BOOM!

A strike of thunder causes the villa to shake, surprising Antonio out of his trance. He rubs his eyes as he takes a break from reading some report to tiredly look out the window. Through the stained glass, he sees and hears the rain harshly pelt the glass, creating a pitter-patter sound. A flash of lightning lights up the room and is followed by another earthshaking sound from the thunder. This storm has been going on for hours now and it doesn't look like it's letting up anytime soon...and that pile of reports isn't going to go away either.

Antonio groans as his eyes fall upon that pile of reports. Over the past few hours that Antonio has been reviewing them, the pile seems to never shrink, while his attention span is. He gets up and stretches his stiff muscles. "Ah, Dios mio, I'm getting old," he says as his joints pop. He lets out a groan while stretching his back. Following his groan is the sound of thunder and then the sound of something slamming shut. Antonio straightens up and listens intently.

BOOM!

Thump.

"Huh? That's odd…" he mumbles while walking out of his office to find the source of the noise. The empty marble halls echo with the sound of his footfalls as he heads to check on the small nation that has been under his care for a few months now. And what those few months have turned out to be.

Out of the two Italian brothers, he managed to get the lazier one. Romano doesn't clean the messes he makes and when he does, he only further makes a mess. All he does is eat Antonio's tomatoes, pizza, and spaghetti. And he mustn't forget how Lovino sleeps all day long. He is absolutely useless. Antonio even went to Austria to trade the Italies for a few days. That's how bad Romano is.

But…Romano…Lovino is precious to Antonio. If he didn't have Lovino, he would have no idea what to do with himself. Even though Lovino is a lot of work, it's worth it to see him smile. The smile that rarely comes out. The smile that brightens even the darkest of days for Antonio. And if Antonio were given the choice to return or keep Lovino, he wouldn't hesitate to keep the small boy.

A smile comes to Antonio's face as he thinks of the small boy. His smile brightens as he sees one of the house workers walking towards him with a basket of linens. "Hola, Señora María, how are you tonight?" The middle-aged woman sends the master of the house a small smile which accentuates the crow's feet around her warm eyes.

"Hola, Señor Carriedo. Bueno, bueno. Although, this weather is making my old joints ache. Did you hear that noise though?" Her expression turns to one of worry as she mentions the noise that he heard. His face becomes serious as he nods to her.

"Sí. I was on my way to check on Lovino. Do you know what that noise was?"

"No. I was hoping you knew. Anyway, I need to go and bring these to the guest room. Buenas noches," she responds, walking away to the guest room. Antonio responds with a farewell before briskly walking to Lovino's room.

When Antonio arrives at Lovino's door, he notices it is closed. He approaches the door quietly, just in case the small nation is sleeping (It is almost midnight, Antonio reasons). Softly, he knocks at the door, gently saying, "Eh, Lovinito? Is everything okay in there?" When he receives no answer, Antonio just shrugs and turns to walk away when the thunder roars again.

BOOM!

Instead of a thump like he heard before, Antonio hears a faint whimper coming from the small nation's room. Worry and concern overtake Antonio as he gently opens the door.

The room is pitch black, causing Antonio to cautiously walk into the room, hoping to not trip over any stray toys from the young boy. When Antonio is grasping at the desk in the room, the room is illuminated by a strike of lightning.

In those brief moments, Antonio catches a glimpse of the room. There is no small child shape in the bed, or anywhere in the room. However, in his search for Lovino, his eyes are drawn to the wardrobe on the opposite side of the room. Normally, it is closed shut. The only time it is open is during the winter months when Antonio can access the coats for Lovino or himself. Seeing as it just entered the warmer, summer months, there is no reason for it to be open.

Quickly and quietly, Antonio rushes over to the slightly ajar wardrobe. Right as he yanks the door open, another flash of lightning illuminates the room. The light allows him to see into the wardrobe and under the racks of coats.

At the bottom of the wardrobe is a familiar small silhouette huddled under one of the thick wool blankets for winter. As the thunder sounds, the silhouette lets out a cry and buries itself deeper into the blanket. Whimpers follow the cry.

A tiny smile is on Antonio's face as he gazes down on the dark splotch of blanket and Lovino. He squats down next to Lovino and pulls down the blanket. Tear filled and fear filled hazel eyes look up into Antonio's emerald green eyes. Lovino's lip quivers before he attempts to give a menacing glare at the Spaniard.

"W-What the hell do you want, t-tomato bastard?" Lovino shakily says. Antonio internally smirks as Lovino tries to put out on a strong front.

"Are you okay, Lovi-" Antonio is cut off by another flash of lightning and crash of thunder. The loud noise frightens Lovino, who launches himself at Antonio. Antonio stumbles back with the small boy in his arms. Lovino buries his head in Antonio's shirt, wiping snot and tears in the silk fabric. Small olive colored hands fist the fabric tightly. Antonio smiles down at the frightened child. His own tan arms wrap around the small child, holding him close to his chest. He stands up and starts rocking the child.

"Sh, it's okay, mi Lovi. It's only a little bit of thunder," Antonio whispers, trying to soothe the poor child. Lovino looks up at Antonio with tear filled eyes and a scowl on his face.

"I know, you b-bastard! And I'm not crying!" he says, sniffling. Another crash of thunder causes Lovi to bury his head back into Antonio's shirt with a cry. Antonio starts to walk to his room which is across the hall. Lovino doesn't notice and only wraps his tiny arms around Antonio's neck and buries his head in the crook of Antonio's neck.

Pushing his door open with his knee, Antonio enters and heads to his king sized bed. He lays the small nation down on the silk covers and quickly strips down and pulls on his night pants. He lays himself down next to the small child, who puts himself in Antonio's arm. Quiet cries and whimpers escape from Lovino's mouth as another boom sounds through the room. Wet drops land on Antonio's bare chest and he looks down at the small child in the darkness.

"You know, Lovi, it's okay to be scared sometimes. I know I'm scared sometimes." The boy looks up at Antonio's words with a quizzical look on his face.

"What scares you, bastard?"

"Losing you. It scares me…because I love you so much, Lovi~" That response causes Antonio to get a head butt to the stomach.

"S-Shut up, you stupid bastard. J-Just go to sleep!" Antonio once again smiles down at the child in his arms. Lovino's eye droops as he tightens his grip on Antonio's neck. The thunder sounds again, but this time Lovino doesn't move an inch. A slight snore escapes from his lips and he snuggles closer to the warmth of Antonio. Antonio's smile just gets bigger.

"It's okay to be scared of thunder, my Lovi. You'll always have a safe place to hide. I'll always be here for you, no matter what. I love you, mi tomatito. Buenas noches." Antonio kisses the top of Lovino's head before falling asleep too.


Sorry for any mistakes in the Spanish. I only speak 1 language fluently and that is English.

Please R/R! It would be highly appreciated!

Also, special thanks to TOWTLS for reviewing this before hand!