A/N: So I was on tumblr and someone posted that they wanted a story where Spain gives Romano notes when he's sad to cheer him up. And I thought it was adorable so I did my take on it. So, if the author of that text post sees this, I hope you like this.

Also, the story breaks are song lyrics. It made sense at the time.

Feel more than free to completely ignore the songs. The point is Spain is being a cute nerd, not the music itself.


Lovino Smiles


In the two months they had been dating Antonio had decided the best thing he had ever seen was Lovino's smile. It was beautiful and rare and it made him feel warm inside, as if he just drank the sweetest hot chocolate in the universe.

The problem was that lately Lovino's smiles became rarer, to the point his eyes lost their sparkle and fake smiles looked pained. It was a mystery what was hurting the poor tanned boy so deeply but Antonio resolved to bring his smiles back and hopefully uncover the root of the problem.

It was in their shared World History class that it struck the Spanish teen what to do and, as the monotonous teacher droned on about trench foot, he struck. Lovino had been more spacey than usual, chin in hand as he stared blankly at his textbook turned to the wrong page. Antonio ripped the corner from his note sheet, quickly scribbled on it with his pen, and folded it up before sticking it in the hood of his boyfriend's sweatshirt.

He watched the back of Lovino's head as the boy straightened up in his seat, moving one hand to awkwardly retrieve the paper. A glance up told him the coast was clear, their teacher scribbling on the board with a lack of interest himself.

Lovino cocked his head at the note. He expected the usual sappy and nonsensical kind of love letter Antonio was constantly writing, something with a cheery cartoon and hearts and a Spanish phrase even though he always yelled at him to learn Italian.

Instead were a few words, like a reminder: "A Lack of Color" – Death Cab for Cutie

He turned back and Antonio swore he felt himself swoon at the adorably confused look on his boyfriend's face. He leaned forward, whispering, "Google it."

Class continued on as usual, Lovino noticeably more awake than before, eyeing the little note and wondering what the hell that idiot was up to this time. Soon class was over and the boys were on their way home, Lovino heading straight to his room and pulling up his laptop.

"A song?" he asked no one. "The fuck does he want me to listen to a song for?" A couple clicks later and he was on YouTube, listening to whatever Antonio had wanted him to hear in class. A smile tugged at his lips and he put his palm to his face, a force of habit to hide the growing blush only Antonio could influence.


~If you feel discouraged - That there's a lack of color here - Please don't worry lover - It's really bursting at the seams~


Antonio was growing concerned with how moody Lovino was. Not that moody was bad, or unusual, it was just… new to see him act so devoid of life rather than pissed at everyone and everything.

He saw his lover in the halls between classes and noticed the teen ignoring the fawning freshmen girls instead of the usual flirty winking, lifelessly pulling binders from his locker. He didn't notice the Spaniard approaching him and turned on his heel and into a nearby classroom, one Antonio didn't share. Never one to be deterred Antonio instead made a beeline for the locker, borrowing a sticky-note and leaving a new note inside the metal door: "Closer" – Tegan and Sara

Antonio was pleased to receive a text after school from the sad little Italian calling him a lovesick dumbass. Of course, he just had to reply, "But Lovi, all I want to get is a little bit closer!"

The rest of that week went better. Lovino's smile was returning, even if it only appeared when he'd catch Antonio passing him another note. It was the sweetest sight the older teen had ever seen and he felt thankful that he was the one who could make the boy so bashful and so cute.


~I want you close, I want you - I won't treat you like you're typical - I want you close, I want you - I won't treat you like you're typical~


The pouring rain cancelled their outdoor PE class, leaving the group of teenagers in an empty classroom doing homework while the gym coach pretended to be busy on the chunky classroom computer. It was the beginning of the day and already Lovino looked so down! It was heartbreaking to see him like this—of course Antonio was very protective of him and if he had his way they would always be cuddling and hugging and smiling.

It caught the Italian off-guard when his boyfriend tapped an iPod down on his desk and offered up a pair of worn headphones. "Sorry, Lovi, I didn't bring any paper. No note today." He smiled and watched Lovino slowly raise the earbuds to his head. His face grew red and Antonio knew it was working. Lovino thumbed at the iPod button, lighting the screen, seeing the cover art overtake the screen with the smaller words next to it: "Still Into You" – Paramore

He spent the rest of that class pretending to sleep, hiding his face in his folded arms, listening to the playlist of cheery and lovey songs his boyfriend had compiled just for him.


~I should be over all the butterflies - But I'm into you - And baby even on our worst nights - I'm into you - Let them wonder how we got this far - Cause I don't really need to wonder at all - Yeah after all this time - I'm still into you~


"You know, Lovi, you can tell me anything."

Lovino sighed and leaned into the hand that was running through his hair. The two were laying together on the Italian's bed, having just had a rather intense make-out session until his grandfather came knocking on the door and asking if he needed anything; food, water, condoms…

Way to kill the mood, Grandpa.

The Italian batted his eyelashes and put on an innocent face that could make him arguably cuter than his brother. "I don't know why you're so worked up, Toni. Nothing to talk about."

Antonio had to use sheer will power not to give into that face and those lashes and those sparkling green eyes—NO. NOT TODAY, I NEED TO BE STRONG, he told himself. And, against his greatest desire to cuddle the adorable, adorable boy, he retracted his hand and did his best to put on a serious expression.

"Lovino."

"Antonio."

"I know when something's wrong. Now tell me: what's been bothering you?"

Lovino huffed and turned away, his back facing Antonio, who in turn grabbed his waist and pulled him to his chest and breathed into his soft hair.

"Don't play dumb," he said lowly. "You haven't flirted with the freshmen and you're so spaced out in class that I have to tell you when it's over half the time."

After a few minutes of silence, in which Antonio didn't know if Lovino was even still awake, the smaller boy stirred and sighed as he tried to gather his thoughts. "It's just… I…" He stumbled over his words and Antonio gently nudged his head with his nose to continue. "I just… I don't know what the fuck I'm doing."

"Qué?"

"English, you jerk bastard. And I mean… fuck…"

"Do you want to break up?"

Lovino jerked from the hold he was in and sat up partially, staring wide-eyed at his boyfriend. "What? No! Of course not! Unless you're trying to break up with me, in which case, fuck you!"

Antonio laughed and pulled Lovino back down, kissing his lightly and holding him close. "Of course I don't want to break up. I love you too much, mi tomate. I thought the songs would have illustrated that."

The Italian gently rubbed his head against Antonio's chest and inhaled the scent of his cologne. "It's my parents," he admitted. "They want to come back and be in me and Feli's life. I don't want them back, I don't want them anywhere near us, but they're my parents, and I don't… I don't know what to do."

Antonio rubbed his back. "Don't let them back in. If they make you this upset they're not worth it. And from what you told me about them, I don't think I'd be able to control myself if I ever saw them."

"You wouldn't fight my parents," Lovino laughed. "I've never seen you get mad."

"Hey, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

"So you'd email them a week in advance? I bet you'd send a picture of yourself and a detailed explanation where you'd mug them and how you'd do it."

Antonio laughed again. "There's my sassy little Lovi. Honestly, I would fight every parent in the world for you."

"Not every parent abandoned their kids for a new life back in Italy."

The room felt colder and darker. They couldn't laugh this off, not when this had been bothering Lovino for weeks. This ran deeper than a simple fight or refusal.

"Nonno wants me and Feli to decide if they come back. He's our guardian but we're almost eighteen and he thinks we should decide if we even give those bastards the time of day. Feli's even more confused than I am," he admitted.

"Do what makes you happiest," Antonio said. "That's what I would do."

Lovino nodded and yawned. The two picked up the fallen blankets and Antonio felt grateful for this moment, a rare point in time when Lovino relented and allowed the imminent cuddling. Before they went to sleep, Lovino already dozing in and out, Antonio reached for his phone and tapped on it for some music to play. There was no way he'd let such a sweet moment pass without a song for Lovino to blush at whenever he would hear it again. And as he settled back down and wrapped his arms back around his lithe lover, he could swear he heard a mumbled "Ti amo."


~Hey moon, please forget to fall down - Hey moon, don't you go down - You are at the top of my lungs - Drawn to the ones who never yawn~


A/N: I needed some more fluff in my life. And, WOAH, no weird twist ending for once!

Spain's love playlist for Romano include:

"A Lack of Color" by Death Cab for Cutie

"Closer" by Tegan and Sara

"Still Into You" by Paramore

"Northern Downpour" by Panic! At the Disco