Spain's Failure
A Chandlure Trainez One-Shot
Spain had tried his hardest, but in the end, he failed Romano.
They crept through the gates leading to Austria's mansion on foot. Spain carried a small bag with Romano's belongings in it. Only the bare necessities, as Romano refused to take anything with him that Spain had gotten him over the last several centuries.
Romano wouldn't speak to him. He wouldn't even look at him. Instead, the boy kept his head towards the ground, his bangs caressing his cheeks, his arms wrapped tightly around his middle as he walked, stumbling over the uneven ground beneath his tiny feet.
"Romano…"
"..." Romano quickened his stride, stopping only when he tripped before the steps of Austria's home. "Ahi." He sat back on his legs, looking down at his ruined outfit and bloodied hands.
"Romano, por favor…." Spain kneeled and offered his hand to the fallen boy. "I don't want to say goodbye on these terms, Mi Pequeño Tomate." It's breaking my heart.
Romano slapped his hand away and stood on his own, brushing off his clothes and hands. He stormed up the steps, stopping at the top and glaring down at the man. "Just go. You're happy this is happening, Tomato Bastard. So just leave!"
The door to the mansion opened, revealing Austria. Veneziano was there, dusting off a bookshelf in the back of the room. Prussia could be seen sitting on the couch through the window, reading with a glass of wine and Gilbird nestled into his hair.
"Romano, velcome," Austria said, watching the scene at his front door with a raised eyebrow. "I thought I heard your dulcet tones." Then, he looked down the steps to Spain, "I trust your trip vas vell, Antonio."
Spain sneered at Austria before taking the steps two at a time and grabbing Romano before he stormed into the mansion. "Romano! Please listen to me."
Romano clenched his hands at his side and turned, glaring at Spain through the tears clouding his eyes. "Leave me alone! I hate you! Just go back to Spain, you bastard!"
Spain sucked in a pained breath. "Romano, you don't mean that."
"No! I hate you, and I hope I never have to see you again!" He turned away from Spain, hiding the tears as they fell down his cheeks. He bit his lip, trying to keep the sobs from bubbling up his throat. He could feel Veneziano's eyes on him, and he felt a spark of resentment boiling in his stomach. If he had just been more like his perfect little brother, maybe...
Spain gave a shaky breath and handed off Romano's bag to Austria before kneeling and hugging Romano tightly from behind, hiding his face in the boy's shoulder. "Te amo, Romano. I have to leave you with Austria, but it's not because I don't want you. When you are ready to talk to me, please write. I promise I will answer." He pressed a kiss to Romano's cheek before he stood up and walked out the door. He stopped at the top step, looking out at the courtyard as he addressed Austria.
"Take good care of him, Roderick. Mi Tomate is a good boy, he's been hurt a lot and has a hard time with people, but he tries so hard."
"I vill. Auf Wiedersehen, Antonio."
Spain shoved his hands into his front pockets and began to walk down the steps, his heart tightening the further he got away from Romano. Tears swam in his own eyes as anger began to fill his blood. He was angry at himself, losing Romano the way he had. If only he had been stronger, maybe then-"
"SPAIN!"
Spain turned at Romano's pained cry, his heart twisting in his chest as he watched the small boy fight against Austria to get to him. "SPAIN, I WANT SPAIN! LET ME GO, YOU BASTARD. I WANT SPAIN, NOT YOU!" Romano kicked and screamed, shoving himself back into Austria, where the nation had him in a hold, his tiny arms shoved under his armpits to keep him from punching Austria in the face.
"SPAIN, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! I'LL BE GOOD, I SWEAR, PLEASE TAKE ME HOME. PLEASE, ANTONIO, I WANT TO GO HOME!" Romano cried desperately. He coughed on his sobs as he struggled against Austria's hold. "LET ME GO, YOU BASTARD. LET ME GO! LET ME GO! LET ME GO!"
The high-pitched screams stabbed through Spain's body like a rusted sword, twisting with every sob that left Romano's mouth.
"PLEASE, SPAIN. I'LL COOK AND CLEAN AND I'LL STOP CALLING YOU BASTARDO- I'LL BE JUST LIKE VENEZIANO, JUST PLEASE TAKE ME HOME! PLEASE SPAIN! I WANT TO GO HOME." Romano fell to the floor as he struggled for breath, tears, and snot dripping down his face.
"Fratello, please don't cry!" Veneziano had dropped the cloth he had been cleaning with and was kneeling beside Romano and Austria, his hands reaching out to touch Romano's arm. "It'll be okay. Big brother Austria isn't too mean, and there is a lot of food that you can steal, and you can paint in your free time…."
Spain screwed his eyes shut, forcing down the tears welling in his eyes. He wouldn't cry in front of Romano. He had to remain strong for him. The best thing to do was turn around and walk away from Romano. Veneziano and Austria would be there for him. He needed to leave and create closure for Romano.
"Romano! Get back here. That's an order!" Austria commanded, his voice carrying across the courtyard, but Romano did not listen. As soon as he was out of Austria's arms, he ran full speed towards Spain, tripping over his dress and rolling down the last steps leading up to the porch.
"Fratello!" Veneziano gasped, covering his mouth with his hands as he watched in horror as his brother fell down the steps.
"Romano!" Spain's eyes widened when the boy landed face first in the mud and hadn't moved. He began to run towards him, stopping only when one of the guards grabbed the small boy, roughly pulling him up to his feet. "Be careful with him! He's just a child!"
Romano was covered in mud, and bleeding from his nose and a cut on his forehead. He struggled against the guard's hold, spitting blood at the man when he tried to pull Romano up the stairs.
"SPAIN!" Romano's devastated cry filled the air as he pulled against the man's strong hands, kicking and biting him to try and force the man to let him go. "LET ME GO, YOU BASTARD. YOU'RE HURTING ME. LET ME GO. I WANT SPAIN!"
"Let him go. You're hurting him!" Spain snarled. When the guard made no move to listen to him, he clenched his fists and glared at his husband, bloodlust in his eyes.
"Roderick! If you, or any of your people, harm one hair on Romano's head, I will not hesitate to wipe you off the map, union or not. Unhand him, now." Austria could almost see the battle-ax appearing in his husband's hands. There was no doubt in his mind that Spain would burn his mansion to the ground while laughing and skipping merrily around the ashes before taking out any village within a fifty-mile radius; there was no reasoning with him once the man blacked out.
"Let the boy go," Austria commanded.
The guard dropped Romano to the floor, and he scrambled over to Spain, holding his arms out so that Spain could pull him into his chest. "Romano! Shh, España te tiene."
He rocked the boy in his arms, allowing him to sob into his shoulder. "Shh, España te tiene. Deja de llorar, mi tomate."
Romano had nuzzled into the crook of his neck and sniffled."I want to go home, please. I'll be good, I swear." His voice was raw and weak from all the screaming and crying he had done. Romano could do nothing more than let Spain hold him, clenching the man's shirt in his fist. His head swam, and he wanted nothing more to be back in his bed, Spain laying beside him as he told him stories of his adventures.
"Oh, Romano," Spain's voice cracked as he rubbed his cheek against the top of Romano's head. "I want nothing more than for you to come home with me." Spain swallowed heavily against the painful lump in his throat. "This isn't about you, Romano. You are such a good boy. I see how much you try, and I know you are doing your best. I failed you, not the other way around. Please, never doubt that."
"Then why does it feel like I failed?" Romano asked softly, closing his eyes as Spain held him tighter.
o0o
It was almost an hour later before Spain could place Romano in his bed beside Veneziano's. The boy had fallen asleep in his arms and would whimper whenever Spain tried to place him down.
He tucked the blankets up to Romano's chin and ran his fingers through the boy's unruly hair. Spain stayed and watched Romano, for several long minutes, before reaching behind his neck and taking off the cross he always wore. He leaned down and gently did the clasp around Romano's neck and pressed a kiss against his forehead. "Adiós, Mi Tomate. Te amo."
When the heavy wooden door fell closed, Spain collapsed. He covered his mouth as loud sobs escaped, tears falling freely from his eyes.
Austria's study door opened across the corridor, but Spain didn't move, even when two strong arms wrapped around him. "I vill keep him safe," Austria murmured into his husband's ear. Spain rested his head on Austria's shoulder, allowing more tears to fall while he clenched his hands into the back of Austria's jacket, twisting the material as he sobbed into his shoulder.
"Gracias…."
Blooper
"Can you stay with me, just until I fall asleep?"
Spain had never seen Romano like this before. Where he usually pushed people away, he was being downright clingy, not letting go of whatever part of Spain he could get into his tiny little fists.
"Si, Mi Tomate. I can stay until you sleep."
Sleep didn't come easy, and after an hour of Romano laying on Spain's chest, he lifted his head to study the man below him.
"What is it, Romano?"
"Why can't I stay with you? Austria doesn't even want me; he only cares about Feliciano." Everyone only cares about Feliciano.
"It was not our decision, but our leaders, Mi Tomate."
"But we are personifications of nations, isn't what we want worth anything?"
Spain sighed heavily through his nose and rubbed a hand over Romano's back. "It's worth a lot, Romano. But sometimes the needs of our countries have to take precedent over our wants." He sat up and pulled Romano up to sit in his lap. "If I had to lose you to someone, Austria isn't a horrible nation to lose you to."
"You hate Austria."
Spain smiled sadly and touched Romano's nose with the tip of his finger. "I've been married to him for quite a while, Romano. We might not see eye to eye, but I don't hate him, and I know he will take good care of you."
"He got rid of me. He threw me away as Grandpa Rome did. Both of them only wanted Veneziano. I'm not good enough. I always screw everything up. Everyone hates me. How can I stay somewhere where I'm not wanted?!"
"Romano-"
Romano slipped out of his arms and hid behind his back as the door to the bedroom creaked open. Spain tensed, only relaxing when he saw Prussia peek his head through. He motioned for his friend to come over.
Prussia closed the door behind himself and knelt beside the bed, holding his hand out to Romano. "Romano, do you remember me?"
"Potato Bastard."
Spain bit his lip to keep the grin off of his face. "This is Prussia."
"That's what I said, Potato Bastard."
Prussia fought to keep the kind smile on his face, "Yes, good you remember me. I am good friends vith Spain-"
"If getting blackout drunk and vomiting all over the dancehall with Wine Bastard counts as being a good friend."
Prussia gave Spain a pained look.
It's my first Hetalia fic! This is both an exciting and nerve-wracking experience.
What did you guys think?
Keep it classy, make good choices and I hope to see you soon!
Chandlure