You can guess what this is based on.
Austria/Prussia if you paint the fic purple and stand on your head. I don't like the pairing anyway. Comments welcome!
~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~
Chibitalia and the Lion
Straightening his skirts, Italy grabbed his broom, bucket, and mop from the shed, narrowly avoiding being hit on the head by a clay pot that fell from a high shelf. The boy squeaked in surprise as it shattered on the ground. He took no time to calm himself, and hurried to begin his chores; Austria would not tolerate laziness. And with so much work to be done, there was no time to waste being idle. He had spent long enough with his indoor chores: sweeping the floor, cleaning the furniture, helping Hungary prepare lunch. He smiled, remembering the sweets she gave to him when Austria wasn't looking. But now, he had to finish tidying the grounds of the Holy Roman house before night fell. Italy looked up at the sky and noted the evening light already nearing sunset.
Dragging the broom past a decorated gate to the courtyard, Italy hummed a beloved tune he knew from his grandfather. At least he could freely sing outside, where Austria would not scold him for being disruptive. He swept stray leaves away from the stone tiles and gathered up handfuls of sticks that had fallen in the previous night's storm. This task occupied him enough that he didn't notice the gold shape approaching from behind.
A soft damp nose nudged against his back, and the boy turned with a soft cry of surprise. He saw a large tawny lion standing behind him, tiny burrs tangled into its mane, and a paw held curled above the ground. Italy noticed this quickly.
"Hmm? Are you hurt, kitty?" he lifted the cat's heavy paw in his hands, seeing thorns embedded in the soft pad. The lion growled softly at the irritation, but as the boy removed the painful thorns this sound quickly turned to a quiet purring. It snuggled its head against Italy, who stroked its mane before pushing the cat aside.
"I still have to work, kitty. Just wait a little bit..."
He quickly swept the last of the leaves and twigs aside. After allowing the lion to snuggle a bit more, he looked into its face kindly, as Grandpa Rome would do before sending the boy off to bed. "Now then, kitty, we need to sleep. The sky's all dark, and that means it's bedtime! Austria will get mad if you come inside, but I'll get you a nice warm blanket, okay?"
~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~
Back inside the house, Italy opened the closet to retrieve the promised item. He had barely touched a single sheet when he was harshly interrupted.
"Italia! What do you think you're doing?" Austria roared from the hall, "I don't believe your assignments include this. Are you stealing again?"
"What! No..." Italy tried not to burst into tears. "I need a blanket for the lion!"
"For the lion? Don't tell stories!"
"But it's true! The lion's outside, and I told him I'd get a blanket! I have to help the lion!"
"Don't lie!" Austria said, sharply and unkindly. He lifted Italy by the back of his dress.
"But it's true! I have to help the lion!"
"Italia! You'll have to stay outside tonight if you keep lying about trying to steal from the house!"
"I'm not lying!" The boy was crying now, caught between keeping his promise to the strange lion and avoiding Austria's anger.
"That's it! Children will behave in this house! Get out!" He let go of Italy's ruffled dress, and the boy fell to the floor. Italy ran sobbing from the room.
~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~
Italy fled across the grass, and buried his face in the lion's mane, still sobbing.
"He's so mean, kitty!" The lion's rumbling purr comforted the boy, whose tears soon faded. But as the sky grew blacker, he began to cry again.
"It's all dark! And the monsters live in the dark!" He calmed, however, when a nudge from the lion's nose convinced him that this feline companion would scare off any monsters.
Italy soon fell asleep, curled between the cat's paws.
He woke early in the morning, when the lion's soft paws abruptly shifted from their place under his head. The lion rose to its four paws as Italy noticed the sound of a horse nearby.
"Austria! I will defeat you today, and that girl!" Prussia's voice, Italy knew. Austria's response seemed irritated yet nervous.
"Yes, you've said that several times already. You seem to enjoy the drama."
The lion growled softly, and Italy followed it as the cat approached the voices. Prussia sat atop a white warhorse, its harness decorated with the avian emblem. He was clearly intending an invasion or at least a battle; he was currently waving a black spear at Austria in a vaguely threatening manner.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, it seems you are more interested in the apparent glory of attacking me than in actually carrying out such an act."
Why, thought Italy, did Austria dare insult the clearly stronger invading nation? Prussia seemed to deem that statement the end of their discussion, and struck at Austria with the spear, knocking him to the ground. He led the horse closer as he prepared for another attack.
At this, the lion growled fiercely and leapt out into the open. The two nations looked on in surprise as it paced back and forth, staring at Prussia. The horse backed away with sounds of fear, despite Prussia's efforts to keep in one place. But a moment later the lion leapt at Prussia, claws outstretched. At this the attacking nation and his steed ran, abandoning thoughts of conquest.
After a few moments of shocked silence, Italy approached the lion.
"You're a scary kitty. But I think you're trying to help..."
He heard a chuckle behind him. "Italy? Is this the lion you were telling me about?"
"Yes! He's a big kitty, isn't he?"
"Then... I suppose I must apologize to you, Italy. The lion is most definitely real, and has protected the house from battle. I was wrong to send you out and assume you were lying."
"Hmm? That's all right. Kitty snuggled with me during the night."
Austria smiled. "And because you've been so well-behaved recently, we will be having pasta tonight. I don't expect you to complain."
Italy smiled widely. "Did you hear that, kitty? Pasta!"