Title: "First" Date
Pairing/Characters: Romano/Fem!Romano/Spain/Fem!Spain, though this one is mostly focused on Romano and Lovina
Rating: K+


Romano's never dated a woman like Lovina before. Growing up, the girls back home in Italy either found him and his foul mood hilarious or annoying, and though Lovina does roll her eyes at him, and is often times just as grumpy as he is, she doesn't even blink when he mumbles a curse at her. He doesn't like the way she blows him off when he's frustrated with her, but he doesn't like the way certain other people pinch his cheeks and call him adorable for the same actions either, so he sometimes just has to accept that he's doomed to never be taken seriously.

Some girls find him charming, oddly enough, because he can be when he tries, he can charm the pants off anyone he wants to (he's just too lazy to do it all the time), but Lovina doesn't seem to. She stands back so he can open the door for her sometimes, but if she ever reaches for the door herself and he reaches too, she slaps his hand away and tells him to knock that shit off. When he pulls out a chair on their first solo outing together, she takes the other one, raising an eyebrow when he doesn't sit down right away.

"What's with you tonight?" she asks, unrolling both their napkins, because she always insists Romano does it wrong.

"Nothing," he mumbles. Other than that he was under strict orders not to start any arguments tonight. "You look nice."

"Damn right I do," Lovina responds, tossing a stray curl over her shoulder. "Antonia nearly burnt the back of my neck, I better look fucking amazing."

Romano nods, feeling a little awkward, wishing just a bit that Antonio and Antonia hadn't decided Romano taking Lovina out alone was a good idea, a good way for them all to patch up some school, work, and family-induced stress that had been coming out in harsh words and nights spent sleeping alone for all of them. Not because Romano doesn't like Lovina, but because Romano really hasn't spent much time with her without Antonio and/or Antonia being there as well.

Their waitress comes over and asks what they would like to drink, and Romano quickly responds, "We'll have a bottle of the Aglianico and some mineral water."

The waitress nods, quickly writing down the order, but before she can go, Lovina is tugging her sleeve and glaring at Romano. "And I'll have a bottle of Nero d'Avola. The mineral water is fine though."

"You don't need a whole bottle to yourself, what the hell."

"You said tonight was your treat and you ordered a bottle I don't want," Lovina counters, waving off the now laughing waitress.

"I made sure to get something you like." Romano tries not to sound irritated, even though he is, though not quite as much as he would be if he hadn't "accidentally" taken Antonio's credit card instead of his own.

"Well I don't want it."

They're silent for a few minutes, until the waitress comes back with two bottles of wine and a bottle of mineral water and they give her their food order as well. Lovina pours them both a glass of her wine of choice and Romano grumbles at her, though he accepts the glass nonetheless. "You're being a freak tonight, you clearly need more than half a bottle."

"I'm not being a freak." Lovina just gives him a look. "I'm trying to take you out on a proper date here, damnit. Just go along with it."

Lovina laughs and Romano stares at her and then Lovina laughs some more. "How about we drink all this wine and you stop having a stick up your ass, then we'll get dessert and charge it all to Antonio's card." She looks thoughtful for a moment. "Then I think we'll need more wine, Antonia's at Francine's tonight."

Romano stares for a second more before he too starts laughing. "You're insane. If you get drunk and do stupid shit, I'm not stopping you."

"Didn't expect you to."