I've deleted my little note, because... my laptop's back! And to make up for the long wait, I've combined two chapters into one for you guys. So enjoy!
VIII. Sweet dreams
"Liechtenstein?" Romano looked up from his pizza. Luckily, Veneziano and the Bad Touch Trio had all gone. Even Spain had gotten on his flight already, and now he was at home with Liechtenstein, eating the most uncomfortable dinner he'd ever had.
"Ja?"
"I... did I upset you this afternoon?" He asked quietly, forcing the words out of his mouth.
"... No." She replied curtly, causing Romano to drop his eyes down to his plate of pizza glumly. She had said no, but she clearly meant otherwise. And Liechtenstein had never gotten mad at him before. He must have been quite a jerk.
But it wasn't my fault. It was... it was France's fault. Not mine.
I was only trying to protect her from him...
For the next few days, Liechtenstein didn't speak to him. She passed him in the hallways and met him during dinner, but she never started a conversation unless he asked her something first. And he didn't have the courage to say something meaningful. But at least he tried...
"Liechtenstein?"
"Ja?" She was cleaning his bedroom window.
"..." He couldn't find the words to apologize to her, and instead just scowled down at the ground. But when she was about to leave for the market, he had a sudden fear of her leaving and never coming back. He couldn't say why it bothered him so much, but... he couldn't let her leave like that.
"Wait! Liechtenstein! I mean... I... I'm sorry!" He blurted, expecting her to forgive him just like the many times that he had had to apologize before. Expecting her to return to her kind, happy self.
"I forgive you." She told him and left. He knew she didn't mean it.
It bothered him as he fell asleep the fourth night, wondering why she was so cold and ignorant of him. He'd tried to apologize, hadn't he? He'd tried to make it up to her by helping around the house, but she wouldn't let him. He didn't know what to do to make her ease up, and at that point, he'd try anything. Only... he hated his pride for not letting him do so, and encouraging him to just remain his moody and foul self.
Romano dreamed that night.
"We'll run away together. We'll have our freedom." The blonde girl that he now identified as Liechtenstein put a hand on Veneziano's shoulder. "We'll sign the pact of peace, and we'll live happily forever."
"Si! It's not that I don't like Mr. Austria," Veneziano looked thoughtful. "But I really want... freedom."
"I just wanna get away from that bastard." He, the other Romano, complained.
Suddenly, the visions in his sleep blurred and then cleared up to show him a completely different sight, which he'd never experienced happening before. But something about this one seemed different.
He and his brother were facing Liechtenstein and her brother, each clutching a flag. A battlefield stretched out before them, and behind each nation was a thick line of soldiers. But what scared him the most were her eyes.
Liechtenstein's eyes, usually a gentle emerald and slightly glittering, were cold and hard, just like her brother's. But behind the grim set of her lips and her indifferent expression, he could see the tiniest bit of pain in her eyes. She wore a green uniform identical to her brother's, and looked at him –the other him- and Veneziano with cold eyes. Her ribbon was gone.
Switzerland beckoned for the soldiers behind him to raise their guns, and he drew Liechtenstein closer to his side. She obeyed, but kept her intense gaze on him and his brother. Mostly him. Her stance was battle-like, all tensed up with clenched fists, but she didn't seem very willing to fight. Unlike her brother.
"Fratello? We shouldn't fight Liechtenstein. It's not right. And besides, don't you agree that surrender is the best option? Especially now."
The other him remained silent. He looked different, too. Not scowling like his usual self, but completely the opposite. The other Romano was wide-eyed, and his hands were shaking around the gun that he clutched. But although his demeanor came off as scared and cowardly, he was looking straight at Liechtenstein. His dark green eyes seemed to be pleading to her.
With an almost unrecognizable gesture, Switzerland signaled to his army, and stood aside as the wave of soldiers lunged forward with a battle yell. The Italians fought back, but they were undeniably loosing. Romano stared in horror as an Italian soldier suddenly dodged away from the battlefield and came toward Liechtenstein.
"This is for my country. You've hurt my beloved nation, and you'll pay for this."
Surprisingly, Liechtenstein didn't try to defend herself. She didn't call out to Switzerland, who was fending off a couple soldiers a few yards away. Instead, she closed her eyes, and when she opened them a second later, Romano could see the pain clearly. The suffering she'd had to go through.
"Fine. Kill me off."
"I'd be glad to." He couldn't believe that someone from his own country could have been so merciless as to kill Liechtenstein. He knew whatever she had done... it wasn't worth for her to be killed off.
Liechtenstein stood still, smiling a bitter smile and glancing at him and his brother, fighting with the soldiers a good way ahead of her. At the last second, the other Romano turned to look at her, and his eyes widened, his jaw falling open. Not wasting a second, he kicked aside a soldier furiously and pushed through the battlefield toward her.
The sword raised, and then plunged into Liechtenstein's chest. Not wearing any armor, because she wasn't supposed to be fighting at all, the sword easily lodged into her flesh and blood, and Liechtenstein fell to her knees.
He reached her a little bit too late.
"Fuck! This is screwed up!" Romano cursed. The wild thrashing that had followed Liechtenstein's supposed death had caused him to roll off his bed and land on the floor, his head butting into the bedside table and creating a big bruise. Shaky with fear, he climbed back onto the bed and pulled to covers up to his chin. Beads of sweat rolled down the side of his face, and his hands squeezed the covers until his knuckles turned white.
What the hell had he just dreamed of? The three of them were supposed to be making a deal of peace. Instead... Liechtenstein had died. He, someone of his army, had killed her. Mercilessly.
Suddenly, the door slammed open against the wall, so hard that Romano was afraid that his door would fall off its hinges. A flustered Liechtenstein burst in, her hands against the door and breathing hard. Her wide green eyes searched his.
"Romano! Are you alright?" She asked, a tone of panic and worry creeping into her voice.
Romano gaped at her, wondering how she had managed to guess that he had had a nightmare. Pushing away his amazement, he took on the sarcastic and indifferent tone instead. He wondered how she'd like to get a taste of her own medicine. "Si! Of course I'm fine." He protested to her, his wildly beating heart slowing to its normal pace.
For some stupid reason, he chose that moment to look at her. Her flushed cheeks and tousled hair suddenly made him feel strangely flustered, and his stomach was flip-flopping in a very uncomfortable way. He turned away from her, scowling. "Why are you here, anyway?" He demanded.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw Liechtenstein bow her head. The polite act again. How could she suddenly be so caring and polite when she had given him the cold shoulder for weeks? Surely she couldn't be really worried about him.
He admitted to himself that although they had –almost- become friends, he had never allowed her to get any closer, to break the wall between them, and so she was still wary of him. She still respected him like he was her master. She was so humble, that sometimes he wondered how she really acted around her friends. Was he that intimidating to her? He had never wanted to be a master, much less her master. He loved being superior to others, but toward Liechtenstein... her vulnerability made him feel like the worse of monsters whenever she called him master and did everything for him. He just really wanted to become... her friend, but had been relying on her to make the first move. And really, it was his fault that she had stopped trying. And here she was, still caring for him and respecting him even though he had treated her like shit. And he could only act like his grumpy self.
"So? Why the hell are you here?" He demanded sharply, seeing her flinch back. For some reason –was it pride or fear?- he couldn't tell her that he was grateful because she had come, and that he appreciated her still caring for him, and he enjoyed her company even when they couldn't keep a decent conversation.
He hated being such a coward.
"I-I'm sorry. I just... I was coming to your room when I heard you fall down and crash against the table, so I got worried, and I-"
"Why were you coming to my room?" He asked her suddenly.
"N-Never mind. It's nothing. I... I'm sorry to disturb you, Master Romano. Good night." She said quietly, turning away and started to leave. Romano hated times like these, when he messed up and her wall of defense would instantly go up. It had been happening a lot over the past week, and he was sick of it.
"Hey! Wait!" Romano panicked for a second. He didn't want her to act that way toward him anymore. He was sick of it all. But when she did turn back to him, he didn't know what to say to her. "I... I want to know. Why were you coming in here?"
Liechtenstein blushed slightly. "It's not a very good reason." She said quietly.
"Just say why."
"I... had a nightmare." She confessed.
"But then why did you come here?" He was genuinely confused. Spain had plenty nightmares, mostly of disappearing tomatoes and angry Belgiums, but he never went into his bedroom like that.
"Es tut mir leid." She blushed even brighter. "I'm sorry, but I was kinda thinking that..."
"Huh?" Completely oblivious, Romano gaped at her.
"Well... I was wondering if I could... sleep with you." At this, Romano turned as red as a tomato, but Liechtenstein obviously had no clue what those words could really mean. "I mean, kinda like I do with big bruder when I'm scared at night."
Her big eyes bored into his, and he realized how truly terrified she looked.
Without waiting for an answer, Liechtenstein turned to the door once more. But then, completely surprising himself, Romano called her back.
"You can."
"Huh?"
"You can stay in here." He repeated, not looking at her in order to hide the growing blush. "Only tonight, though."
"I... really?" She turned her 'deer in the headlights' gaze at him, and then her lips curved into a bright smile. "Danke!"
Liechtenstein came over to him and scrambled into his bed. Fortunately, Spain had gotten him a large one, so there was plenty of room for him to make between him and her. Except... Liechtenstein suddenly felt so warm, and... she was alive. Unlike his own nightmare.
"I..." Say something Romano. Stop having stupid thoughts, damn it!
"You're just like Veneziano." He accused her. "Spain told me that he always slept with either me or Germany, especially when he has nightmares."
She laughed gently. Hearing her laugh after so many days of a cold treatment instantly thawed his sullen expression. Her cheery giggle was just like the one of the Liechtenstein in his dreams. "And sometimes you're really grumpy, just like big bruder. But does it matter?"
"... No."
"That's good, then." Suddenly, he felt a hand clutch his pajamas sleeve. "Romano? I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." The words left her mouth in a rush, as if she was afraid that if she didn't say them right away, they would disappear.
"Hey... don't be sorry. It was me that got mad at you, right?" He grumpily pointed out. He hated her always feeling that it was her fault.
"Well... I still shouldn't have been so cold. I knew you were trying to apologize, but I just..." She avoided his eyes, burying her face into a pillow instead.
"Si, I know." He told her, and then turned to face the ceiling. His green eyes were glued up there, as to ignore hers and chase away his furious heartbeat. The silence quickly dawned on them, since neither knew what to say. Romano busied himself with scowling at the ceiling.
"Buonanotte," He finally gathered the courage to say, but she was already fast asleep.
Letting out a long breath he didn't know he had been holding, Romano flipped to his other side, away from Liechtenstein. He'd just pretend like... she wasn't there. But no, that wouldn't work so well. He suddenly felt haunted with the fear of Liechtenstein dying, Liechtenstein being taken away when he had fallen asleep. Damn that stupid dream. Mumbling incomprehensible words to himself, Romano decided to turn over to face Liechtenstein, just to make sure that... she wasn't going anywhere.
He reached over to turn off the lamp on the edge of his table, and then plopped back against the pillow, squeezing his eyes shut. After a few seconds, they opened on their own will.
Romano didn't think that he was going to get any sleep that night.
Sighing once more, he began to study Liechtenstein's sleeping figure. When she wasn't awake and smiling at him like usual, she looked so much smaller. Her eyebrows were slightly creased, and her lips rested in a thin line. Her pale hands clutched the covers, which moved up and down along with the movements of her breathing.
Romano felt something like... resentment for himself and all the things he hadn't done for her. Now looking at her completely innocent and naive sleeping form, he couldn't help but admire the fact that she looked so... pretty. He wondered how he hadn't realized that she was the blonde girl in his dreams all along. Her gentle, porcelain face and her bobbed blonde hair should it proved it to him. But really, he'd never actually looked at her up close like that...
With the moonbeam shining in through the open window, Romano could see her lips move slightly, and then close again. She thrashed under the covers, and suddenly, a hand grabbed his and held it in place.
Romano's green eyes widened in surprise, and his cheeks soon turned a deep shade of red.
"L-Liech..."
She suddenly wrenched her hand away from his. Acting on instinct, Romano reached out to grasp her hand tightly in his.
This was wrong. So, very wrong.
Romano could care less. She wasn't even awake. And tomorrow, he'd deny everything that had happened. Even to himself. And anyway, there was no chance that she even felt a little bit more than friendship for him. His brother had always been the one with all the girls, never him. He was constantly reminded of that fact whenever he looked into a picture and found Veneziano happily hugging a girl, and him fuming in a corner.
Although, he couldn't deny the sudden tingling sensation he felt at the tips of his fingers, which just slightly grazed hers.
Liechtenstein shifted, and Romano instantly jerked back, his cheeks brightening. He was sure now that he wouldn't be able to sleep for the rest of the night.
Liechtenstein stretched up on her toes, trying to reach the higher cupboards. Her fingers just grazed the handle, but she wasn't tall enough to open it all the way.
"Nein... I need to get the biscotti for brunch." Her eyebrows creased slightly as she frowned at the counter. She'd have to climb on it if she wanted to open the cupboard. Tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, she put both hands on the counter and heaved herself up, keeping one hand steady on the counter and the other one slowly reaching for the cupboard handle.
"L-Liechtenstein, what are you doing?"
Romano's voice startled Liechtenstein, and she whirled around quickly. "Oh, Guten Morgen, Romano!" She grinned sheepishly. "I was just... trying to get the biscotti."
"Oh." Liechtenstein watched as Romano let out an uncharacteristic chuckle. He seemed to be in a good mood that day. "Let me get that for you."
A tanned arm reached over her shoulder and easily opened the cupboard door, pulling out the container of biscotti. He brought it over to the table, and... smiled at her as she walked over, before taking the two cups of coffee that she had made and bringing those to the table, also. Liechtenstein followed with the plate of defrosted pizza from the microwave.
She took a seat across from him, beaming a sunny smile. It had been a long time since she'd even talked to Romano, and seeing him so happy... It brought a smile to her face. "What would you like to do today, Master Romano?"
Liechtenstein thought she saw him grimace briefly behind his cup of coffee, but the grin quickly returned. "Don't you have work to do?"
"Ja. But the mansion is pretty much spotless, because Spain isn't home. After I finish cleaning up the kitchen and the bedrooms, do the laundry, and then tend the garden, we can do something together." She looked at Romano. "Is that alright?"
"Si." He dipped a piece of biscotti into his coffee and chomped down on it. "I can help you with the cleaning, you know. And then... we can call Veneziano over."
Liechtenstein screamed to herself inside. It was so good to see that Romano had eased up on Veneziano, and was willing to spend time with his brother. He was really beginning to open up to her too, she thought, like when he had let her stay with him last night. It was really nice of him, and... he reminded her a bit of her own brother. Maybe cool and a bit of a bad guy on the outside, but really sweet on the inside. Like... that kind of bitter Swiss chocolate she loved to eat. "That'd be nice. Veneziano's really fun." She complimented. Noticing Romano's slightly sullen look post compliment, she decided to add, "And I really like spending time with you, too."
A slight blush spread over Romano's cheeks, and Liechtenstein couldn't help the giggles that escaped her lips. "You look really nice when you smile, Romano. You should do it more."
The blush grew darker. "Grazie." He mumbled, shoving biscotti into his mouth.
After breakfast, Liechtenstein carried a mop and bucket of water into the living room. Romano had offered to wash the dishes, and even though she'd almost refused to let him, it was nice to have someone help for a change.
Humming to herself, she dunked the mop into the bucket and then started cleaning a corner of the living room. Her mind wandered to her brother; she wondered what he was doing at the moment. She'd have to visit him soon, and see how he was getting on. Her beloved Switzerland.
Coming to work for Spain had actually been a wise choice, if she said so herself. She admired the Spaniard because of his ever sunny smiles and cheery attitude, and the way he treated her around the house. And she simply adored Veneziano. She loved the way he looked at everything with such a pure and curious attitude, and his hyperactive self, although he was never too loud or annoying. And of course, she enjoyed spending time with Romano. She didn't mind all the little things that had happened before, because she was simply grateful that he was actually starting to open up. Maybe... one day she'd open communications between her own little country and Italy.
Liechtenstein couldn't resist a little laugh at that. What would her brother ever say, if he found that she was thinking that way? He himself wasn't fond of the Italians, and she knew that he'd try to keep her away from returning there when she visited him. But she wouldn't be able to stay away. The Italian brothers were her friends now. Close friends, in fact.
"Huh? What's this?" The edge of her mop grazed a photo album lying under the sofa. Spain must have dropped it when he was packing. Leaning her mop against the wall, Liechtenstein kneeled down to study the album.
The first page revealed a large photo of Spain with his arms around Romano and smiling cheerfully, while Romano himself was sticking out his tongue. A slice of pizza was clutched in his hands. This must have been from before the memory loss.
She flipped from page to page and reveled in photos of Romano, from before the accident and even dating back all the way to when he had been a little kid.
A sudden picture caught her eye. There was Romano, wearing a green dress with an apron tied around his waist. He seemed to be punching Spain, and a concerned looking Austria stood in the doorway, watching them. The photographer's finger was blocking a bit of the photo, but when she looked closer, there was a little girl, peeking out of the door beside Austria. She had long, blonde braids and wide green eyes.
Could that have been... her? Liechtenstein clearly remembered her period of working for Austria, and she even remembered cleaning alongside Italy Veneziano for a couple of days before he left and reappeared a couple years later with Germany. She recalled Italy telling her that he had an older brother, but she had never met Romano until Spain hired her to work for him.
Jumping to her feet, Liechtenstein grabbed the photo album and raced through the mansion into Spain's tomato garden. Romano was picking the ripe tomatoes from the tree, and he looked up when she rushed over.
"R-Romano! Look at this!" She shoved the open album into his hands.
"Oh. The tomato bastard showed me these pictures before. What's wrong?"
Liechtenstein jabbed her finger at the little blonde girl. "Look at her. Do you recognize her?"
From the widening of his eyes, she knew that he did. "Th-This is you..."
"You remember me? You remember working for Austria from so long ago? Is your memory returning?"
"No." He frowned. "I don't remember anything. I know that Spain mentioned me working for Austria, but he never said that you worked there, too. I... kinda know you from somewhere else."
"Somewhere else?" Now she was entirely curious as to what he had to say. Was she the one starting to lose her memory? She couldn't remember ever meeting Romano at Austria's place. Unless...
"Well I..."
"Please, tell me." She urged him. "It might be something important." She was starting to wonder if he really was regaining his memory, or if he was having those dreams, like her. Except he'd never been in any of her dreams. Only Veneziano.
"Huh?" Romano looked at her, his lips pursed slightly in suspicion. "What dreams are you talking about?"
Oh. She'd probably been talking outloud. But... she thought he might as well know this. "I've been having strange dreams about my time back at Austria's house. Except... the dreams show things that have never happened. Veneziano was only there with me for a few days, yet in the dreams, he seemed to have stayed with me forever. And sometimes I even thought I saw you, but that would be illogical, because you went away with Spain before I even arrived, and I-" Suddenly, her eyes grew big in realization. "I don't think the dreams were about my past, actually. I kinda think that they're about..."
"An alternate universe, maybe?" Romano spoke up, and she looked to him in surprise.
"How did you-"
"I've been having those stupid dreams, too." He admitted with a sigh, chomping into the tomato he still held in his palm. "I thought that they showed me my past, but because Spain never mentioned you working for Austria, at least at the same time that I did... I don't think the dreams are about our past and stuff." A slight blush colored his cheeks and he looked thoughtful, but she didn't ask why. She was starting to become more and more confused and slightly scared.
"I wonder if fratello is having the same dreams." Romano suddenly said, looking down into the picture. "I know that if I really did work for Austria, I didn't work there the same time as you, so the dreams can't be about my past. But an alternate universe..." He frowned. "This is confusing as shit."
"Oh, Romano! You know that nightmare I had last night?"
He nodded slightly, turning his green eyes to her. The green seemed to dig deep into her thoughts, and she shifted uncomfortably, although... it wasn't necessarily a bad kind of uncomfortable. "Well, I dreamed that I... was in a battle. With my brother, and you and Veneziano. And I... was killed."
His eye started twitching slightly. "You- killed... I... What the fuck is this? Why are we having the same dreams and stuff?"
She flinched slightly at his curses, but quickly put them out of her mind. "You mean, you had that nightmare too? That was why I heard you yesterday night..." Liechtenstein trailed off, wondering what this meant for the both of them.
There was a long silence before Romano spoke again. "Spain's gonna return in a few days, and I'll ask that bastard about this."
"We can always ask Mr. England. He's good at this kind of stuff, except I think he has a few imaginary friends." She frowned down at the photo album. If Switzerland found out that she was having such strange dreams, he'd ban her from ever seeing the Italians and Spain again, that was for sure. And were the dreams supposed to mean, anyway? She'd always thought that they were a part of her past just replaying in her head because she was finally getting to know Romano and Veneziano, but apparently that wasn't so.
"Hey, don't look so worried." Romano's tone was indignant, but there was a spark of care in his eyes. She allowed herself to give him a little smile.
"I'm not worried, just... scared. What if this is something bigger than we think?" She tugged the photo album away from his hands and sat down on the grass, hugging the thick book to her chest.
"Fuck the dreams." Romano told her, adding a forceful smile to his cussing to reassure her. He sat down beside her, with the tomato basket in the middle of them. "We'll ask Spain when he gets back, so there's no point in worrying about them anymore."
"Ja... You're right." She took a tomato out of the basket and tried chomping on it just like Romano usually does, figuring that it would calm her down a bit. A strange taste overflowed her mouth... It was so unlike the tomatoes that she usually cooked.
"Do you like it?" Romano looked concerned.
"Ja!" Although the taste was strange, she thought it was rather strange in a good way. And it'd done its share in making her forget, at least for a little while. Chomping down on tomato after tomato in silence along with Romano, Liechtenstein began to feel slightly drowsy. Especially with the sun shining over her and the slightest breeze playing with her hair.
"You know, Romano, I think I'll ask Spain to let me spend the winter with my bruder. I want to arrive in Switzerland before the snow starts coming down. It can get really snow-blocked around the Alps area."
Romano glanced at her, his lazy expression changing considerably into something that almost looked like worry. "You'll leave? But you'll return, right? I mean, not that I need you to return or anything." He scowled back at his tomato, and instantly returned to the Romano she was used to, and completely adored.
"I should be getting back to my bruder, but only for the winter months. And then I'll return." She smiled at him, completely oblivious to the growing blush on his cheeks. "It will be hard to stay away, and I don't want to, anyway. I really do enjoy staying here and working for you and Spain."
"You're not just working here. You're our guest. At least, that's what Spain says."
"I guess. But I'd like to help you and him, no matter what. It'll be great to support you until your memory's completely back again." Suddenly, she surprised him with a little hug around his waist. "Danke."
"Huh? D-Don't hug me like that! What if someone's looking?" He quickly untangled himself from her grasp, looking more than a bit red in the face. "A-And why thank you? What did I do?"
She giggled. "It's everything you've done, really. And whatever these dreams turn out to be... I think it'll all be alright." Liechtenstein watched as Romano visibly relaxed and muttered a slight "Right." The quiet peace of noon really was making her drowsy, and without thinking anything much of it, she leaned her head against his shoulder. She could feel him tensing up, but he quickly relaxed from that, too. Romano was just like her big bruder...
With a small sigh, Liechtenstein closed her eyes, taking a little –what was it?- 'siesta'. She was going to revel in the peace as much as she could, because like all moments of peace... they would always shatter.
I feel like WSHB is really starting to go somewhere now! I'm really ecstatic for the later chapters, because I have a feeling that they're gonna be epic ^_^ And as for this chapter... Romano and Liechtenstein pretty much wrote themselves, really. As you can tell (or not) Romano's feelings for her are budding, and Liechtenstein... well, she's kinda oblivious to that at the moment. But we'll see how that turns out.