Antonio sipped his warm Carajillo, set it down beside his laptop, and finished typing. The atmosphere was perfect to write; it had been pouring rain outside all day and what was even better was that Romano was in the living room playing on his iPad quietly. Yes, it was the perfect time to hide away in his bedroom and focus on his book. He was not a full time author since this was his first book, but he hoped that dream would come true after publishing it. Maybe then he could quit his day job, move to a much nicer neighborhood closer to his friends and maybe focus more on caring for Romano. The Spaniard felt a little guilty locking himself in his bedroom. It seemed like the little boy was slowly warming up to him. Antonio told himself that soon his fortunes would change and he could spend more time with Romano.
Just as Antonio finished a long and detailed paragraph, there was a sudden flash and all the power in the apartment building went out. The Spaniard was plunged in darkness and he stared at the blank screen of the old and faulty computer. Realization hit him just as a loud crack from the lightning finally boomed through surrounded area, rattling Antonio's desk. Antonio yelled in irritation that was almost as loud as the thunder. All of his hard work from the past two hours were gone. The Spaniard grabbed both sides of his head and slumped forward with his elbows on the desk, groaning in frustration for a few minutes. After taking some deep breaths, he finally calmed down. Lifting his head back up he turned around in his chair and wondered if the little Italian was alright. His heart broke in two when he heard faint whimpers that were muffled by the heavy rain and rolls of thunder. Pushing away from the desk, Antonio stood up then carefully navigated his way out of the bedroom and into the small hallway leading to the rest of the apartment. The Spaniard crept down the dark hall to Romano's room, which had once been an office. Through the darkness the Spaniard could tell the door was open so he walked in and softly called out, "Romano? Are you okay?"
The only reply Antonio received was more sniffling and some movement on the bed. From what Antonio could make out Romano had hidden himself under the blankets. Once he felt the end of the bed, he sat down and tried to get his eyes focused on the lump at top of the bed.
Now whispering, Antonio tried to sooth the scared child, "It's alright, Roma. It's only a thunderstorm, we're safe." As he spoke Antonio reached out and gently patted what he hoped was Romano's head or back.
"S.. Stop hitting my face, dammit..!" Came a muffled cry.
Antonio immediately pulled his hand away and apologized. "Lo siento, Romanito! It was hard to tell since you're covered in blankets." The brunet smiled and added, "Why don't you come out?"
There was a moment of silence from Romano, the only thing that could be heard was the rain pelting against the windows. Then movement as the little Italian poked out from the comforting blankets.
"There you are! Now will you tell me what made you upset?" Now that he could see Romano better, Antonio placed a hand on the boy's head and ruffled his soft hair. Surprisingly, the Italian didn't slap his hand away.
"Nothing…! The sudden thunder just surprised me." It was an obvious lie from Romano, Antonio quickly learned how to discern lies after Romano had moved in. Antonio also learned from many bruises that it was best to not point them out.
"Ah… Well I have some other games we could play while we wait for the electricity to turn back on!" Antonio quickly said. He guessed the only reason Romano hadn't hidden away in fear of the storm earlier was because he had been distracted by the iPad.
"How are we suppose to play if we can't even see, you idiot?!"
"Romano, don't call someone an idiot. We can use flashlights and candles!" Antonio was getting excited now. He remembered how fun it was to play board games or puzzles with his brother with only candles to light up the room when there was a storm. He had the urge to recreate those memories with Romano, surely he would enjoy puzzle games as Antonio did.
"That sounds stupid." Romano grumbled, but Antonio's hopes and dreams weren't crushed just yet.
"Come on, it'll be fun!" The Spaniard sat up and made his way into the small kitchen where he rummaged through draws to find light, leaving a scared Italian behind. Romano sat rigid as he listened to the threatening rain still pouring outside and pounding heart. There was a flash and a cold shiver ran up the boy's spine as his breathing quickened. Then a loud crack of lightening soon followed and Romano felt his chest tighten as he called out for Antonio.
"H- hey jerkface! Where are you?! You better get back here or I'll get mad!" Romano tried to sound normal, but his body betrayed him and his voice was strained.
Hearing the terror in Romano's tone, Antonio quickly gathered all the items he needed and walked back into the bedroom. He dumped all the items at the end of Romano's bed then turned on a large black flashlight and faced it toward the ceiling as he held it out toward the little boy.
"Here, Tomate, hold this until I get back." Antonio smiled brightly as he could now see Romano a little clearer.
Looking unsure, the Italian slowly took the heavy flashlight with both hands and started pointing the light around the room, then toward Antonio. The Spaniard's smile fell quickly as he shielded his eyes and took a step back.
"Ow! Romanito, don't point the flashlight in-"
Antonio tripped on some clothes on the floor as he stumbled backward and soon fell with his feet flying upwards. As the embarrassed man sat up, he heard a unfamiliar sound. A child laughing. Romano's laugh. The small, 8 year old, always angry Italian boy, was laughing. It was loud yet light and cheerful, something Antonio never expected to come out of Romano. A smile tugged at the corner of the Spaniard's lips as he watched Romano's figure throw his head back and howl in more laughter, still pointing the light directly at Antonio. The brunet began to chuckled as he picked himself back up and got a better look at Romano, who was now doubled over and holding his stomach with one arm. Antonio sat down on the bed and laughed with Romano, his eyes gleaming with a promise to make the young boy laugh more in the future.