Attention readers and reviewers...you are all awesome! That is all :)

Sorry about the delay. I got sick for a while and then right after school was like, 'hey, no relaxation for you, it's time for essays, projects, and finals! Oh, and I know how much you LOVE presentations so I'll give you one of those! Good luck with the whole anxiety over public speaking thing!' -_-

Off topic thing to mention, but I'm actually sort of pitting this story against my Criminal Minds fic, "Lay Our Souls to Waste." They both have similar amounts of favorites and alerts, so I can't help but regularly check to see if one is outperforming the other. So far, "Keepsakes" is ahead...for now X)

Now let's see what Spain's surprise is~

He has so outdone himself this time.

Spain couldn't seem to stop smiling as he led Lovi out of the hotel and through the streets of Leeds, England. Every fiber of his being ached to just blurt out the special surprise he's set up for his Roma, but he restrained himself, knowing that seeing the Italian react to it would be worth it. He was twitching with anticipation and the only thing that seemed to keep him grounded was holding onto Lovi's warm hand (which he was surprised that he was allowed to in the first place) as he pulled them closer to their destination.

The air around them was cool and fresh and the chilly breeze that whistled past them emphasized it. Though the sky was grey with multiple clouds shielding the sun like soldiers protecting a king, Spain noted that it couldn't have been a more perfect day to be out and about with his tomate. Well-dressed British people were heading to places all around them, speaking in those sophisticated accents of theirs, and paid no mind to the foreign nations.

Spain didn't really pay attention to them either since his focus was shifting between the road before him and the wonderful Italian next to him. He kept sneaking glances at Lovi, taking in his beautiful scowl and his glimmering hazel eyes that sparked with hidden curiosity, and had to hold back multiple, love-struck sighs. He wasn't sure what it was about Romano that captivated him so quickly and so profoundly, but it didn't matter; he was never one to question the mysterious, remarkable powers of Cupid. After all, they led him to his Roma.

Snapping out of his reverie when he spotted their destination a few feet ahead, Antonio bit back a squeal and quickened his steps. "Oooh~ we're almost there! Lovi, do me a favor and close your eyes~"

Roma scoffed and spat, "Why the hell would I do that?! How the hell do I know that you're not just going to mess with me?! What sort of trick are you going to pull, bastard?!"

The Spaniard laughed. "Nothing, I swear. I just don't want for you to see your surprise just yet~"

Glancing sideways at the Italian showed that he was contemplating it before he closed those dazzling hazel orbs of his. "Fine, but if you pull some funny shit on me then I won't hesitate to break your nose…and your balls."

Wincing slightly, Spain's chuckle came out a bit more nervous than it did before. "F-Fair enough." He quickly cleared his throat and his smile was placed back on full force. "It's just a bit further." He led them through a quaint little park with vibrant green grass and leaves, sturdy trees, a small playground, a couple of park benches, and a modest-sized lake gleaming majestically within its center.

Taking a moment to absorb the park's natural beauty, Antonio scanned the area and spotted his set-up, beaming with utter delight. "Oooh it's right up there, Lovi! Keep your eyes closed!"

Lovino snorted and muttered, "Like if I have a choice, you jerk."

Taking care not to mention that Roma could easily open his eyes (free will and all), Spain lightly chuckled and led them closer. He was delighted to see that his surprise hadn't been touched and that the nice elderly lady that he had asked to watch over it was still there, sitting idly on a nearby bench. When she spotted them, she smiled, and said something in English that Spain kind of sort of understood. In what very little English he knew, he thanked the woman and she wished him luck before leaving them alone.

Even with his eyes closed, Romano looked confused. "Who's here with us? Oi, tomato bastard! Who was that?! What the hell is going on?!"

Biting his lower lip in excitement while his heart raced, Spain bounced in place and chirped, "Are you ready for your surprise, Lovi~?"

"That doesn't answer my question, jerk!"

"Well, to be fair, you haven't answered mine either~" Spain bit back a coo when his Roma spluttered indignantly. "Oooh~ I can't take it, the suspense is killing me! Open your eyes!"

Lovino snorted and grumbled something unintelligibly before complying. Once he got a good look at the surprise, his hazel orbs widened. Antonio widely grinned and mentally congratulated himself for doing such a good job.

Positioned beneath some trees, just a few feet away from the lake, was a small table carpeted by a navy-blue cotton cloth. There were two chairs placed on either side of it, facing each other. On one side of the table was a plate of Spaghetti alla carbonara and on the other side was another plate of Ciceri e Tria, both having just been cooked and were steaming hot. Next to each plate were napkins, utensils, and a glass of red wine with the actual bottle placed in the middle of the table, right next to the pretty little violet vase holding a single red rose.

Romano's jaw dropped and his face held a stunning expression of shock. "Wh-What?"

"Surprise~" Spain led them over to the table so that his Roma could have a closer look.

"What's all this?"

"Well, I've been thinking about what to do for our second date for a while, and I eventually came up with this~" He made a sweeping gesture to indicate to the set-up. "I figured that since dinner for our first date was cut short, why not try again. Except this time there aren't any snooty waiters for me to run into." He chuckled heartily at the reminder.

Lovino was still in shock as he took in everything, his eyes drifting over the table and food. Giving him a chance to gaze over everything, Antonio mentally congratulated himself on doing such an excellent job. He had gotten the idea for this several days ago and had been waiting for the right moment to enact it. This meeting provided the perfect opportunity for Spain to be able to see Romano without his boss complaining about wasting time by not working; now that fuddy duddy can't say anything because he's technically working by actually attending the meeting.

The meeting earlier was interesting to say the least. Britain's unfair seating arrangements sat him away from Lovi and put the Italian next to Netherlands instead. That irked Spain beyond belief, especially when the Dutchman started talking to Roma when his tomate was supposed to be texting him. Feeling his stomach twist at how easily the two chatted, Spain did something he wasn't entirely proud of (yet totally didn't regret doing): he asked Prussia to do something about it.

After shooting a quick text to his amigo asking (okay, so maybe he begged) him to do something to separate his Roma and Netherlands, he watched to see what the ex-nation would do. Prussia was unsurprisingly game and had sent his cute little bird to smack into the Dutchman's glass of water so that it spilled all over him. Spain couldn't deny the jolt of satisfaction when Lars was embarrassed in front of all the other nations and was even more thrilled when he left the meeting. Though he knew it wasn't right of him, it was totally worth having the tulip-sniffing perro away from Lovino.

He should've known that his tomate was going to catch on to his little ploy. Luckily, the thought of a surprise managed to distract him from it. And now here they were, ready to have a nice lunch that Spain had spent a good portion of time on. Before he went to pick up Lovi, he set up the table and cooked their meals and left the set-up in the care of a nice English lady that was happy to keep an eye on it.

Antonio could only hope that Roma liked it.

At the moment, he couldn't really tell. The former colony was still looking at the luncheon with wide eyes, as if he couldn't believe it. Spain wasn't sure how to take that and could only wait.

After a while, Romano turned his attention onto him, his eyes still dilated. "Y-You…You did all this?"

Ah, so he was shocked. That's good, right? "Sí, I did."

"…When?"

"Sometime after the meeting while you were getting ready."

Romano made a light noise of understanding before going silent again as he looked back at the table. Spain watched him and found himself admiring the Italian. Lovi's hazel eyes were somewhat soft with disbelief and awe, and their glimmering hue made the natural beauty of the park look unimpressive and plain in comparison. His countenance was free of its usual scowl and its absence made a considerably remarkable difference in his face, making it seem lighter somehow. What really captured the Spaniard's attention though were his Roma's lips; they were a gentle pink, and the way they were slightly parted entranced Spain and drew him in, unconsciously having him lean closer to Romano…

"I'm actually surprised you were able to pull this off." Antonio blinked and hurriedly leaned back at the sound of his companion's voice. "It must've taken a while…and you can barely handle basic tasks, let alone anything complex." Spain smiled and held back a chuckle when Romano's tone changed from reflective to bitingly dry and how that last part was said hurriedly as if it were a last minute attachment.

"I'm surprised too to be honest," replied Spain as he made his way over and pulled out the chair for Romano, gesturing for him to sit. The Italian briefly hesitated before walking over and taking a seat. Spain pushed him in and then sat down in his spot. "I wanted the food to be perfect, but I only had so much time so you'll have to forgive me if it's not very good. Setting up the table and chairs was pretty simple—it took a while though—and all I needed was for someone to watch over it and make sure that nothing ruins it until I brought you over. Good thing that lady was nice enough to guard our stuff~"

Lovino nodded as Antonio quickly adjusted the rose. "Yeah, good thing." A multitude of emotions flickered within his eyes and Spain found himself drawn in to Romano's lips again, how they silently moved with wordless grace as he tried to find the right words on what he wanted to say next. "You went through a lot of trouble to set this up, didn't you, bastard?"

"No, not at all." Spain was quick to shake his head before he slowly stopped, considered a few things, and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I'll admit it took some work to get it all set up perfectly, but it wasn't any trouble." He smiled when he noticed the unconvinced expression on his date's face. "I mean it, it was no trouble at all. Don't worry, Lovi, I was happy to do this~"

Spain wasn't surprised when Roma's face turned red. "Who said that I was worried, asshat?! Why the hell would I even worry about stupid you?! I'm not worried and I don't give a flying fuck about what it was you had to do to set this up! Hell, I hope you got splinters from carrying the table or that you burned yourself while cooking!"

A warm chuckle vibrated from the Spaniard's chest despite his efforts to quell it. "Oh Lovi, you're so cute~ For the record though, I didn't burn myself…I nearly cut my thumb though if that counts. I don't think it does though. Anyways, I didn't get any splinters either. Good thing too because if I actually did, then that means that the table would've been cruddy and that it might've possibly broken while we were eating. That would've sucked."

Antonio happily smiled while Lovino watched him talk with a look of disbelief. The Italian eventually blinked into awareness and rolled his eyes, settling his expression back to its scowl before muttering something about an idiot.

His smile brightening like the rising sun, Spain grabbed his wine glass and lifted it. "Do you mind if I make a toast, Lovi~?"

Rolling his shoulder in a shrug, Romano grabbed his glass as well. "Don't let me stop you, jerk. Although if you mention anything about me being cute then I swear to god I will dump this wine all over your smiling face!" He glared as if to make his point.

Biting his lip to reign in a chuckle, Spain raised his glass slightly. "Alrighty then~ I'd just like to make a toast to this day, that we're able to have it all. I've been dying to have this second date with you, Lovi, and I love how it's going so perfectly so far. If anything, this wouldn't have all been possible if it hadn't been for you. You inspired me to create all this, to come up with it at all, and you're what's making it perfect all together~"

By the time Spain was wrapping up his toast, Romano was beginning to flush a light Autumn red, and his hazel orbs bashfully—bashfully—averted his gaze. Feeling rather proud of himself and invigorated by his Roma's beautiful reaction, Spain leaned forward and watched as his companion blinked and reflexively do the same so that their glasses clinked together.

Once the two took a sip of wine, Antonio, a smile taking permanent residence on his tanned face, waited to see what his Roma would say. The Italian still appeared flustered but sipping some wine seemed to have brought his voice back. "You're one sappy, sentimental bastard…but I'm sure you already knew that. And there's no need to give me so much credit, dammit." The redness of his blush flared for a moment when Spain continued to smile at him. "Stop looking at me like that, tomato jerk! Just…Just cut that out!"

Antonio couldn't help but be delighted that he could fluster his Lovi like this, that his sincere words could reduce the Italian to a point of speechlessness no matter how temporary. However, he decided to give Roma a break by changing the subject. "Is there anything you'd like to toast to, Lovi~?"

Though his stature and countenance didn't give anything away, Romano's eyes displayed his relief. He considered the question and then held up his glass. "Cheers to tomatoes and to all the non-idiots of this world. God knows we need more of both." He then hesitated, slightly pulling back his glass while his gaze flew to the grass around them, before he looked back at the Spaniard and raised his beverage again. "And…And cheers to you." His pupils dilated. "Err…I-I mean, cheers that you weren't too stupid to pull this off!"

Beaming with utter pleasure, Spain happily toasted to that and the two raised their glasses slightly before taking a drink. It just so happened that the moment they put their wine down, thunder rumbled in the distance. They simultaneously turned in the direction of the ominous sound and noticed some vindictive clouds rioting together not too far from the park.

Romano groaned in annoyance, his previous embarrassment forgotten. "Please don't tell me it's gonna rain."

His eyes wide and swimming with dismay, Spain replied, "Gee, I sure hope not. It would wet our lunch."

"Forget the lunch, bastard, what about us?!"

"…Uh, I don't know, Lovi. What about us?"

"Idiota. I mean, how are we going to stay dry if it rains?!"

A pause of clueless reflection cast itself upon him. "Um, I don't know. I didn't consider that it might rain."

"You fought Eyebrows on and off for decades, you should know this! Not to mention it's common knowledge that his stupid, boring country basically always rains! Hell, your perverted French friend constantly gripes about the weather here all the time! How could you not consider that it 'might rain'?!"

Spain seriously contemplated the question yet came up blank. "I guess in all the excitement of setting this all up it sort of slipped my mind. Wait, how come you didn't consider the rain?"

The inquiry was innocent enough, but it somehow got Roma's cheeks to paint a light pink, the same shade of pink that occurred whenever Spain had caught Chibi Romano trying to clean his pee-stained bed sheets without his knowledge.

"Sh-Shut up, jerk! Forget about it!" Watching Lovino get flustered again had Antonio quirking a small smile of amusement. "…So what if we both forgot?! That's not gonna help us if we get soaked!"

"You're right, so we should probably be digging in, huh?"

"Damn straight." Romano grabbed his fork and began twirling a strand of his Spaghetti alla carbonara.

Trying very hard not to explosively cheer the moment Lovi's face took on an expression of bliss when he shoved that strand in his mouth, Spain gently advised, "Don't eat too fast though or you'll get a belly-ache~"

Nearly choking on his next mouthful of pasta, Romano swallowed and snapped, "Don't talk to me like if I'm still your colony, bastard!"

Spain allowed a giggle to slip past his lips at the adorable, pouty look Romano was giving him. However, before he could reply, another roar of thunder resounded throughout the area sounding closer than before, this time complete with a flash of light. Within milliseconds, a torrent of rain poured down on them, soaking them almost instantly.

Both nations looked up the darkened sky, watching as the rain hit them and drench their lunch. For some reason, neither could seem to accept that it was actually raining, and it took a while for them to react accordingly.

"You've got to be shitting me," Romano muttered with a tone of incredulity.

His Roma's voice brought Spain out of his stupor, and he sharply gasped and shot up once he got a look at the ruined table. "Oh no, the food!" He immediately made a move to start grabbing things, to salvage anything before it was completely lost, until a warm, firm hand clasped around his wrist.

"Forget about it, Spain! We gotta get out of here!" Romano quickly began tugging him along and eventually the Spaniard reluctantly acquiesced, giving their soaked meal, his hard work, a final look of disappointment before they left the scene.

The brunettes rushed through the streets, getting pelted by gusty wind and biting rain. All around them, British folk were calmly walking down the roads with umbrellas wielded and hoods up, already use to the regular downpour. Seeing how wet Lovi was getting, Spain hurriedly halted in place which forced the Italian to stop as well since their hands were linked together.

Romano scowled at him but before he could yell at him, Spain released his hand to shrug off his jacket. Then he grabbed his tomate by the waist, pulled him close, and held his jacket over their heads. It didn't necessarily keep them entirely dry, but it worked well enough.

"Here Lovi—I'll hold one end and you hold the other." He held out a part of the jacket and Romano immediately took it, holding it up for support. Once they both had a good grip, Spain adjusted his position so that his right arm held up the jacket while his left arm was stretched towards Romano so that he held his hand.

Lovino glanced at their intertwined hands and then up at him. For a moment, Antonio could've sworn that those angry yet passionate hazel eyes had softened as the Italian gave a brief, dry chuckle and what could've been a faint smile right after. "Looks like you're not a total dumb ass after all."

Spain felt his heart flutter at the compliment (because Spain could tell that for Roma, that was most definitely a compliment) and his entire being glowed with pride. "Gracias, mi Romanito~ Now c'mon, we need to find somewhere dry. This jacket can only help us for so long."

Romano nodded in agreement, and the two continued to hurry along. After spending a few minutes splashing around the drenched streets and through puddles, Spain eventually spotted some shops that had awnings and a bright red telephone booth. With a tug of the other's warm hand, he led Romano to the former.

The Spaniard closed the door behind them once they slipped inside, and they immediately dropped the soaked jacket to the ground. The older brunette gave an inaudible sigh of relief and stretched out his limbs, realizing that there wasn't much space to do so; in fact, he and Lovi were merely inches apart and neither was able to move back without slamming uncomfortably into the booth's walls. However, Spain didn't mind at all and wondered if his feisty companion would. For the moment though, Romano didn't seem to notice as he started squeezing excess water from his hair.

Not really concerned about his own well-being, Antonio winced as he took in just how soaked Lovino was. The Italian's clothes appeared to be thoroughly wet and were clinging to his lean body (rather enticingly, he might add). Rainwater clung to his dark auburn hair and dripped off at the tips, partially down his face.

"I'm so sorry, Lovi. Are you alright?"

Lovino blinked in surprise and quizzically looked to the Spaniard. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a little rain. I'm not going to melt or anything."

A smile touched upon Antonio's lips at his Roma's dryness before it dropped. "I know you're not, but you still might catch a cold in those clothes. I can't let that happen." He looked out at the grey obscurity of the British streets that were being pelted with rain. "The hotel is not that far from here, but I'd rather wait for the rain to stop or at least ease up before we head out. We could even call a cab if it takes too long. Is that alright with you?"

Romano shrugged his shoulders and then folded his arms over his chest. "Yeah, that's fine." He narrowed his eyes. "And don't fuss over me, bastard! Worry about yourself for once! Jeez, you're the one who's not wearing a jacket! Aren't you freezing, dipshit?!"

It was like his words somehow summoned a light chill that sporadically jolted up Spain's bare arms, as if reminding him that his V-neck was inadequate for the weather. However, the older nation wasn't the least bit bothered and shrugged to show his apathy.

"In all honesty, I forgot that I'm not wearing my jacket until just now. It's alright, Roma, I'm okay." The Italian looked skeptical yet dropped the matter.

The two then lapsed into an easy silence as they explored their own thoughts. Spain bit his lower lip, troubled by how the date was going. It was bad enough that their first date wasn't perfect (despite that it actually ended up rather marvelously), but now they were rained out on this date. Frankly, it was rather depressing.

Spain sighed, catching Romano's attention. "Hey Lovi, I'm sorry how all this is turning out. I wasn't expecting the rain to ruin our lunch—I was hoping things would go smoothly today since our first date didn't go like how I planned. I guess I must've jinxed it when I said that things were going perfectly. Spoke too soon I suppose."

For a moment, Lovi didn't say anything and merely assessed him and his words. Then to the Spaniard's surprise, he burst out laughing. Antonio merely watched in astonishment as Lovino mirthfully chuckled for a good while, using one hand to steady himself against the bright red telephone booth.

Eventually, Romano got ahold of himself and proclaimed, "Oh god, the irony…the goddamn irony! First we can't have dinner because the restaurant was full of snooty assholes and now we can't because of the stupid weather! It's like the world's conspiring against us or something! It's almost like it doesn't want us to go out!"

Spain's stomach sank and his heart violently slammed against his chest. Though he couldn't say that he was one for superstition, there was no denying that these past two attempts at a date have been semi-disastrous—not so much to the extent that he'd say that they were ruined, but still, they weren't perfect. Perhaps these instances were signs that dating Lovi wasn't a good idea? Maybe this bad weather was a bad omen that things weren't going to work out?

If his heart was made of glass, it would've slowly fractured before shattering.

"Well, whatever crazy-ass thing that thinks it can spew its irony at us, be it the world or the gods of irony, whatever it is can just fuck off!" Romano suddenly exclaimed with a dash of fervor. "It's not going to stop us from pulling this off! We'll just have to try harder, won't we, Toni?"

Spain's breath caught, struck completely in awe. He couldn't believe how lightly Romano was taking this. He couldn't believe that Romano wasn't upset or angry. He couldn't believe that Romano didn't seem disconcerted by this omen. He couldn't believe that Romano still wanted to go out with him and 'pull this off.' He couldn't believe how impassioned Romano seemed about defying the world's signs that were possibly indicating that the two of them dating wasn't going to work. He couldn't…He couldn't believe…

He couldn't believe how wonderful his Lovi is.

"Did you just call me 'Toni'?" was the only response that he could think of uttering.

However, that response garnered a radiant blush upon the Italian's face. "W-What?! N-No! I…" he spluttered incoherently before he spat, "So what if I did, dammit?! It doesn't mean anything!"

Spain lightly chuckled and stepped a smidge closer to Romano. "Whatever you say, mi tomate~" He paused and softly added, "And you're right, we will have to try harder, won't we?"

Lovino silently gasped, clearly noticing that the distance between them had somewhat lessened yet not noticing that he was unconsciously leaning closer. Antonio noticed though. His fond smile widened and he took the opportunity to hold Lovi's hand again.

Roma's eyes briefly widened and then flickered to their hands before returning back to the Spaniard's entranced olive gaze. "What's with you?" The question was practically whispered.

Another step was taken. "Nothing." Then a hand slowly raised up, hesitated for a moment, before brushing some damp auburn hair from covering a pair of hazel orbs and fluttering down to rest on a warm, red cheek.

A light gasp was barely heard in the confined space.

Less than two inches away…

Those hazel orbs momentarily widen again and then gradually begin to melt.

Less than an inch away…

The olive gaze begins to dim as their curtains start to flutter shut.

Two brunette covered heads gravitate to each other, touching foreheads, then noses, until their lips lightly brush one another's before finally pressing together in a soft, gentle kiss. A shudder of delight and ecstasy took its time travelling down the former conquistador's spine, and he relished in feeling of soft lips upon his. The hand he was holding tightened and the heart that had yet to truly belong to him knocked loudly against his chest and he smiled.

Spain was surprised by how delicate and soft his Lovi's lips were. Yet he wasn't going to complain.

He was surprised that Roma didn't automatically push him away or punch him or head-butt him. Yet there was no way he was going to complain or even question it.

He was surprised that everything was suddenly and undeniably right with the world. Yet not only was he going to refrain from questioning it, but he intended to enjoy every millisecond of it.

He was surprised that he and Lovi's first kiss was in a telephone booth in Britain. Yet he couldn't think of anywhere more perfect.

He was surprised how easily the world dissolved into nothingness around them during that incredible kiss. He didn't see the grey, drenched world surrounding them. He didn't hear the rapid pelting of the rain slamming into the booth's glass. He didn't feel the chill in his being from being soaked. He didn't care about the ruined food that had been left behind.

All he knew was that this moment was most definitely going to be the first of many between him and his remarkable Romano.

(swoons) Spain and Romano's first kiss~ How lovely ;)

Well, the Spamano second date has come and gone, and there's definitely more dates to come. Maybe I'll make them less of a disaster...maybe X)

As always, thank you all so much for reading and I'll see you at the next update! :D

Translations:

Spanish

tomate-tomato

amigo-friend

perro-dog

Sí-yes

Gracias, mi Romanito-Thank you, my little Romano

Italian

idiota-idiot