Quick little one-shot about Romano thanking Spain for taking care of him.


Romano took a step out the front door of Spain's villa and set his two suit cases down on the ground. Feeling eyes on his back, he turned around. Spain was standing in the doorway with a sad expression on his face.

'It doesn't suit him,' Romano noted rather melancholy.

It wasn't as though Spain didn't know this day would come. He knew that one day, his little tomato would declare his independence and leave. It wasn't the first time this had ever happened and it certainly wouldn't be the last. That English bastard went to war with his colony because he didn't want him to leave. And as much as Spain didn't want Romano to go, as much as Spain wanted to grab Romano and pull him close to his chest and just hold him until the end of time so that they would never be alone, he would rather Romano be happy. Besides, if he let Romano leave on good terms, then maybe Romano would be willing to come back and spend time with him.

But that still didn't mean that Spain was happy that Romano was leaving. Spain stood a measly 3 feet away from Romano. It was such a small distance yet to Spain, it was entirely too long. After so many centuries of taking care of and living with the Italian, Spain had come accustomed to having someone else to think about, another person, who wasn't a maid or a servant, who was waiting at home for Spain to return from his pirating journeys. Romano had, unintentionally, changed Spain from the fierce and dangerous pirate into the smilely, loving, and caring man his is today. Just by being his cute little self, Romano had saved Spain from turning into a monster.

And now, his little Romano isn't so little anymore.

"Spain?"

"Sí, mi romanito?"

Romano looked down for a second and brought his head back up. "I just wanted to say… thank you."

Spain gave Romano a confused look.

A small smile appeared on Romano's face. It wasn't a cold smile or a sarcastic smirk. It was a genuine smile that reached his eyes and told Spain that he was speaking truthfully from the heart.

"I know these last few centuries may have tough on you. Seeing as how I'm not the easiest person to live with or talk to or the easiest anything, really." Spain made a motion to argue with Romano, but Romano held up his hand, signalling Spain to stop talking and just listen. "It really means a lot to me that you took me in when no one else would even give me a second glance. When the rest of the world spit me out and laughed in my face, you gave me a home. Before you came along, I didn't know what it meant to have a place where I felt safe and happy. First I was abandoned by Rome, when he took Veneziano away with him and left me behind to be kicked around and beat up by the other countries. I didn't have anyone to protect me And when I finally escaped, I didn't have anyone to clean up my cuts and tell me everything would be okay. I didn't have anyone to hold me and wipe away my tears. I was so alone, so scared, and couldn't trust anyone anymore. My whole life, people had been telling me that I was useless, pathetic, and a complete waste of a country. After a while, once I realised no one would be coming to save me, I really started to believe that I was useless, pathetic, and a waste…" Romano's voice trailed off. "Sometimes, I wondered what would happen if I ended my life. What would happen to my people… would anyone even realise I was gone…would anyone care… I wanted to say that there was at least one person who would care, but deep down, I knew there wasn't. Not even my own fucking family." Spain felt his heart crack as he watched a lone tear make it's way down Romano's cheek.

"Then Rome fell, God I couldn't have been happier, and me and Veneziano were forced to live with that bastard Austria. I thought me and Veneziano could be a family. But I soon realised that I had no idea what a real family was. Veneziano was used to being loved. I was used to being treated like dirt. I did one wrong thing and then Austria kicked me out. If you hadn't come along, I been forced to live in the streets again. I would've been all alone to struggle in the streets like the scum I thought I was." Spain knew that Romano had had a hard life before he came to live with him, but he had no idea just how bad it really was. Hearing his life story now was absolutely heartbreaking. How on earth anyone could have treated a small child in such a way was beyond Spain. No, Romano was not the easiest child to live with and raise. And yes, sometimes Spain had wondered what he had gotten himself into. But in the end, it was all worth it. Spain realised just how special Romano was and according to Romano's life story, Spain was the only person. No one else knew that Romano had been a trillion dollar diamond in the rough when he was a child.

"If it hadn't been for you, Antonio, South Italy would have crumbled and I wouldn't be here today. You took care of me and fed me. If I got hurt, you bandaged me up and kissed it better. If I cried, you hugged me and tried to cheer me up. You chased away my nightmares and surrounded me with smiles and hugs. You gave me a house that kept me warm in the winter and kept me cool during the summer. You taught me how to cook and garden." Romano quietly laughed. "It's because of you that I love tomatoes so much." Spain wanted to laugh, but happiness seemed so far away.

"From the bottom of my heart, thank you Antonio."

"Lovino…"

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course."

"Te quiero, Antonio."

"Io ti amerò sempre, Lovino."


I figured it would mean more to them if they said 'I love you' in the other's language.