I wanted to do a somewhat happier take on Romano growing up and claiming independence. Of course, I think that Spain would be devestated, but as a nation he knows that nothing lasts forever. He's seen empires crumble and knows Romano well enough to have spotted that he was very much on the verge of becoming something new.

"Hasta Luego"- "See you later". I thought that it was less heartbreaking than a goodbye and spoke of a silent promise to see each other again.


Hasta Luego

Spain is smiling.

"Did you hear me, bastard? I'm leaving."

Spain smiles on. Of course he heard him. He always listens to what Romano says, even if most of the time it's cute nonsense. He's an attentive boss, after all. More so now that he's not the boss of very many people any more.

"Oi!" Romano is irritated now, upset. Spain knows that it took a lot of courage for him to approach his boss in such a way, saying such words. He's impressed, to tell the truth. Romano's always been such a coward. "Wh…why are you smiling! Don't you understand what I'm saying?"

He understands what Romano has said. Understands what he is implying. Spain's a little oblivious, not ignorant. He's seen Romano, on sunny days out in the fields, and on quiet evenings in the parlour. He's seen the way he would straighten suddenly, wincing and rubbing at a flare of pain somewhere on his body. He's seen the way that he would snatch messages from pilfered carrier pigeons, eyes shifting as he poured over them, gleaming with emotion. He's seen him praying for his people, and for their battle for recognition.

Spain carries on smiling at him. Smiles at his little boy who is no longer his, nor a little boy. It's a sad thought, but he accepts it with dignified resignation. Nothing lasts forever, after all. As a nation, he knows that better than any human ever could.

"Congratulations, Romano…" He says.

Romano looks dumbfounded. His cheeks are red with nerves, and his eyes are shining with tears of what could be regret (although Spain knows that it's more likely to be stress, but it's still nice to hope). "I…what?" He says, unable to come back with anything more articulate.

"Boss is very proud. You've become a good man. You're still a bit of a coward though, and so is Ita. Make sure that you two don't get taken advantage of, or bullied-"

"I won't!" Romano interjects. His voice is shaky, but Spain can't tell if he's flattered or insulted. "B-besides…you're the one who always bullies me."

They both know that's a lie. It helps Spain to keep smiling though, so he doesn't tease him for it. "You'll visit me won't you? Remember to set Boss up with some favourable trade, yeah?"

"I…" Romano looks flustered. Maybe this wasn't the fight and the tears that he expected. Spain indulgently thinks that Romano might be disappointed by that. It's too bad for him that Spain's always liked to surprise him. "Well I…suppose…so."

Spain nods. "How much of my stuff are you taking? I know what your sticky fingers are like," He teases.

Romano looks indignant at that. "Piss off! I'm taking what's mine. If you gave it to me then its your own fault!" He pouts, cheeks puffing childishly.

"You have an odd interpretation of the word 'gave'," he laughs.

Romano looks adorably grumpy in response. "You owe it to me. For all of my years of slavery," he says.

They both know that's a lie. Spain hasn't really been his boss for quite some time now. Living together had been more a matter of convenience, or reassuring comfort while Romano's position as a budding nation had been fragile.

Romano hadn't needed to come to him to declare independence at all. He was bound to Spain by little more than cousins in the monarchy. He could have just wordlessly gone in the night, and Spain couldn't've stopped him with anything short of an invasion.

Instead Romano came to him. Despite knowing that he may try to stop him, despite knowing that it could have descended into war, despite knowing that Spain's opinion and love for him could be tarnished, despite it being terrifying…he had still come to him, asking for his approval.

It's the reason why Spain's been able to smile, even though he feels unbearably sad.

Romano clears his throat, looking embarrassed and a little afraid. "Won't…won't you miss me at all..?"

Spain shakes his head. For a moment, Romano looks ready to burst into tears. "How will I miss you?" Spain goes on. "I'm going to be seeing you all the time! We've got relations to set up, and trade, and royal marriages to arrange!"

They both know that Spain's trying to assure Romano. Spain knows that he's trying to assure both of them.

Romano gives him a feeble smile and Spain feels proud that it seems to have worked. "Yeah," he says. "I already knew that you'd be annoying. I won't be able to get rid of you."

Spain shakes his head, still smiling. "Not yet."

Romano tries not to look pleased about that, and Spain -for once- pretends not to notice. He leaves not long after, leaving his and Spain's home of hundreds of years in an ornate horse-drawn carriage.

Spain returns inside after a long time, his smile still curving across his lips. The house is sad now, and a little lonely, but it is full of good memories. He's going to miss Romano terribly. He hopes that Romano will miss him just a little too, but he wasn't willing to allow him to have a tearful goodbye. He has no regrets about their time together. He's seen Romano grow from a bratty, useless child to a proud adult with strong views and determination. To him, that's worth smiling about.

He hopes that Romano feels similarly as he speeds away to his new home s. He even dares to hope that he's already planning their first official meeting to establish relations between their nations.

Despite his stinging eyes, Spain grins at the thought.

He's looking forward to this new future.