Feliciano strolled down the hallway, humming a playful tune. He stopped, looking around curiously when he realized that another voice was mingling with his. He listened closely, finding the sound to be coming from the partially cracked door up ahead. He walked over to it and smiled at the sound of a familiar, playful hum.
Peering into the crack of the door he saw Lili standing before one of his drawing easels, a smeared, colorful paint palette held carefully in one hand and a paintbrush in the other. Her smock was tied in a neat bow at her back. She hummed absently, hints of slight frustration and concentration in her voice and posture. Feliciano watched her work, grinning. After a moment, he stepped through the door.
"What are you painting Lili?!" He asked her excitedly, bounding up beside her.
She jumped slightly in surprise and turned to him with sparkling green eyes, blushing bashfully. Her smock was covered in dots of colorful paint and a few hearts that she must have painted on herself. Before she could answer, Italy stepped up next to her and studied her painting, a very colorful, messy piece, the center of it a smiling blob with brown, chunky locks of hair.
"It's a~ beautiful Lili!"
Lili blushed again, looking down at the floor for a moment. "Thank you Feli..d-do you know what it is?"
Italy leaned in close to the artwork, studying it. Leaning in so close in fact that his nose smudged a small portion of it's still quite wet surface. "Uhhhh….I know..it's a..it's…-"
"You don't know do you?" Lili said with a pout, a sad little frown on her face.
Italy frowned and shook his head. "Sorry…I'm not a~ sure. But it's a~ so pretty! Please tell me what it is, huh?!"
"It's you silly!" Lili told him, a bit perturbed that he hadn't been able to tell.
Feliciano turned back to the painting and studied it more at the spot he had accidentally smudged, he thought he could make out a small brown swirl, which he now knew must have been meant to be his signature curl.
"Oh! I see it now. My nose a~ smudged my curl. Here!" He picked up the brush and dipped it into the nearby container of brown. With one neat stroke he added the curl and smiled in satisfaction.
"There, now its-" He stopped upon hearing a tiny sob from behind him; he turned to see Liechtenstein looking sadly at the paint palette in her hand.
"I guess I'm just not as good at art as you Italy." She sniffed. "I'll never be able to paint. I tried to make a portrait of you but you couldn't even tell it was you because I'm just no good." A tiny tear made it's way down her cheek.
Italy scurried to her side. "No, no please don't cry, Lili. You just need a little more practice. I like a~ your painting a lot. The colors are beautiful!"
Lili sniffed and look up at him with those sweet eyes of hers. "Really?"
Italy nodded happily. "Uh huh! Any art is beautiful if it's drawn by somebody as nice and sweet as you!" Italy's cheeks went a bit rosy when he added the last part.
Lili smiled at him. "You really think I'm sweet?"
Italy blushed and nodded.
Lili giggled and pulled a paintbrush from the pocket of her smock. She swirled it among the brightest shades in her palette and then quickly flicked it across Italy's nose.
Italy laughed, his face alight with joy and tinted with a bit of embarrassment. He had always really like Lili, she was so sweet and she was never mean to anyone. She smiled a lot, just like he did, and not to mention the fact that he thought her to be very pretty.
He watched her for a second as she laughed, her eyes closed as she grinned. He blinked nervously before he bent down and quickly sneaked a kiss onto her cheek. She stopped laughing and her eyes went wide. She blinked in surprise, putting her hand up to her blushing cheek and looking over to Italy, confused.
"I'm sorry I a-" he stopped when she stood on her tiptoes and planted him a kiss on his own cheek. He smiled gleefully, turning to pick up the paintbrush from where he'd left it on the easel and dipping it into some bright pink paint. He bent down slightly and with a big grin he painted a little heart upon her cheek and then stood back.
"You look a so pretty Lili." Italy told her.
"T-thank you." She said bashfully, taking up her paintbrush and drawing a red heart upon Italy's cheek.
"Now you look pretty too." She said with a bashful laugh.
They continued drawing on each other's faces, making cat whiskers, rainbows, and the like, until a sudden, stern voice caused them both to turn in surprise.
"Lili! What have I told you about playing with boys. It's not safe." Her big brother Switzerland said from the doorway, narrowing his eyes at Italy suspiciously.
"But big brudder. It's just Feli. He wouldn't hurt me."
Italy stared up at the Swiss soldier, a bit afraid. He knew how protective Vash was of Lili.
Vash looked over at the painting on the easel. "Did you draw this Lili?" He said with a bit of a growl creeping into his voice.
"Yes, do you like it?"
"It's lovely but is this who I think it is?" He looked over at Italy who smiled nervously.
"It's Feli big brudder! I wanted to make him a gift and I knew how much he liked to paint so I tried to make a picture of him, but I'm not very good at painting." She frowned a bit.
"No, Lili, I told you it's a~ beautiful; I love it!" Italy told her, not wanting her to be sad again.
Lili smiled.
Vash looked between the two of them and noticed how happy Italy seemed to make Lili, she needed someone who liked to do the things she did, even if that someone was in fact a boy. At least this one seemed harmless enough. He was very child-like, just like his sister. He could never quite relate to all the little artsy, cutesy things Lili enjoyed, and he knew she wished she had someone who did. He grunted and started towards the door.
"Just don't make too big of a mess." he said on the way out. "And remember I have my own artillery right in this very house."
Italy looked at Liechtenstein with wide eyes.
She chuckled at him.
"Don't worry about big brudder, he's not as scary as he seems. He just wants to take good care of me. I think he likes you."
"Really?! So he's not a~ going to shoot me?"
"No!Of course not." She giggled. "Besides, I wouldn't let him."
Italy smiled and opened his eyes to the feeling of Lili's small hands on his shoulders. She stood as high on her tiptoes as she could and with red cheeks she closed her eyes and kissed him gently right on his lips.
Italy felt his cheeks get hot and he closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the new feeling of her soft little lips on his. It was a really nice feeling, he thought.
She parted from him and they both laughed nervously, their faces as red as tomatoes.
"Lili can I a~ see a~ paint." Italy asked, his voice bashful still.
She nodded and handed him the now messing, color-swirled palette,. He walked up to the easel and, salvaging as much of the untainted colors as he could, painted in a sparkly-eyed blond figure beside Lili's drawing of him.
"There! Now it is a` done." He said proudly, stepping back to reveal his addition to the painting.
Lili smiled a huge smile and hugged him tightly.
"It's perfect thank you!" She said quickly, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
And Italy smiled and hugged her, smiling the biggest smile he thought he'd ever smiled.