoying, especially when he asked him about something or wanted to hang around him, but he didn't hate him, did he?

"No…I don't hate him. I might hate how everyone ignores my existence in favor of his, but Feli never did anything wrong…It's not his fault he's so good at what he does or that everyone likes him better. He's a walking, huggable ball of pasta-loving cuteness; really hard to hate."

The blonde nodded. It seemed Lovino was just jealous that he was constantly being compared to someone out of his league. "I know how you feel. I'm from across seas, and there aren't a lot of people over there; it's mostly me and my younger brother, and everyone wants to pay attention to him." Mathieu folded his arms over his legs and stared at the ceiling, recalling not so long ago, "Not many even know I'm the older brother, since they hardly ever see me, but I was founded by Vikings before he was even discovered. And they even call both of us the same, North America. Even Papa thought I was my brother the first time he saw me!" The little kid gave a small sigh. "Everyone likes to know what Alfred is doing, how Alfred is growing, or what's new with America. Nobody really tries to know what happens in Canada besides Papa. Not many people even know that Canada exists, either." He chuckled nervously, not used to venting out his problems to anyone besides his loyal bear. "Not to mention that Canada's basically a big snow ground, and there's not a lot that can be done there compared to America, which is a lot warmer… Guess we both have brighter, younger siblings, huh?"

"Huh…" Lovino had listened to Mathieu's words with a careful ear. His situation seemed very similar to his. Both nations feeling small compared to their younger brothers. Two children with jealousy problems…

As soon as he thought that, he did something he hadn't done in a long time: he laughed loudly and happily, patting a hand on the blonde's back. "Guess grownups are just idiots. We're great nations, they're just too stupid to realize it yet." He ignored the way Mathieu blushed at the somewhat-kind words from him. Romano was sure he wouldn't tell anyone, though. He still had a reputation to keep, after all.

"Right!" Canada nodded happily, his soft hair bouncing with the movement. "We can't just give up either, Lovi!" He stood quickly and pulled the brunette up along with him. "I know you can draw pretty too, and you told me you have very fertile lands. Even if Feliciano is good in art and trade, I'm sure you're better in growing food! Papa told me, the best tomatoes always come from Spain and Italy-Romano! And that's something your brother can't do as well as you!"

Romano blushed a little at the praise. He wasn't exactly used to it, after all, but he saw the other's point perfectly. "Yeah, and even if America is famous for growing so fast, it's very different from you. And you said Canada has many freshwater lakes and snowy mountains, not to mention that it's pretty freaking big. And the weather conditions are way gentler than the one at that creepy Russian's house. " Rarely, he smiled again, "We'll show those older geezers that our brothers are very different from us! Promise?"

Canada smiled and nodded again, holding out his pinkie finger. "Pinky promise?"

"Pinkie..? What's that?" Southern Italy tilted his head in confusion.

"Papa said that's how humans make promises. Wanna try it?"

"Okay."

And that's how the older brothers promised to do their best, and not only show the world that they were special, but prove that they were different from their siblings.

"I'm starting to worry, mi amigo. We can't find Lovino anywhere…"

"Yes, just give me a moment to check Mon Fils' room, maybe he's there and saw Romano while he played outside."

Francis pushed his son's bedroom door open and couldn't help but let out a squeal. Inside, he saw the most adorable scene he had seen in many, many years.

There, curled up on top of his little boy's bed laid both nations, curled up besides the polar bear the blonde liked to carry around all the time. The kids were covered in paint blotches and near them on the floor laid many canvases and papers filled with drawings from both of them. Even one of them had colorful paw prints, showing Kumajirou joined in on the fun as well. They were all sleeping peacefully, clutching some papers to their chests.

"Antonio, you simply must see this trés adorable scene right now~!"

"What is it, Francis? Did you—Ay, que lindos~!"

All traces of Antonio's previous worry were gone the moment he saw both kids sleeping. He wanted to yell how cute they looked, but he'd feel bad about waking them up when they looked so peaceful. Both older men silently entered the room to get a closer look at the boys, and Spain couldn't help but gape when he got a closer look at Romano.

It was small, but there was definitively a tiny smile on the Italian's usually sour-looking face. It nearly made him pinch himself to be sure he wasn't dreaming. A bittersweet smile showed on the tanned man's face, not unnoticed by his friend.

"Is something wrong, Antonio? I thought you'd be incredibly happy to see the little boy smiling?"

"I am, truly… But I can't help but wonder what I myself must do to make Lovinito smile like that… It seems he isn't entirely trusting of me yet."

"Are you sure?" Francis looked back at his friend from his place closer to the boys. He pointed to the papers they were holding tightly. Mathieu's had a colored drawing of Francis, him and Kumajirou in what looked like a park, walking together; Lovino's drawing was a fully colored painting of himself, Spain, Belgium and Netherlands in Spain's house. What grabbed Antonio's attention was written in the corner: it said 'To the tomato bastard', only that it was scratched out while written on top in a different color, said 'To the Best Boss, that can't read the atmosphere'.

Antonio couldn't help but smile for real this time. It was just like Francis said, after all. Lovino had his own special way of showing he cared.

"But Alas, it makes me sad that you two must be leaving so soon. Mathieu doesn't really have many friends his age that he can socialize with."

"I know, but I could only stay for today, my own Boss was against this trip from the very start and only let me come for the day. I'm already late, as a matter of fact…"

"Hmm…" Francis looked deep in thought, closing the door softly after both him and Antonio exited the room. It wasn't until both were quite a ways from the room that Francis' came to a decision.

"Let's give the little ones a few more hours of sleep together. I'll personally arrange a carriage to take both of you back home."

"Ah, really? You have my thanks, Francis. Lovino was arguing the whole way here that he hated walking so far away from home, and I can't really use money for luxuries at the moment, especially after that fight with Sadiq over Italy-Romano."

"No problem, I aim to please. Now," Francis guided both of them towards the kitchen, "Let us adults chat in peace about the golden days with the alluring company of fine wine."

"Hahaha, you really know me too well, mi amigo~!"

Many years passed and Mathieu and Lovino often talked and enjoyed each other's company whenever their caretakers met up. Their meetings were short and few, but full of enjoyable moments. Even while Mathieu met other colonies such as Seychelles and Lovino got acquainted with Spain's overseas colonies like Cuba, the young nations enjoyed each other's company best. Unfortunately, their time together wasn't mean to last.

Soon after, France had entered the Seven Years War with England and lost possession of Canada to England. That fateful day, Mathieu had suffered the great loss of not only his Papa but his siblings and best friend. With his new position as an English territory, and England's long animosity with Spain, Mathieu –or rather, Matthew- never got the opportunity to send a letter to Lovino nor his Papa, much less talk to them.

Romano himself had issues back home. He constantly found himself worrying over Feliciano in his own way, and Spain wasn't in the most stable of conditions, either. He started loosing control over many of his overseas colonies and Romano could only stand and watch as his Boss slowly lost his power as the years trickled by. And so, what was once a powerful friendship slowly waned and withered away into just memories of times long past.

Even those dear memories became blurry with every new war… every new economical crisis… every new political dilemma… until they scattered like dust in the wind…

"…And that is why I need your total sidekick support, Mattie! This plan will take the world by storm and cause awe into those empty minds that make part of the other nations!"

"…I honestly don't understand how you think creating a real-life replica of a robot ninja will stop global warming, Al."

America placed his arm over Canada's shoulder as he took a huge bite of the bugger he was holding. "Mattie, Mattie, Mattie. You need to look at the bigger picture!"

"Swallow before you talk in my face, Alfred! Seriously…" Matthew tried to yell in anger, but all it sounded like was a harsh whisper. The Canadian didn't have a very strong-sounding voice like he did in the past. He suspected it came from being in the American's constant shadow after becoming property of England, but heck if he knew for sure. Matthew took off his glasses and cleaned them from crumbs caused by his brother's lack of manners.

"Who?" came a voice from the floor beside the Canadian's shoes.

"I'm Canada, Kumaremi."

"Oh."

"Seriously, you guys need name tags or something…" Alfred finished his burger to start on a new one he pulled out from the infinite space inside his jacket's pockets. He continued talking as he pulled off the wrapper. "I'll be expecting your vote at the meeting, Mattie. Remember: Robo-ninjas!" And he ran off towards the conference room, leaving his brother running after him.

"W-wait! I didn't say you have my vot—Alfred F. Jones!"

"You can't hope to catch the Hero! Flash powers, activate! Hahaha!"

"Usual." Kumajirou lazily stood and followed the brothers taking part in their usual routines, but in a much slower and comfortable pace for him.

"Ve~! I hope we have a lunch break earlier this time…I wonder if there'll be pasta~…"

Feliciano walked in a slight daze, hoping his favorite food dishes would be provided by the building the present world meeting would take place in. His friends and family were closely behind, trusting that the Italian knew where the meeting room was located.

"Just make sure you don't interrupt the meeting to say you're hungry again, Italy." Ludwig's monotonous yet serious voice pulled the happy Italian from his thoughts, yet managed to annoy the older brother of said brunette.

"Shut up, potato bastard! My fratello can do whatever the hell he wants!"

Antonio pulled the aggressive man's shoulder in his direction, unknowingly increasing the space between Romano and Germany. "Calm down, Lovi~. You should use your indoor voice."

"This is my indoor voice, idiota," Lovino fought to gain release from the clingy Spaniard, "and it's telling you to put a sock in it and piss off!"

Antonio was trying hard to not suddenly let go of Lovino lest the younger fall and hurt himself. "Whoa-! Careful, Lovi, if you pull out to hard you can tri-"

"I said to piss off!"

"The Hero prevails!"

"I said to slow down, Alfred-!"

"Ve, fratello! Look out!"

Feliciano's words came out a moment too late, as Lovino broke free of Antonio's grasp and found himself falling forwards out of control. Alfred, who was running close to the commotion, moved to the side to prevent any injury from a collision with Romano. Unfortunately, Canada wasn't expecting his brother's sudden move and was unable to prevent crashing full force into the Italian.

Alfred winced when he heard the loud crash of the two bodies, but still couldn't help but find the situation overwhelmingly hilarious.

Feliciano immediately started worrying over his older brother and went over to the mess of limbs and body parts sprawled over the floor. "Romano! Romano, are you okay?"

"M-maple…"

"Chigi…"

Both men managed to stand once more thanks to the assistance of their respective brothers, although the American sibling still was laughing his ass off.

"That was awesome, Mattie! I didn't know your body could fall to the ground that fast!"

"Sh-shut up, Hoser…"

"Fratello! Are you okay? You suddenly crashed with something and fell! Was it a ghost? Vee! Doitsu, help fratello!"

"Don't c-call that overgrown potato for h-help, idiota…" Lovino turned around to the one he crashed with. "Be careful where you're going! Nearly broke my fuckin' hand…"

"R-right, my bad. Sorry…"

Feliciano grabbed Lovino's hand in worry and inspected it for any injury, while America checked to see if his brother had anything bruised as well. Besides his dignity, that is.

"Chigi! Don't touch there! It hurts something fierce!"

"Alfred, swear you'll at least let me know next time you do a stupid maneuver like that…"

Feliciano tilted his head, "Your pinkie?"

America gave his brother a thumb up with a goofy grin, "Promise!"

Both Lovino and Matthew couldn't help but feel immense déjà vu at the sound of those words together.

"Pinkie-"

"Promise..?"

Both nations looked at one another, their brains racking themselves trying to remember where they had heard those nostalgic sounding words before…

"Yeah, promise! Let's go, Mattie! The meeting can't start without us!"

"Your pinkie doesn't look broken, fratello. Ve! Some pasta will make it better! Let's start the meeting until then~!"

Both Veneziano and America rushed ahead to their chairs inside the room before them, leaving the others behind. Germany and Spain walked in shortly afterwards, followed by a certain polar bear. Canada and Romano soon enough snapped themselves out of their stupors and walked inside after everyone else.

Well, they couldn't remember where they had heard those words before, but it would hardly make a difference, right? They both sat beside their brothers and waited until their turn to show the others what was happening with their respective nations came by.

Unbeknownst to each other, that single thought made them feel as though they had accomplished something very important. Something they had wanted to do since a long time ago…

A/n: So they don't remember each other, but they're happy! They even have better relations with their brothers, so it's all good! Please don't hit me, I bruise easily! –waves white flag-

Wow, hinted PruHun. Totally don't ship that pairing, since I prefer AusHun and Prucan, but I don't hate it. Oh, if you like PruCan too, check out my other story 'Unexpected Changes'! Many people think it's kinda cool~ -innocent smile-

I don't know what's Italy's national flower, but some places say Daisies or Lillies or Poppies. So I made Lovi interested in Daisies while he stopped running near the Lilies, where Canada appeared. A phrase from somewhere in Canada says they were born under the Lilly and raised under the Rose or similar. Since Canada isn't English territory yet, I didn't put in any roses.

Hope no one was OOC! One thing worried me, though: Feliciano can't really read the atmosphere, only here and there sometimes, but this was never specified for Lovino, right? I wasn't sure, so I made him able to read the atmosphere easily in here.

I hope that one day I will be able to write a Romance fic between these two lovelies… Canada and Romano are among my top pairings, though I like PruCan and Spamano a lot more. I also feel the urge to draw the bed scene with Lovi, Mattie and Kuma all sleeping~! To deviantart!

The words are pretty basic, but I'll put the harder words here, just in case:

Fratello- brother, Italian

Mon petit- my little, French

Nouvelle France- New France, French

Mon Fils- my son, French

Angleterre- England, French

Comment vous dire- how do you say, French

Verdad- true/right, Spanish

Dame un Besso!- Give me a kiss!, Spanish

Quoi- what, French

Mateo- Matthew, Italian/Spanish

Signora- lady, Italian

Merda- (holy) shit, Italian

Frère- brother, French

Ay, que lindos- Oh, how pretty/cute, Spanish

Please review, if you can! I really want to know how I did, and no matter how many favorites this might get, it doesn't tell me exactly what you guys liked about it! I even accept flames, but they must be logical! Don't drop an "It sucks" and leave, explain why you didn't like it! How am I supposed to get better and improve if you don't tell me? XD