Aaah, late again, sorry! I was away for the weekend at a masquerade at our Spain's house, so I couldn't type! To apologise, here's an extra long chapter!
Romano was surprised to find the weather was actually dry and not too cold the next morning, so decided to leave his coat in his hotel room. Unfortunately, the morning was spent in meetings that, despite the fact that Romano and England had nothing to do in, but they still had to attend for various odd (and in Romano's opinion, stupid) reasons. As they were finishing, Romano looked to the window horrified to see rain sheeting down the panes.
"What the hell?"
He heard a light laugh behind him and turned to see England "You didn't pay attention yesterday then? I did warn you about my weather"
Romano scowled "It's still fucking ridiculous. There were people in t-shirts this morning!"
"Yeah, but here in warm weather you don't lose your coat, you carry it. Err, do you want to go back to your hotel and get a coat before I show you round?"
"I guess that'd probably be best…" Romano sighed "Won't the rain mean you can't show me stuff anyway?"
"If we stopped at every drop of rain we'd never get anything done. Besides, this is only a brief shower; it'll be over as quick as it started"
As they went to leave England pulled a collapsible umbrella from his bag "I brought this just in case…guess we'll have to share"
Romano paused, he knew from Japan what sharing an umbrella could mean and England used to be close to him…OK, now he really was over-reading the situation, England got so much rain, he couldn't mean anything by it…but it could work in his favour.
As they stepped out into the rain, Romano huddled close to England, it helped that the umbrella was clearly designed for one and was quite small. England blushed at the invasion of personal space, before reminding himself that Romano was Italian, and therefore had different ideas on where was too close. Romano smirked, seeing the Englishman blush. He slipped his arm into England's muttering "Why is it so small!" secretly delighting at England's embarrassed expression.
When they arrived at Romano's hotel, he detached himself from the Brit, leaving England stood confused in the lobby as he ran to get his coat. England felt his flush begin to die down much to his relief, he knew Italy was clingy but he had been unaware that his brother shared this trait. He felt his blush rise again at the memory of the Italian's warm frame nestled into his side, and the way his hand had…it was probably a cultural difference.
Romano glowed tomato red at the memory of how he'd acted with England, it was embarrassing, but he could see that he'd been having an effect; the Brit had gone so red he could have been used as a traffic beacon. He grinned as he remembered England's flushed panicked face as he'd cuddled into the Englishman. He had been able to feel England's heartbeat as it raced at the close contact and he had to wonder how closed off the Brit was if this was enough to excite him.
With a jolt, Romano realised he'd been reflecting on it for half an hour. Grabbing his coat, he ran down to the desk, where England was pointedly looking at his watch
"I was wondering if you were ever going to come down" He frowned at Romano's flushed face "Did something happen?"
"S-shut up! I couldn't find it is all"
"How much do you have with you that you couldn't find a coat?" England raised an eyebrow as they left
"Are you just gonna insult me bastard?" Romano bit his tongue, cursing his temper, the nation hadn't even insulted him but adrenaline was already hitting him fast and he didn't understand why he was being so defensive
"No, no!" England responded in kind "I just wonder how much you brought for just a few days if it's enough to lose stuff in"
"I wasn't sure what to expect is all..." he went red "I just wanted to make sure I looked good no matter what!" he turned away as he felt the burn on his cheeks intensify- what the fuck was wrong with him!"
England felt he shouldn't have been so surprised, Romano was Italian after all, famous for fashion, not that he wasn't! "We're just going round the city, I'm hardly going to take you fell walking!"
Romano turned on point bright red and huffing "Hey!" was all he said pointing at the Englishman. Silence, then he growled "Shut up" Seriously? He thought, was that all he could think of?
England raised his eyebrows, but said nothing until they had reached the river "So...we need to cross the river here..." he mumbled, indicating the bridge
"And there was me hoping I could swim across" Romano rolled his eyes then sighed "Where are we going anyway?" he asked subconsciously moving closer to the Brit
"Just the usual tourist walk I thought...that's the London Eye over there, I thought we might head towards the palace"
"The palace, huh?" Romano mused and then looked up at the large wheel the man had indicated "London is all about tourists isn't it?"
England ducked his head to hide his blush "No! There's other stuff here too!" Like Rome's any better, he thought privately, but he kept that to himself, he really didn't want to get Romano riled up again
Romano looked over and sighed "It's the thing that most stands out you have to admit..." he laughed a little "But we all have to fill our economy somehow I guess"
England nodded in agreement "I can't think of any capital that isn't a bit touristy, it's just the way of things...that's the houses of Parliament over there, but I don't like doing work in there, too much shouting"
"Shouting?" Romano asked "but surely you're in there a lot... change of government and all that"
"Yes, but you know how politicians are, they only pay me attention when it's convenient" England grimaced "I don't like talking politics around friends anyway, it gives me a headache"
"Really? How come? Your government can't be that fucked up..." Romano spoke absentmindedly, not looking at England but instead at the building in front of him.
England pulled a face "Trust me, it can...bloody coalition" he muttered into his collar "Honestly Romano, I'd prefer not to talk about it" he said, turning away from the large building
Romano shrunk into himself, feeling guilt rot in him. But why should he care so much...usually he would tell the Brit to suck it up! "Sorry..." was all he said as he followed the Englishman
"It's fine...I wouldn't expect you to know my politics, I only know the bare bones of yours after all..." He cast around for a change of subject "That's Big Ben at the end there...it's the largest four faced clock tower in the world"
"Oh..." suddenly realising the only time he ever heard the phrase Big Ben was when France was talking about England's- and oh god, now he was bright red, terrific...why?
"Romano? Are you coming down with something? You're looking very flushed" England looked over, concerned
"N-no I am fine..." Romano tried to turn away cursing himself willing his cheeks to soothe but it only caused them to go more red...if that was even possible
"Are you sure? You're not getting a cold or anything like that?" England asked, trying to ignore how cute the Italian looked when he blushed like that
"I-I-I'm fine! Don't fuss!" Romano protested burying his face into his chest "Where next!" he half mumbled and half shouted, which didn't even seem possible but somehow the Italian figured it out
"If you're certain...I was going to head to St James' Park...it's where the palace is, and it should be pretty dry by now" he looked towards the sky "Hopefully the rain won't be back for a bit"
"Fine..." Romano hurried to stand by the Brit again "Let's just hurry ok?"
England frowned, but nodded as they set off at a slightly faster pace "Are you that cold?"
"...No...maybe..." he wasn't about to admit the sexual imagery behind them was the reason he wanted to move on (thank you Francis!) so cold was the next best thing "So let's move!"
Though confused by the Italian's sudden impatience, England lead Romano past various official looking buildings "Yes, that's probably a good idea...I always forget about the temperature difference"
"Yeah..." Romano looked around, every street they went down was nothing like he expected. Most of the buildings made it seem like they were back in time and didn't seem to fit in with modern day. He had to admit he liked it a lot.
England looked over at Romano, trying to be subtle in his interest. He'd hoped that Romano would enjoy himself, after all compared to Rome, London was so dingy, but the Italian seemed interested at least
The Italian hadn't even noticed the Brit looking at him. Even if his brother was more known for it, he did also enjoy art, so looking at the buildings made his mind dull a little, merging a million ideals and imagery based thoughts that he almost forgot what he was doing. Another thing he never admitted
Romano was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the road crossing ahead, until there was a shout and he suddenly felt himself being tugged back
"What the hell!" Romano turned as he was tugged and tripped over his feet, his mind not fully processing what was happening
"Are you trying to get yourself run over, Lovino?" England kept a tight grip on Romano, still feeling panicked, that car had been close...too close
"W-what?" Romano stared up at him with confusion in his eyes as he righted himself, not understand what had just happened, his hands gripped to the Brit as he tried to process the event that had just transpired but having been walking with his head in the clouds, he had no memory per se to confirm it
"Give me a bleeding heart attack...You just walked out into the middle of the road!" England began trying to calm himself with deep breathes, he tried to loosen his grip on Romano before realising that he couldn't as Romano's hands were in the way
"I...I what!" Romano had a brief panic attack before going bright red that he could be so stupid. He began cursing himself under his breath stating his stupidity.
"The hell were you thinking of...are you alright?" England asked, feeling a bit of the panic recede
"Yeah...I'm fine..." Romano spoke staring at his feet
"Umm, can you let go then please"
Romano's head's snapped up confused until his eyes wandered to his hands "O-oh!" he turned around releasing his grip purely so he could cross his arms "Sorry...didn't know..."
"I-it's fine...just give me some warning next time alright? I don't want to explain to Spain and your brother that you walked under a car right in front of me"
Romano stayed silent and then breathed "So...where now..." he placed a hand on his chest his heart racing...purely because he was nearly run over by a car and not cos the man with him was so sweet and caring...and close...no never!
"Well, you were going in the right direction...we just keep following this road" England allowed himself to fully relax as they set off again, if Romano had been hit..."What were you thinking about anyway? You were away with the fairies back there"
"I..." Romano went to bite his tongue but the words were quicker "I got caught up in the architecture...it sparked my artistic side ok?" he went bright red, damn it- his little ways were so embarrassing!
"Archi-" England blushed "Aah...I guess I should be flattered then..." he mumbled, although he secretly felt a bit conflicted, the building designs were a mishmash of other countries architecture in his opinion, no doubt Romano would have noticed the Roman style pillars on some buildings if nothing else
"Si...it's interesting how all the different parts from different places shouldn't work together and yet somehow you make it work...with amazing effect" oh for goodness sake what was with this diarrhoea of the mouth, shut up Romano shut up!
England hid a grin "That's a nice way to put it...good to know my people's kleptomania can be productive" Although inside he was reeling from the praise, how could Romano, part of Italy for heaven's sake, famous for its beautiful cities, like his bloody government buildings?
Wow, Romano thought, England looked cute with a smile. Yes, he was trying to hide it but it was definitely a smile. He should smile more often...makes him look nice...ok Romano, stop staring...you're sightseeing remember...does staring at the personification count? There was a moment of silence in his head before a small voice crept into his head, too quiet for him to process- God I hope so...
England led him to a large green park, with plenty of trees, a welcome relief from the built up areas, the air was still damp, but there were still people enjoying themselves, making the most of the brief sunshine. Romano went red noticing that a lot of the people here were couples and very VERY close to each other. Images flashed through his head and then he thought of an idea to test the water on what the Englishman would allow. He stepped closer allowing their hands to gently touch one another
England flushed in return at the touch, but didn't immediately pull away, passing it off as another cultural difference
Romano smiled. So he would put up with the closeness? He stepped more into the man's body, slowly allowing his fore finger and thumb pinch the bottom of the man's sleeve.
England stiffened at the invasion of his privacy, unsure of how to react, uncomfortably aware of how close Romano was to him...should he ask Romano to move away? Or would that be rude...it wasn't as if allowing him so close was doing any harm
Romano felt happy. But it was purely because England was letting down his defences a little... although he did have to admit being this close he noted the Brit smelt of tea and that smell he associated with after rain. A fresh smell. He subconsciously leant closer; it was a really comforting smell surprisingly...
England flinched, was Romano...sniffing him? He felt embarrassed at the affection, especially since he couldn't remember seeing Romano acting like this with anyone else. He could feel panic beginning to rise, and cast about for a way to break the silence "Umm, you can just see the palace through the trees there" he gestured with his free hand, keeping his head low to try and hide his awkward expression
Romano snapped back into reality and blinked a few times. Well, that was weird...he really was getting into this. He looked ahead "oh wow..." he looked at the building in the distance. He had completely forgotten he had hold of England's sleeve
"It's not quite a fairy-tale castle I know, but...I find them impractical anyway..." England trailed off, thankful that Romano seemed to be respecting his space a bit more
"It still has the grand feel of a castle though..." Romano traced over the building in detail but this time managed to keep his mind focused enough to still engage in conversation
"Thank you..." England muttered "It's one of the more modern Royal residences, so it's nice to know that it still retains that air" he led them through the tree towards a square with a large fountain in front of a large fence quite a distance in front of the actual building
"With a lot of security of course haha" Romano laughed. He had heard of many stories of this place from American tourists, but then America always did exaggerate. He sighed. It was nice
"W-well, of course...can't just let anyone in..." England looked up at the flagpole "The Queen isn't in anyway" he noted, seeing the Union Jack fluttering in the breeze. He noted Romano's sigh "You didn't think we could actually get up close did you?"
"What, no..." Romano looked away "I am just enjoying the scenery is all!"
"Thank god...I had a hell of a time explaining to America that he couldn't poke the guards to see if they would react..." England murmured, watching the crowd of tourists armed with cameras clustered around the railings
"Wouldn't they just shoot you?" Romano asked seeing the image of the stupid American bastard jumping the fence
"Somehow he got the idea that they aren't allowed to move stuck in his head..." England shook his head remembering the expression on the American's face as he saw how far away the palace was from the general public "But you know how it is, a few tourist books are wrong and suddenly everyone thinks things about your home that's false" He paused "Umm, I think it's best if we get the tube from here"
"The tube? What the hell is the tube?" Romano blinked, having never heard the slang before
"Err, the...subway" England winced at the Americanism "The underground railway, the station is just over here...do you not have them in Italy?"
Romano shook his head. "So a train...under the ground?" he wondered about it...he had never been on one- even at world meetings in America he took a taxi everywhere
"Yeah well, there is hardly space for a full above ground railway" England reasoned. He turned and saw Romano's expression "Are you alright? We can walk if you'd prefer..."
"No, no I am fine..." Romano shook his head "Lead on"
England led Romano down a flight of steps into the crowded underground station, pausing to consult the map before dragging him down the escalator to the station
Romano could help but feel over burdened by the amount of people in the underground station. It was suffocating and suddenly regretted telling the Englishman he would be fine with this. These people were packed in like sardines and it was uncomfortable even for him. But his pride held his tongue as he attempted to keep up with England
The journey couldn't be over quick enough for Romano, as he pushed his way out of the train when England indicated that they were at their stop
England elbowed his way out after Romano "Are you okay? It can be a bit stuffy down here"
"How the hell does it get so warm in there? It felt like I was in an oven!"
"Body heat I guess, it can be uncomfortable if you're not used to it...let's get you out of here" he encouraged Romano onto the escalator and out onto the street
Romano welcomed the colder air above "Is that how you can stand your weather? You flock together in confined spaces and cook yourselves?" he snapped a little irritated at the uncomfortable experience he had just had
England frowned "It's not that bad...it's just busy right now" he answered defensively
Romano scowled a little "let's keep going..."
England paused, but said nothing as he led Romano along the streets until they reached where he'd been heading "Hopefully you recognise here?"
"This is that square place...what's its name?" he thought hard, knowing he had seen it on TV but he never paid mind to remembering such details
"Trafalgar Square" he answered, "I thought you might be a little tired so..."
"We are going to rest here?" Romano asked looking at the Brit; if this was true he could try and get closer to the man again
"Well, I thought since the art gallery's cafe isn't that bad..."
Romano nodded "It would be nice to sit down after all that walking..." he looked away
England nodded and led him up the steps into the gallery and led Romano through the various rooms past several artworks from around Europe
Romano rolled his eyes "So...this is a nice...art gallery..." he was wondering where the English art was...
"Thank you" England answered absently, they'd reorganised the gallery again, so he had no idea where he was going
"So do you paint?" he asked looking up to the ceiling
"Not really..." England admitted, looking for a sign as to where to go "I've dabbled in it once or twice...but the results have always been disappointing"
"Oh?" he smiled "I would really like to see you paint, I am not as good as my fratello but I can appreciate it" this was an opportunity to get closer to him
"Ahh I don't know...I'm really not very good" England muttered, he could caricature but that was the extent of it
"Come on... you can't be that bad!" Romano prodded with his words "Your country is like full of inspiration, there must have been a point when you painted something"
"Mmm, but I never really put any time into it...I'm sure you're better than I am"
"Well, I guess you'll have to show me...I will bring something of mine next time and you show me something of yours and we can compare" Romano hated showing his stuff as it was crap but he needed something to bring England out
"Umm, ok..." England wondered why Romano was pushing this so much, he liked art, but he'd never really thought about it before
Romano smirked triumphantly. Praise the Brit for whatever dribble he lays in front of him and the defences should fall a bit more. England would be his, no matter how many walls the Brit put up.
I like making Romano a bit evil, can you tell?
Much love to samstar1990 who helped me write this, she also did me a fanart http : / / samstar1990 . deviantart . com / gallery / # / d3da3zu (remove spaces) although it's of a later chapter...so I guess it's a preview?
Another reminder for the contest, deadline is the end of May, basically just post your idea of the missing scenee somewhere (fanfiction, deviantart, livejournal, wherever) and pm me a link! Best entry gets a oneshot surrounding the pairing of their choice!
There's more stuff in this cos I have relatives in London, so I do kind of know it (not very well though)
We had a heatwave here last week (other reason I didn't write, cos I'm a mad person who runs about Sheffield as Gakuen Ukraine when it's hot) Leicester was warmer than Rome...I suspect foul play somewhere, so Romano catches the tail end of that at the start
In Japan, sharing an umberella is a romantic gesture, similar to a boy lending his girlfriend his jacket
Debates in the House of Commons in particular tend to end in schoolboy insults and throwing stuff, hence why it gives England a headache. Plus the coalition government we have now (where the Lib Dems and the Conservatives are sharing power) makes him a bit bi-polar so he really doesn't like politics right now
Sorry to spoil any ideas you had, but you can't poke the palace guards to see if they'll move, cos you can't get to them.
At Buckingham Palace, they fly the Royal Standard if the Queen's at home and the Union Jack when she's elsewhere. This is cos of Princess Di and it started in 1997
I don't mind the tube, but it is a bit of a horrible squish at rush hour times. If you're claustrophobic avoid it like the plague!
The art gallery is the National Art Gallery which, although it does have some British art, is still mainly filled with European stuff
Hope you enjoyed this! Please read and review! Thanks to everyone who faved, alerted and reviewed, I never would have gotten this far without you!