I do not own Hetalia.
A/N: I can't move on from Romerica, damn me.
...
It's ten past midnight when Italy Romano has stepped a foot on America's yard. While the whistling wind that gives off an eerie feeling keeps on blowing on his hair, he hurriedly rummages through his pockets for his set of spare keys. He grabs the spherical-like shape of a miniature hamburger made from fiber-glass that comes with the ring that holds his keys together. Every time he sees this cherished key-chain, he's reminded of the American idiot, the reason why he's bought it in the first place.
He unlocks the door and comes in, unsurprised that silence and dimness are what greet him. After re-locking the door and nonchalantly dropping his things, Romano makes his way to the second floor where America's room is located. He loosens his tie, sheds his coat and removes his shoes in process while confidently trudging the hallway. He's already memorized almost every nook and corner of this house so even though it's dark, he has no problem in finding his way.
He's been distressed lately, tired and exhausted from work and mentally worn from his constant inner dilemmas. It's not like he's overly self-confident to begin with, so it isn't uncommon for him to relapse on such a state from time to time. There are a lot of uneasiness and pressure that keep him unrested and all he wants to do right now is to have a peace of mind.
Unbolting the knob from America's room, he lightly throws the door open and peeks inside. From there, he sees a lump on the bed. When he takes a closer look, he finds America's face with the most serene expression he can ever have, he's sleeping, after all. He spares a second to feel envious seeing how peaceful the other is at the moment, but he immediately replaces it with something warm at the realization that just simply looking at America undeniably comforts him. It isn't as though all his issues have been washed away, but it's as if those things that he's been pondering about seem so trivial because he's not alone to tackle them anymore. America is here with him and he can't help but smile with the thought, albeit the stretch of his lips is only partial.
Romano has plenty of reasons why he loves America, but one of the most enlightening is that he feels special when he's with America. The other nation is capable of doing that without him even noticing it. It may just be a natural thing to him, but to Romano, his meddlesome attitude has a way of indicating how much he cares for a certain person. Naturally, the half-nation never voices things like this out in the open, but that's the general idea. America, either intentionally or not, is excellent at making Romano feel like he's always his top priority and that in America's viewpoint, Romano is always 'before anyone else'. (Needless to say, America is also Romano's bae.)
He slips under the blanket, too, not really caring whether or not he will wake America with his motions, and wraps his arms around the sleeping figure as comfortably as he can manage. He moves even closer until no more space can separate them and lets half of his body drop on the other's chest. He nuzzles the smooth span of America's neck and breathes his scent. He smells like baby powder and mint. He kisses the skin and listens to the steady breathing of America. This... this is exactly what he likes to do, what he must absolutely do when feeling down. He likes to hug America even though he's unresponsive. He simply likes to feel his entire existence because with that alone, he is reassured.
"America," Romano whispers, his lips making direct contact with America's ear shell. "America," he repeats and it makes the other stir in his sleep. The pillow that he's been hugging is long abandoned and forgotten because Romano replaces it with himself. "America, America, America..."
It's not really his intention to wake him up, he merely wants to call his name in repetition (he feels outright alleviated when he does that), though he thinks as he whispers America's name all over again, it's not too bad if he successfully wakes him.
"America~"
"Rom'no?" Romano leans back to inspect America's face as he answers groggily. His eyes slowly blinking open while his eyebrows crunches in confusion. Without his glasses, his eyesight is reduced to bad, but America surely doesn't need to see to know who is embracing him. Fascinated and pleased, Romano kisses him on the lips.
America only hums in response and goes back to sleep, but not before tightening his hold on Romano's back.
Romano waits for a few moments for sleep to claim him too. He interlocks his limbs with America's own as he revels on how snug and cozy his position is. It's amazing that only just a few minutes prior, he feels utterly distressed and upset, but now, he finds his peace of mind, he finds his safe haven, he finds his only sanctuary.
He presses his lips on America's cheek, pulls America even closer to him, and closes his eyes to sleep. That night, he dreams of seeing his own self wiping the tears streaming down his cheeks. (*)
America blinks. His bearings are still hazy, but he feels exceedingly warm and comfortable. He finds himself lying sideways but almost on his face. A part of his body is lying above Romano while both of his arms are securing the half-nation on his hold. Romano, on the other hand, is lying mostly on his back on the bed while still hugging America like a body pillow. It's the reverse position of what he remembers they have been earlier when he has briefly awaken. They must have been shifting a lot in their sleep. But really, it's no wonder he feels so cozy.
Ultimately, he opens his eyes to sight his blurry world. It's still dark outside so it's only probably nearing dawn, he can still go back to sleep. But before that, he regards Romano first. While this isn't a first time or unusual thing to happen, America knows that there is always a reason behind every unplanned trip. He checks to see if his eyebrows are creasing or if there are any stress lines on his forehead. There probably are, but he can't tell because of his poor eyesight, so he leans closer and decides to soothe them regardless of whether there are or aren't. He lifts his thumb to caress the brows and brings his lips to kiss them. He also traces Romano's forehead with his fingers until they smoothen and proceeds to kiss him there, too.
He hates it when the half-nation is in distress especially now that he's supposed to be resting his body and mind. It's as if he's feeling the pain, too, but doubled or tripled even. If only he can chase away all the things that makes him sad or upset, then he can truly call himself Romano's hero.
The next thing that he does is to examine if Romano's lips are turned downwards. He feels them with his fingers, gently brushing the smooth skin to loosen the tension. America places a soft kiss in there, as well, before firmly fastening his arm back to where it originally is, on Romano's back.
He gives Romano's cheek a single peck and inclines his head on the pillow beside Romano's head. Then, he proceeds to sing in low murmurs just for the heck of it.
"Met you by surprise,
I didn't realize that my life would change forever,
Tell me that it's true, feelings that are new
I feel something special about you,"
His voice is still hoarse and the vibration is surely disturbing Romano's sleep, but America still continues after lowering his voice even more.
"Dreams are my reality, a wondrous world where I like to be
Illusions are a common thing,
I try to live in dreams although it's only fantasy,"
Whether he's waking Romano up or lulling him even more to sleep is unknown to him, but there is some message here that he wants to convey and hopefully, Romano will see it and accept it. He's willing to dedicate this only to him, after all.
"Dreams are my reality, I like to dream of you close to me,"
"Uhh..." Romano rouses and immediately, America searches his expression. For a moment, he has thought Romano will berate him for interrupting his rest so he braces himself, but the only thing that the half-nation does is to blink once before repositioning his hold into him. It's funny how they are mostly squeezing each other but instead of causing discomfort, they both find it more relieving and pleasurable.
"Are you in pain?" America asks worriedly, his voice uncharacteristically mellow.
Romano pins his gaze at his eyes, latches a hand on his nape and wordlessly pulls him for a kiss. America is taken by surprise but he still reciprocates at the kiss only to suspect that Romano must be still half asleep because the way he moves his lips is ten times less enthusiastic than he normally does. (When Romano kisses seriously, he kisses like he's going to die tomorrow, America can attest to that.)
When they parted, Romano slurs on his words. "No 'm not, 'stard. Peace, I'need peace."
America's brows raise slightly at his reply. Romano constantly complains on how loud everything about United States of America is, so to hear him say he's searching peace in here is such a surprise for him. It makes him overjoyed, though, that he seeks America even for the impossible. "Really? Here? In my house, in my country?" he asks accidentally loudly because of his excitement and instantly regrets it when Romano grunts.
"No, in your presence," Romano says without a fuss and it seems like he's not even aware of it. It's either that or he turns completely honest when he's half asleep. He closes his eyes again and crushes America into his embrace which America allows because he's speechless and a bit taken aback of that response.
He senses the heat creeping on his cheeks, as well as the increase of his heart rate, and pouts. "Geez, way to go with your overly romantic nature, you just made my heart pound like crazy," he whispers in a heartbeat and buries his face on the pillow to hide his blush, even though no one will see.
Eventually, America smiles to himself. He just can't help it, his lips are automatically turning upwards from too much giddiness. He feels warm, he feels comfortable, he feels valued, and most importantly, he feels accomplished for making Romano feel better (even though he hasn't done anything).
"I dream of loving in the night, and loving you seems right,
Perhaps that's my reality,"
He finishes his song that has been interrupted, then he closes his eyes with a smile still plastered on his lips as he feels his heart returning to its normal tempo and he starts to fall asleep again. That morning, he dreams of crying for a brief period of time. (*)
...
I'm accepting all forms of reaction, from calm and normal to bloody and trashy, just send me a review if you have some. Thanks a lot for checking it out!
* According to research, Romano's dream signifies that he is being comforted or receiving consolation while America's dream indicates that he will be content and happy in life.
A/N: The title of this fic is from the song "Reality" by Richard Sanderson, which is the same song America is singing. (I'm so in love with Romerica and I don't even know why.)