This is my first Hetalia story, and is a birthday present for my friend DD-Fae, who also requested this. Happy 16th Birthday! :D

There it was, lying on the floor. Romano looked around, so as to check that no one was around, and swiftly picked up the single tomato. Could this be a sign, he wondered. Could this be a sign that Spain was actually going to turn up to their little meetings on time for once? He, Romano, was almost on time. But Spain being Spain, it was likely he was going to turn up sometime next week and ask what the fuss was about. Romano gritted his teeth. Of course, if that was true, he certainly wouldn't be by the church, still waiting for Spain to arrive. His hand tightened around the tomato so that some of the juice began to seep out. He quickly loosened his grip, watching in horror as the juice dripped to the pavement. This was all Spain's fault. They saw each other plenty of times, so what was the point of them meeting up whenever Spain felt like it?

'Oh, Romano, you came!'

Romano wheeled around to see Spain coming towards him, a vacant smile on his face.

'Where've you been? You asked me to be here by two. It's now three,' Romano muttered as Spain finally reached him.

'Yeah, but you waited,' Spain pointed out, putting an arm around Romano's shoulder. 'Oh, where'd you get that tomato from? Can I have it?'

'No, I found it, it's mine!' Romano exclaimed, holding the tomato high above his head.

'If you don't hand it over I'll force you to form an Empire with me,' Spain said whilst attempting to reach the tomato. 'Come on, you're no fun.'

'If you wanted fun then you should have taken home my brother,' replied Romano, though he was unsure if Spain really would carry out his threat.

'Fine,' Spain sighed. 'I'll just go home then. You waited for nothing.'

'Alright, alright, have the tomato,' said Romano. 'But it's not in the best condition.'

'What do you mean?' asked Spain quickly.

'I found it on the floor.'

For a minute, Spain said nothing, his eyes firmly focused on the tomato in Romano's hand. Finally he said, 'I don't care. A tomato's a tomato. Can I have it now please?'

Romano did not reply, he simply threw the tomato towards Spain. It flew through the air in a graceful arc, and Spain held out his hands to catch it. But then, with a resounding splat, the tomato landed on the floor, the juice going everywhere. Both just stared at the mess of what had so recently been a tomato. At last, Spain raised his head so as to glare at Romano.

'Romano…'

'It's not my fault!' said Romano hurriedly. 'Seriously, it's your fault, you should have caught it, don't force me into becoming a mini Empire with you, don't leave, it's hard to throw tomatoes, alright?'

Now Spain's facial expression softened slightly. 'I wouldn't know. You could've just handed it over to me, you know.'

'Hm. That didn't actually cross my mind, to be honest…'

'Don't worry about it. It's just a tomato,' said Spain with a small laugh. 'Seriously. Let's just forget about it and get on with the day. What do you want to do?'

Romano shrugged. They began walking side by side, and Spain took his hand.

'You know what? I think I know what I want to do,' said Romano after they had been walking for some time.

'Cool! What is it?'

'Let's go for a meal,' replied Romano, glancing at Spain's face to see his reaction. 'And we can order loads of tomatoes. Sound good?'

'That does sound good,' Spain conceded, and he beamed at Romano. 'We don't often go out for meals. Where do you want to go?'

'I don't mind.'

'Well then, I don't mind either. Just one thing.'

The two of them stopped walking.

'Yes?' Romano prompted.

'You're paying.'

Romano raised an eyebrow. Spain was still smiling, apparently unaware that his companion looked slightly displeased. However, Romano simply squeezed Spain's hand.

'Sure, I'll pay.'