A/N I do not own the incredibly beautiful song "Wanderer's Lullaby" All the rights go to Adriana Figueroa. She has so many pretty songs and covers, so go check her out!
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You sat on the couch, hands wrapped around a steaming cup of lemon tea (You're gonna like it whether you want to or not! JK, you can change it if you want) . England was beginning to have an influence on you. It was a dark and rainy day here at Spain's home - which you shared with him and Romano, or Southern Italy - and you felt that cuddling on the couch with a nice, hot beverage and a movie was the perfect way to relax.
You inhaled the lovely scent coming from the cute tomato mug you had sneakily stolen from Romano's dish cabinet labeled "DON'T TOUCH, YOU TOMATO BASTARD." Though you knew you'd probably get yelled at later, the warning technically didn't include you, so you were willing to take the risk. Plus, it was just so adorable! Just like the man himself, you thought to yourself. You moved around some more on the couch, and once you got comfortable, you donned a small smile and lifted the cup up to take a sip.
The liquid was just about to hit your lips when the door burst open, causing you to jump in surprise and spill some of the steaming drink on your lap. You quickly set the cup down and turned just in time to catch a fleeting Romano before he disappeared into the kitchen. What on Earth is wrong with him? you pondered as you dabbed your lap with a napkin, giving up after you realized the stain wouldn't come out. As you set the napkin down, your ears perked at the sound of Romano's voice, faintly trailing out of the kitchen.
"Fucking idiota! Once again everyone flocked to him like fucking moths to a flame! What's so good about him anyway? I can do everything he can do, they'd see that if they only paid attention to me! What does he have that I....I don't? Why does....why?" His voice began to crack, and you jumped up and ran to the kitchen, sticking your head around the door before slowly walking in.
The sight you saw broke your heart.
Bending over the counter, hair ruffled, arms shaking, was a Romano on the verge on tears. He sniffed once before lifting his head, freezing when he saw you at the door. He quickly turned and lifted his arm to try and erase the evidence of his pain.
"What the fuck do you want?" Romano grunted out.
Still stunned by the scene in front of you, you just stood there, at a loss for words.
"I said, what the fuck do you want?" Romano repeated, this time with more force, hints of anger in his voice.
Seeing him shake more aggressively, you wasted no time in walking up to him and lightly touching his arm. You saw him tense before finally dropping his arm down limply by his side. He refused to look at you.
"Come with me," you said softly, sliding your hand down to his wrist and pulling him towards you. To your surprise, he followed you with less of a fight than you had expected. However, this compliant and silent Romano only made you sadder. You led him into the living room, where you sat him down next to you and covered him with the blanket you were using. Romano stared blankly at the wall across the room.
"Romano. Romano, look at me," you tried to get his attention, reaching out and turning his face to yours. His golden eyes were red and rimmed with unshed tears. "Roma, tell me what's wrong."
He stared at you for a minute before he took a deep breath, his eyes becoming more and more full of anger with each passing second. Finally, he let go.
"Why does everyone like my fratello more than me? Everyone thinks he's so perfect and pushes me aside like I'm trash! Aren't I just as special as he is?" his voice dropped, " Who the Hell am I kidding, I'm useless. Nobody wants me, I could disappear and no one would even notice, let alone care."
He squeezed his eyes shut before raising his voice once again, "My own fratello doesn't even like me! I just want to be a big brother he can look up to, but he hates me! Everyone hates me! I'm just the meaner, grumpier, lesser version of Veneziano." By this time, his grip on the blanket was turning his knuckles white.
"Nobody loves me, so why am I even here? Why..." Romano was breathless and tears fell freely down his cheeks. You felt a tear of your own roll down your face at the sight of him, completely vulnerable. He looked so broken.
"Oh and look! Someone even used my fucking mug! All I'm good for are mugs!" Romano cried out with a forced laugh.
You looked down, suddenly filled with so much guilt that you felt it would tear you apart. "I'm sorry," you spoke, barely audible.
Romano brought his hands up to his eyes and rubbed some tears away, sniffing once more, "What?"
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Romano. You do not deserve to feel this way. I can't believe that you have been driven to believe this! I wish I could take all your pain away, but all I can offer you is my love," You let out a shaky breath before turning to Romano, giving him a soft smile, "You may not believe me, but I actually like you better than any other country I've met. You're rude, and loud, and you curse a lot, but you're so kind, and you're honest. Romano, you have so much love in you, so much of it to give, and I feel so lucky to have experienced that love, even if it is not so openly expressed."
Romano's eyes grew wide at your words, and this only encouraged you to keep going.
"You are so important, Romano. Without you, there would be no Italy, so don't you ever say that you're worthless! Without you, I can assure you that Spain would never be the same. Without you, your brother would fall apart, because believe or not, he loves you, we all do, and those assholes who treat you differently are not worth your time. Not only are you important to the world, but you're important to me," You placed both your hands on his face, determined to get this message through to him, "Please Romano, please don't feel like you aren't loved, or wanted, because I'm right here to tell you that I love you, and I want you." You took a big gulp of air, wiping the last of your tears away and smiling up at him.
Romano was utterly shocked, having never heard anyone say such words to him, and his freshly dried eyes began to water again. "R-Really?" he stuttered out.
You let out a small laugh of relief, overwhelmed with happiness that he believed your words. You hoped he would begin to believe in himself. "Yes Roma."
Romano started crying, but this time, it was not out of anger and hurt. You scooted a little away from him and patted your lap, signaling him to lay down. He opened his mouth to protest, but you sent him a warning glare that made him shut his mouth and quickly place his head on your lap. You two sat in a comfortable silence for a while, you softly stroking his hair, avoiding his curl. Your gaze drifted up from his head to the table in front of you, where your abandoned cup of tea still stood. You realized you hadn't apologized for using it yet.
"I'm sorry for using your tomato mug," you stated as casually as you could. You sighed in relief when you heard him grunt, a long string of profanities following.
"It's fine bella, as long as it never touches the shitty hands of that tomato bastardo," you giggled at his comment. You heard him take a deep breath before yelling, annoyed, "You smell like tea, you idiota!"
"If you're going to complain, I'll push you off!" You poked him in the shoulder, a big smile spreading across your face at having the angry, wonderful Romano back. "And what happened to bella?" You teased.
There was a moment of silence before you heard a soft, "Grazie, bella." Smiling, you tucked the blanket around Romano, covering him more, as it was getting quite chilly. "You're welcome Roma. Ti amo."
"...Ti amo, bella."
You hummed a lullaby softly as the rain fell against the windows, luring you both to sleep.
Neither of you noticed the thunder that night.
YOU ARE READING
It's Just More Fun Together ~ Hetalia x Reader One Shots
FanfictionA simple book of Hetalia one shots that showcase the struggles, fun, tears, and love that come with living on Earth, because let's face it, life is just more fun when we face it together.