Set before Italy met Germany, and a bit before he and Romano were unified.
This is just kind of a headcannon, but pretty widespread.
Meh, anyway, hope you enjoy, and thank you very much for reading this little fic!
I'll accept critique, so please rant away- just, please not anonymously, and please not just utterly bashing my writing, without any true criticism. That hurts feelings.
PLEASE REVIEW, though! You will make little old me very, very happy.
Oh, and I don't own any characters or anything like that, obviously, they're Himaruya's.
I'll shut up now. Enjoy!
People look at him often.
Closed eyes, cheerful grin, these are his trademarks, and so it's no surprise that everyone assumes that little Italy Veneziano is nothing but a ditz, a simpleton.
This couldn't be farther from the truth.
Sure, he wears a smile.
But has anyone ever bothered to look behind it?
His heart aches with one simple fact- a fact that haunts him, keeps him awake most nights in a week, makes tears come to his eyes whenever Mr. Austria asks him to clean up nowadays and he sweeps, because he remembers.
He once had a nice little push broom, made out of what was surely fine wood- Mr. Austria would accept no less- and he would use it every day, cleaning the pretty wood floors and the elaborately tiled ones with all the pretty colors...
He loved that broom.
But he loved the strange boy who lived in his house so, so much more.
And when the boy went away, little Italy with tears in his eyes ran and gave the boy his first kiss and his push broom.
And little Italy waited and waited, every single day drawing a picture, or writing a letter, for his love, and sending it away with the messengers.
Never did he receive one from the boy.
Never did he receive word about the boy.
Never did he see his boy again.
That is, never physically. But the dreams haven't stopped. His image has not been forgotten. No.
His image is etched in Italy's memories for eternity.
It's a never-ending, never-healing scar on his heart, irreparable and everlasting.
Brokenness is usually not something associated with a smile.
And yet that- that very thing- is what hides behind the expression on Italy's face.
It's all that keeps him from the pain tearing him apart.
All it ever will.
Okay, hope you liked, please review, if I'm not lazy there'll be a sequel. ^_^
~wbm