literature

Heart of Italia 3

Deviation Actions

TealHikari's avatar
By
Published:
1.8K Views

Literature Text

"Master Antonio!" Marcus stepped on Romano's hand as he was running to Antonio who was still spitting out sea water. 'Damn bastard…' Romano thought as he gritted his teeth. 'Antonio, huh. So that's his name. Sounds… nice.' He mentally slapped himself to next week. He had a responsibility! He couldn't be falling for anyone! People would get suspicious and possibly find out that he's actually a she. Speaking of falling… He turned his head and eyed the man talking with Felicia. Was this the one Feli was talking about? He wasn't much of a looker. At least to Romano.

"Oi!" He walked up to Felicia and the muscular blonde man. "Who are you and why are you bothering my sister?" He growled.

"Ah! Romano! This is Ludwig. He helped me earlier. Oh and…" She took the potato from her apron pocket and held it in front of him. 'She's actually gonna do it?'

"Veh~ Could I trade you for some pasta materials?" She asked sweetly. What. The. Tomato. Stupid brain. Sea water has damaged the profanity vocabulary. Romano thought as he smacked his head on the side.

"Uh… What?... I think you can make pasta out of potatoes." He said slowly.

"Veh?? Really??"

"Ja. I think it's called Gnottchi. You don't notice the difference in taste from what I've heard."

"Hey!" Something slapped him heartily on his shoulder and Romano's first reaction was to go for the shin when people sneak up on him.

"Ever heard of personal space, wine bastard?" Romano spat.

"What's wrong with congratulating a hero? Never thought you had it in you, mon ami. What made you do it?"

"What the hell are you supposed to do when you're surrounded by retards?" He turned his head away.

"Was it driven by… l'amour?" Francis said seductively as he tilted Romano's head to Francis' eye level. Romano retaliated by aiming in his weak spot.

"You are a sick, twisted bastard!"

"Come now, there is no need to feel bad. Love is acceptable by any gender." Romano's expression softened a bit as he glanced at Antonio. Sure. He was good looking and he… tasted like tomatoes but there was no way that it would happen. He couldn't allow it. Not until Felicia is completely out of harm's way. He felt himself blush slightly.
"Ah! So it was love! You are really something Romano. Who knew?" Francis was grinning like he had just been awarded a Nobel prize.

"Fuck off, you bastard!"

"Lovi!" Felicia smacked Romano with the potato Ludwig gave her. "You shouldn't use bad words!"

"Hey, you!" Another voice came from behind him. "Romano, is that your name, did I get it right?" Antonio smiled at him.

"Yeah, what do you want?"

"I just wanted to thank you, amigo. You saved my life. I don't know what I would've done without you. I wish there was some way to repay you."

"Don't mention it. You don't have to owe me anything."

"Well, Master Antonio, I hope you're happy. Because of your little stunt, we have now officially missed our train." Marcus glared at Antonio then Romano. 'What the hell did I do?'

"Oh! That's terrible!" Felicia cried. "Well, I'm sure another one will come by soon."

"It won't come for at least two weeks." Marcus said coldly as he straightened his collar.

"Ah! What if you stayed with us? We have plenty of room." Felicia said almost immediately. She was the kind of person who would take in a stray cat (metaphorically and literally) who was lost in the rain and nurse it back to health and sometimes keep it. These two were without a place to stay, the Spanish man was soaking wet and exhausted and it would seem wrong to leave them in the streets waiting for their train.

"Feli!" Why. Couldn't. She. Keephermouthshut! Romano facepalmed himself mentally. Please let them say no and go find an inn.

"Hey, if you're offering, I won't say no. It's free so I'm happy."

"Hey! You can't just- Felicia!" Romano whipped his head back and forth towards his sister and Antonio.

"Is there a problem?" Antonio's smile was starting to fade.

"I-well… No. It's all right. This dummy here," Romano patted Felicia's head as she made an automatic 'veh' sound. "Has a tendency to do what she thinks is right."

"So, does that mean we can still stay?" Antonio tilted his head to the side as he was a little confused.

"What do you think, you idiot? I said yes so what does that mean?" Antonio lit up instantly.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You've done more than I can ever repay!"

"Although…" Romano interrupted him. "You have to work. I'm not having any form of freeloading bastards staying with us for-what was it again-?"

"Two weeks?" Shit. Two freaking weeks. Missed the amount of time in the conversation earlier. What the hell did they get themselves into? If he found out their secret-no, he wasn't going to find out. 'The guy looks too stupid… er… That may be a strong word, Felicia (no offense) fits the definition of stupid. The lovable kind of stupid. This guy… He seems like he's ditsy. Bottom Line, he won't catch on.' Romano reassured himself. This could work but he's not running a charity.

"All right," he huffed. "Two weeks, you are gonna work for us! We need help around the house and we don't have much time to properly clean it."

"Oh…" Antonio looked slightly uncomfortable.

"I don't think he'd live up his end of the bargain." Marcus had a thin smile. "The closest thing my master has seen to a mop is that hairstyle of his."

"Those are my conditions. Take it or leave it."

"Ci, Ci. Fair enough." Romano had some papers to fill out from his manager and the local clinic for himself after the rescue. It still puzzled him what drove him to do such a thing. Sure, everyone else was sitting around and staring but for him to volunteer to rescue this guy, this was totally out of whack. 'Heh. You have a REALLY strange sense of humour, Nonno.' He smiled to himself as he looked up at the starlit sky as they were walking back home. 'I hope you're doing alright up there. I'm having a total blast down here.' He thought sarcastically. 'If you were trying to make me laugh, you've got to try harder, Old Man.'

Something flashed in the corner of Romano's eye that made him stop and sent a bone chilling shiver down his spine. It was the kind of feeling that made him think he should take Felicia and go to the safe house. He whipped his head around and it was nothing but he couldn't help but feel it was those prying eyes from that person.

"Veh~ Lovi, you okay?"

"Yeah. Just swallowed a bit too much of sea water, that's all." He said as he dismissed Felicia. He was too paranoid to yell at her for calling him 'Lovi'. Just as long as she didn't add two extra letters, they're fine.

"So, this is our house." Romano turned around as they arrived at a simple looking house that was on a raised deck that was up a hill. There were two sets of stairs on the sides, both an eroding colour of brown and a large pile of organized arm length logs were under the deck. Romano dug his house keys from his pocket and let everyone in the house.

He noticed that Antonio had a blank stare as he entered the small house. They just came into a small kitchen, which seemed even smaller with a mountain of pots on the counter and in the sink. At least you could walk in and get something from the fridge and make something on the stove.

To their right was one large living room with a semi-sphere chair against the wall, a lamp hovering above it and a long curving couch that took up half of the room. There was a fire place next to the chair and a small wood box and fire starters next to it. There were six doorways that were across from the group, seven counting the door they just came in, three directly across that appeared to be bedrooms, one adjacent to their left which was a sliding door to the deck and had a fantastic view of the Mediterranean and two which one was closed and the other was identified as a small bathroom with a tub and shower. Right in front of them was a long wooden table with four chairs with leather backings.

"Well, this is our home. Sorry about the mess, veh~ And this…" Felicia bent down to pick up her orange tabby, "Is Ravioli! Isn't he the cutest kitty in the world?" The cat mewed affectionately as Felicia nuzzled her face against him.

"I'll set up my room, it's the cleanest. You and your friend can fight each other on who gets the room and who gets the couch."

"Err… It's very nice, mi amigo. Although I find it hard to believe how you and your sister are the only people living here and you two make this much of a mess. And your house is very small too." Antonio's comment made Romano twitch. Stuck up rich boy. What was the reason he took these two in? Brain too fried. Too much sea water. Romano sighed. He was much too tired to fight tonight. But once he's well rested, he's gonna kick ass.

----------------

"Lovina, my dear, who knew after all these years, you were still alive?" Oh God. It's him. Where was he? Lovina could feel her heart pound hard against her chest. It was dark, that hauntingly nostalgic voice was near and she found it difficult to breathe.

"Get the hell away from me you bastard!" She snarled. The minute she spat out her words, something yanked her forwards and she could feel the man's warm breath on her face. Her vision was sharpening but she couldn't see the man's face.

"Now, now, pet. That's no way to talk back to your master." Lovina's eyes trailed from his hand and he was holding a chain that was connected to a collar around her neck. She started to panic and tried to move away but the man followed her and pinned her up against the wall, running his free hand down her side with his face dangerously close to hers. "I can give you a way out. I can give you the life you've always wanted. Become mine and I will give you anything your heart desires, my princess."

"Fuck you. Like hell I will. I know what you're after. I don't have it. Even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you!" Another sharp jerk upwards and Lovina yelped in pain. Next thing she knew, her lips were being forced upon by his. He was cold, rough and painful. He tried to pry and coax for an opening but she wouldn't allow it.

"You're quite the stubborn one, dear Lovina. But do you know what happens to pets who don't obey their masters?" He had an evil grin on his face as his body pressed against hers.
---------------

"Get away from me!" Lovina let out a blood curdling scream as she thrashed around restlessly in her bed. "I swear I don't have the Heart of Italia, you bastard!" She shot up after she finally managed to wake up. She panted heavily as she wrapped her hands around her throat and to her relief, that God awful collar wasn't on her. She wasn't trapped.
She turned her head and Felicia was sound asleep, dreaming about pasta, did not budge to Lovina's cries. At times like this, Lovina could only wish that she was as simple minded as her sister. She wouldn't have to worry about serious stuff too much and could dream about pasta to her heart's content.

"Are you alright?" Oh right. That guy was living with them. He cautiously poked his head through the door like a curious child. Lovina whipped her head down quickly then looked at him. Thank God she wears a t-shirt and shorts as her pyjamas instead of nightgowns or tank tops.

"Whaddya want?" Lovina moaned.

"Well, I heard screaming. Is your sister alright?" Great. No, really great. He assumed it was Felicia who screamed, not Lovina. How dense was this guy? Although, Lovina had to admit, that makes him… cute. And sweet(BAD THOUGHTS. VERY BAD).

"Oh, yeah. She screams because of the pasta monster that occasionally steals her pasta."

"Ah… Ah pasta, wait for me!" Felicia gave a panicked cry as she started to roll around. "Bad monster!" Then she faced the wall and gave a contented sigh. "Veh~ … Ludwig…" She gave a heartfelt sigh. Oh great. Now that guy was in her dreams before Lovina gave her consent?! He is now the newest addition to the 'To Be Ass-Kicked List'.

"The pasta monster?" Antonio burst into a fit of laughter. "That's really funny! Oh, sorry. I might wake her up." He covered his mouth quickly.

"I'd be more worried about your… whateveryoucallem waking up. We're fine."

"Bueno. Well, goodnight." He smiled. Lovina couldn't fall back asleep. She was afraid of that man reentering her dreams. She was once again envious of her sister. Felicia always had something to think about, even if she did of anything, it would bring her peace of mind and Lovina was always there to comfort her when she was troubled. Lovina couldn't find that same sense of security. Whenever she tried to put her thoughts away and absolutely think of nothing and blankly stare off into space, her thoughts came swarming back in, nagging and blabbing on and on and on. As close as she was to her sister, she couldn't get the same level of comfort with Felicia. After so many years of trying to protect her, comfort her and keeping her troubles at bay, Lovina felt like she couldn't depend on Felicia like that.

She rolled on her side and closed her eyes, praying that dreams would not enter and that faceless bastard would be repelled. She partially got her wish; the bastard did not penetrate her mind anymore for the night. Instead, she was swept away to a beautiful garden like paradise that had a soothing aroma of fruits; tomatoes being the strongest. It was so peaceful and relaxing, Lovina had felt as if all her troubles were gone and felt happier than she has ever been in a long time. And the best part is that she was her true self; she wasn't disguised as a boy, her beautiful long hair grew back and she was wearing a beautiful white dress. Now she could gloat to her grandfather and say that she was prettier than Venus, and he would laugh his ass off seeing that she's making him eat his own words like she used to when she could.

Footsteps were approaching from behind her and she thought it was her grandfather. She turned around and started to smile then stopped when she realized it wasn't her grandfather. Instead, shining emeralds were staring back at her, awestruck and a hint of confusion. Then their owner grew a smile that made her blush a little as he offered his hand, inviting her to dance which she slowly accepted. He guided her to a small gazebo and started to dance the waltz. Being with this person, this stranger, made her feel safe, happy and dissolved of all of her worries. They stopped and leaned extremely close to each other, as if they were about to kiss.

Since the time when she saved him, she yearned for his lips. Wondering how different it would feel than being taken, wondering how it was supposed to feel to really be kissed, to be in love. They were only just a finger width apart when there was a loud BANG.

Lovina shot up again, turned to her side and Felicia was STILL asleep even though she was dangling from side of the bed, apparently from rolling around. She wasn't the source of the noise then she heard this 'I'm sorry' a million times over. She got up and went to her room where Antonio was scrambling trying to pick up pieces of glass that came from her picture frame that was now on the floor. He saw her out of the corner of his eye and shot his head up and was ready to beg for mercy.

"ImsorryImsorryImsorry! It was an accident! I bumped into your dresser and it fell!" Romano let out a small growl.

"Geez. You need to be more careful. I'll go get a broom. Just make sure the cats don't get in."

"Cats? I thought you only had one." Antonio tilted his head.

"God only knows how many Feli brought back when I wasn't looking." He sighed. He was feeling a little down for being woken up from a good dream that only came once in a blue moon. It wasn't that he was woken up, it was that he knew the limits of dreams. There was no way it would happen. Until Felicia was completely out of harm's way, meaning she would get married, Romano couldn't be Lovina. And there was no way she would fall in love and get married within two weeks so Lovina could tell Antonio the truth. She could tell him now but she had a strict plan that she had to stay with. Felicia comes first. That way she couldn't be used if worst came to worst.

After Romano battled his way through the storage room to get a broom, he came back to his room and started sweeping up the glass.

"Hey… Romano, could I ask you something?"

"What is it?" He mumbled without lifting his head up.

"Who are these two with Felicia?" He held up a small horizontal coloured photo with a tall handsome man with wavy brown hair with two little girls with white dresses and berets. They were all smiling and Felicia could easily be identified with her dopey smile. Romano felt the furry built up inside him. The snoop not only broke her picture of him and Felicia, he was looking at this picture, and that news article. It didn't appear to be on the floor with the mess. "Sorry, I don't mean to intrude, it's just that I found it on your stand and well I didn't see any other picture frames and I tried to put it back then I bumped into your dresser and it broke." He rambled.

"That's my grandfather and my sisters. My grandfather and my sister died five years ago." Romano said without looking up. He rehearsed this story so many times and didn't actually think he'd actually use it. Now that he had to, he found his voice wavering, something he should've gotten over.

"Does it have something to do with the… Heart of Italia?" Romano's head shot up and Antonio had a small piece of newspaper in his hand. Romano glared at him because this time, he caught him snooping.

"I-I just found it under the bed!" He said quickly and Romano relaxed his glare a little. He always made sure that if he took the picture and the article out, he'd put it back in the frame. And he hadn't taken it out recently.

"You said you didn't take it out?" He said cautiously and had a low growl.

"Ci! Ci! I swear, I didn't touch anything! Except I pulled a novel off your bookshelf, I hope you don't mind." He smiled nervously. Romano still kept his glare after sweeping up the glass. Sorrow and guilt were starting to fill his stomach and really, what is the harm in telling him? He seems to be trusting and he had to get some stress off of his chest.

"My family has been the keepers for Italy's treasure, the Heart of Italia for centuries. I honesty don't really know what it is but it was the source of Nonno's strength. It is something so pure, it has the power to heal, create, give one immortality, destroy and grant someone invincible strength. Nonno was one of the most powerful men in Italy and he only used it to keep us safe and Italy safe from danger. Many people have tried to form alliances with Nonno only for the Heart's power and to try and take it. However, it can only be passed down or given away by the male keepers or the heirs. Five years ago, some men came to our house and they-"

Romano's voice caught in his throat and couldn't go on. He was truly in danger of crying bringing up that memory but this time, it was less intense and less painful thinking about it. Suddenly he felt some arms quickly but gently embrace him.

"It's okay amigo." Romano felt his face getting warmer the minute he heard Antonio's voice in his ear. "I'm your amigo and amigo's help each other right?"

"H-hey! A-a little too close there." Romano pushed him off gently.

"You can trust me. You can tell me anything you want and I promise I won't tell. That's what amigo's are for!" He grinned.

"What the hell does amigo mean? You say it all the time and it's annoying."  

"It means friend! We're friends, yeah?" He paused and blinked a few times as if he was trying to recollect something. "But we're really close friends since we hug and kissed, right?" Romano turned redder and redder and backed away.

"You-you perverted bastard! When didyou!?" He pointed a shaking finger at him. 'Remind me why I took him in again?'

"Actually that was you." He simply smiled. "So should I be calling you the perverted bastard, corto tomate?" He tilted his head and continued to smile, showing no signs of annoyance or anger. Normally Romano's mouth would irritate anyone.

"Oh yeah…" Romano rolled his eyes. "Well, CPR doesn't count, got it!?"

"Okay." He chirped. 'Okay? That's all he could say? What IS this guy?'

"But… If you were a girl, do you think it would still count? I'm just asking."

"How the hell am I supposed to know? Felicia doesn't use any female lingo and I work with a bunch of slobbery pigs." He turned away and was still blushing furiously.

"Ahem." A voice came from in front of Romano. "I made breakfast." Marcus stood in the doorway, looking passively at them.

"Thanks." Romano mumbled on the way out to go and wake up Felicia. Marcus made some paella, which looked very appetizing but it lacked spices and was very bland.

"Alright, Antonio. Your first job is to clean the kitchen." Romano said after he finished his food. "Although it would've been less work for you to do if somebody" He glared at Marcus. "Used paper plates and plastic cutlery."

"You didn't give me the pleasure of letting me know there were any." He replied coolly.

"They were right on the counter beside the fridge, how could you miss them?" All of the counters were buried under a mountain of dishes, pots, pans, you name it, barely touching the underside of the cupboards. The bag of paper plates and cutlery was against the fridge, behind all of the pots. Antonio had an uncomfortable look on his face but he wanted to keep his end of the deal so he didn't complain.

"Or actually, first job is to clean up yourself. We have to go back to the clinic to make sure that everything is okay. Then come back, start on the kitchen. I have a couple of errands to run then I'll come and help if you're still doing it." Antonio did as he was told and got dressed. When Romano took a shower and got out, he realized that he forgot a change of clothes. His routine was after he took a shower and did his routine, he would go to his room and get changed. Since he had people over, he couldn't do that. He told himself to bring a change of clothes from his room but he didn't. He poked his head out of the bathroom door to see where everyone was.

Felicia's room was to the left and it was shut, meaning she was changing, Marcus was gone and he spotted Antonio going into the kitchen. He wrapped the towel around his body and dashed to his room. He carefully tried to avoid the spot where the glass and was able to get underwear, pants and a bra on. He was about to blow dry his hair when the door swung open, and he started to swear thinking it was Felicia since she never knocked.

"How many times to I have to tell you- AAAHH!" Romano screamed at the same time with Antonio. Antonio stood there for a couple of seconds, covered his eyes, walked (or ran into) the door frame while trying to look away.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Oh shit. Today was going to be fun.
This chapter was fun to write. I love it how Antonio is such a happy go lucky ditz. That's what makes him so lovable, eh? Once again, thanks to those who commented, reviewed, favoured and all that jazz. Cookies for everyone! They're a little burned but they're better than England's!

England: Why you bloody wanker!
Me: Sorry Iggy. The trick is not to keep them in the oven for an hour.
Prussia: Kesesese! Isn't awesome to find someone who's brave enough to speak their mind in front of England?
Me:Thanks Prussia but- wait, this is the wrong story, you know.
Prussia: Ok, fine I'll leave.
Me: I'm sorry! You can stay! I've got pancakes!
Prussia: Kesesese~ Robin-chan doesn't own Hetalia.
Me:It's spelt with a 'Y' not 'I', Prussia. Remember it next time.
Prussia: *stuffs mouth with pancakes*

Me: Enjoy! And like he said, I do not own Hetalia
© 2011 - 2024 TealHikari
Comments24
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Mayoko93's avatar
Lol, love the story. Wish you would continue it.