Okay. Man. I'm wiped out again xD I've been out n' about all day. So….here goes!
Spain sat on the beach and picked up handfuls of sand, watching the grains sift between his fingers and feeling every ounce of warmth spread from them. His fingers were cold against the sand. His body wanted to move so badly. He wanted to chase after Romano like he usually did. But something held him back. He couldn't keep this up. Spain closed his eyes and let the sound of the waves crashing up on shore enshroud him. His heart ached relentlessly in his chest, reminding him of Romano's words.
"I don't need you!"
Spain took a deep, faltering breath and opened his eyes. Light swarmed his vision, but he looked beyond it to a time when he and Romano had been on good terms. He found that he could remember no time when he could realistically think of the terms binding the two of them as being good.
"Have we ever been on good terms?" He laughed to himself, then furrowed his brow as he tried to think of a time.
He couldn't. Being on "good" terms seemed to hold a different definition to Romano. There hadn't been a day that Spain could remember that the younger man hadn't called him some name or looked upon him with resentment. Romano was lazy, arrogant, often insulted Spain, acted much bigger than he was, and never thanked Spain for the sacrifices he had made for him.
Nonetheless, all joking aside, Spain would change only one thing about the younger man. He wished, beyond anything, that Romano would like him. Even if the insults continued, Spain was sure that their relationship would be on much better terms if Romano just showed one sign of compassion toward the elder man.
Spain sighed. Romano would never harbor any good feeling toward him. With a sad smile, Spain reached inside his shirt pocket and pulled out two neatly folded pieces of paper.
"World's Fair, huh?" He blinked against a wave of emotion that swept beneath his eyelids. "I knew this was a long-shot."
With a deep breath, Spain tore his gaze away from the tickets and shoved them back in his pocket. He stretched and stood, taking one last glance at the ocean as it rushed against the earth. Spain turned then and left, hoping Romano would be home so that he could apologize for offenses he didn't remember committing.
oOo
A chill swept down the mountainside, catching Romano's back and sending a shiver down his spine. He glanced at the sky, which seemed so far from where he sat. It was midday now, but the forest was shaded and had a time span of its own. Romano felt goosebumps rise on his skin. He closed his eyes against it, but couldn't ignore the freeze that was setting in here.
His legs ached, recalling every earlier step. Romano wasn't exactly sure how to get home from here. All he knew was that he needed to get home and apologize to Spain. He thought the World's Fair tickets in his pocket would make up for what he said. Although he knew it wouldn't be just that, and he'd probably say something offensive, he hoped. Spain had never let him down before. The older man was forgiving and gentle and Romano couldn't think of a day when he'd ever truly resented him. He had only truly resented their relationship.
Romano was sure that Spain only wanted him around for his grandfather's inheritance. It killed him to think so, but he could find no other explanation for Spain's careful tolerance and sweet composure. He envied other countries for befriending Spain, when all he would ever be to the older man was a wealthy inheritance.
Romano buried his head in his hands. He couldn't control the shudders that wracked his body now. The trees had shaded him far too long. Though it was summer, winter remained in the dead of the forest, shed in cold fleets from the mountaintops above.
Turning his thoughts away from his current predicament with Spain, Romano muttered angrily to himself, "How the hell am I supposed to get home?"
He got to his feet slowly, ignoring the ache of muscles as they attempted to shed the cold. He stretched quickly, chose a direction without a second thought, and strode forward. His feet fell graciously into previously-hollowed footprints and he knew he'd chosen the right path.
With a heart full of guilt, self-pointed anger, and fear that Spain might never chase him again, Romano strode forward against the thinning clumps of forest.
…This seemed like a good enough place to stop for now. I'm too tired to go on! For some reason I haven't been able to eat, so I'm running on half a slice of pizza and a cookie. My body isn't taking well to the nutrients xD Maybe that's why this fic is turning so angsty! :]