Romano x Reader-Babysitter

Your heart was beating wildly as the guy you have been crushing on for MONTHS was coming to meet you alone. No joke or anything. He actually agreed to meet you alone. Your patience FINALLY paid off for one thing… Out of a billion other things that have yet to be praised. You pace nervously back and forth around the gazebo, still no sign of him. You had your fingers crossed praying extremely hard this was going to happen.

"Hey, ________!" You turned your head and the star hockey player, Alex Tuner was running up to you. He was tall, handsome, like angels had painted his face, had soft golden hair and dazzling hazel eyes. You were on somewhat friendly terms with him although you didn't hang out very often as he was a year older than you and preferred to hang with his friends that moved on to the next grade.

"Alex. Glad you came." You gave a warm smile. "Listen, there's something I want to ask you…"

"Oh really? Cause there's something I want to ask you too." His smile was fading as if he were trying to relax.

"You do?" Your heart was pounding against your chest. It must have been fate for the two of you to ask the same question. But it has to be the guy who asks it right? "You go first." You giggled a little.

"Okay. I was wondering…" Yes, yes, yes!!!! This was the moment. "You know Courtney, your sister right? I was wondering if you would ask what she thinks of me 'cause I want her to be my girlfriend." Your heart froze and it felt like you were going to shatter in a million pieces. You could take it if he liked someone else but your own OLDER SISTER??  That couldn't just be forgiven easily.

"Ask her yourself. What do I look like, some low life messenger?" You popped the lid off your Starbucks coffee before he could even blink and splashed it on his family jewels and stormed off. You were generally a calm and nice person but when it came to putting Courtney over you, hell hath no fury like you.

Anyone might see that as overreacting but they don't know everything. You were always in her shadow. She had straight A's. You had B's with the occasional A and one C. She was beautiful, you were plain. She inherited your family's cooking skills. You defied all laws of science and burn water along with anything that is remotely edible. Bottom line she outshone you for everything. The few times you actually get praise, criticism usually follows. Your grades are the most common thing that you get nagged about.

You gave up trying to stand up for yourself long ago. Whenever there was a problem, you were always blamed, whether or not it was your fault. If it was Courtney's fault, you catch her and bring it up with your parents and you're told to grow up and nothing would be done to Courtney unless if you were physically hurt.

The one thing that really brings out your shine is your music and art. Music more than art. Since you couldn't really lash out at anyone, the occasional jerks are a different story like Alex, you learned to channel your emotions elsewhere.

Your art skills were something to be praised as they were continually getting better however you were far from a professional. Your pride and joy wasn't in art but in your music.

You could play the flute like a true professional and could range from festive dancing tunes to sweet lullabies. And you taught yourself to play the keyboard a bit, you could only play by ear, you didn't know what notes were what and you didn't really want to learn. Piano music sheets were a pain to read. Besides, it was more fun to play by trial and error. You played music from movies, tv shows, anime and games on the piano while you either played your own made up tunes or complicated music on your flute. And you had a nice soft voice to boot.

You sulked back to your house and crashed on your bed, ready to scream into your pillow when your phone was playing 'I'm Awesome' you pick it up and say "No you're not dude, don't lie."

"Aw man, _______, why do you hate the awesomeness?"

"I don't Gil. That's what you get for playing with my phone. You've should've known I like singing." You smirk. Gilbert had been best friends with you for years. He was like a REAL sibling you never had. Always good for a laugh, he knew how to cheer you up and he was, in short, awesome. He was only your best friend, nothing more, you weren't interested in each other THAT way. Besides, he already had a girlfriend whom you knew fairly well.

"Kesesesese. Riiight. So how'd it go with Mr. Yummy-Hockey-Pants?"

"Ugh…" You flopped back on your bed and sighed. "He only wanted me to hook up with you-know-who."

"Why would he want you to ask Voldemort out? He's ancient, he's creepy, he's a pedophile and he's DEAD!"

"Gilbert you jerk! I haven't seen the last movie yet, no spoilers!" You half shout half laugh. 'Wait, since when was Voldemort a pedo?'

"Kesesesese. You know you love me. Hey,_______,"

"Mm?"

"I was wondering if you have any plans tonight 'cause I need a babysitter."

"Last time I checked, Ludwig is only a year younger than you."

"Please, do it! Do it for the awesomeness! Don't make me put on the puppy eyes."

"We're on the phone." You sighed.

"Yeah but there's video calls."

"Don't know how it works. I can only text, call and receive emails."

"Now that's just unawesome. How long have you had your phone and you only know how to use three out of a billion things it offers? So you coming or what?"

"Yeah. I need something to keep my mind busy. I'll head over there right away."

It was a fifteen minute walk to Gilbert and Ludwig's home. Gilbert gave you a spare key and you invited yourself in. Before you were about to say 'Hey' you heard a string of several swears followed by a whimpering and pleading voice. You would've thought Ludwig was giving Gilbert a lecture from hell but the voices were different.

"Why the hell did you drag me over here to the potato bastard's house?! If you were going to drag me somewhere, then drag me along with you so I can sit between the two of you."

"Bu-but fratelloooo… Then it wouldn't be a proper date. It'd just be a hangout. And I haven't been on a date with Ludwig…" You poke your head into the kitchen and you see two brown haired people who you recognized as fellow students. The darker haired on was Lovino Vargas and the lighter haired boy was Feliciano Vargas. And he was being strangled by Lovino.

"Don't. You. DARE. Call. It. A. Date!" Lovino says as he is shaking Feliciano. "It's not a date for crying out loud!"

"Hey! Heyheyhey! Break it up! Break it up!" You say as you pull them apart and have both of their attention.

"Vee~ Grazie, bella!"

"Oh sure, protect him, why don't you?" Lovino says bitterly. There was something about his tone that struck a cord with you. You couldn't put your finger on it but you had a weird impulse to hug him and apologize. But that would be just plain weird coming from a total stranger.

"I-I'm not taking anyone's side." You say defiantly. "I just maintain the peace. At least you two are easy to break apart." You laugh to try and lighten up the mood. "Try breaking apart two drunk Germans."

You could faintly hear Gilbert yell from the basement door 'Prussian!! German and a Prussian!!!'

"Hmph." Lovino says as he crossed his arms and Feliciano smiles absently.

"Well, my name is________. We go to the same school but I don't think we've formally introduced ourselves."

"Vee~ Ciao! I'm Feliciano and this Lovino. He's a year older than me."

"Hmph. Like I can't introduce myself. So what are you doing here at the potato bastards' place?"

"Huh? Oh. I'm friends with Gilbert and he asked me to 'babysit'." You bent your fingers at the word babysit. 'And a good thing too. I really need someone to talk to in person. Ludwig's a really good listener.' You glanced around the room nervously trying not to think about earlier.

"Hey~ Glad you could make it,_______" Gilbert grins and puts his arm around your shoulder. He has a button up shirt on and his hair is somewhat less messy. Somewhat.

"You wanted me to keep Ludwig company when you're out drinking?" You raise an eyebrow. You didn't mean to be snarky or anything but your mood was so down, it seemed like that. But Gilbert knew that you weren't yourself.

"Nope. He's on a double date with me. I'm taking Lizzy and he's taking Feliciano."

"It is NOT a fucking date, you bastard!!! Don't you dare say it is! And if you were dating, I'd rip you a new pair for cheating."

You turned you head to Lovino and stared blankly at him. You couldn't really understand this guy. He's all defensive over his brother, he seems to hate Ludwig and Gilbert's guts for some reason yet he was threatening Gilbert for cheating? Made no sense.

"You should know that you shouldn't toy with any girl's heart. You disgust me." That was seriously a little weird. You had no other input in the matter because you were trying to rid your mind of everything to stop remembering.

"Oh? You think that we're together? Get your facts straight, Tomato Bastard." Gilbert chuckled. "__________ has been friends with me and Luddy for a few years. She's kind of like our sister. And dear__________," Oh geez, he was using that grin and tone of voice where there is no turning back to whatever kind of shit you got yourself into. "This is your babysittee."

Both you and Lovino simultaneously turned red and were at a loss for words. Your (e/c) widened in shock. You were asked to babysit a guy your own age that you hardly know? This was the weirdest thing that anyone has ever done.

"The FUCK?! I don't need a damn babysitter! And babysittee isn't even a word!"

"It is in the awesome dictionary." Gilbert grinned.

"You are fuckin' DEAD bastard!"

"Here's an advance, keep the change. You know the drill, have your phone on, call if anything happens, hold him down for at least five minutes after we leave, keep him away from pointy objects and the blender, then go nuts. Feli, West, I don't care whether you're ready or not, you can finish putting your makeup on in the car!" Gilbert said really quick as he gave you a wad of cash, grabbed Feliciano by the scruff of the neck and grabbed Ludwig who was at the door with shoes in hand.

You whip your head back and forth as you try to process what had just happened. Then you saw Lovino starting to run after him. You put your mopy attitude aside and flipped to business/babysitter mode.

"Get back here you bastard!" You now understand why Gilbert asked you to hold him down. You tackled him to the ground like you learned in gym for rugby without breaking anything in the house or any of your bones. "What are you doing?!" He glared at you and you 'eep'ed.

"Sorry Lovino, he already paid me." This was extremely awkward but business is business. He stopped struggling and softened his glare a little bit.

"Just like him to stoop so low." He growled. You slowly released your grip and got off him but you were ready to hold him back if he tried anything stupid. "Sorry that you had to be dragged into this, bella."

"It's fine."

"Aw dammit." Lovino said as he was patting himself down. "They took my frickin' car keys."

"Funny. I thought you were gonna say they took your kidney." You smile. Lovino looked at you kind of funny. "Oh, it's from Charlie the Unicorn. You seen it?"

"Yeah." You saw him barely crack a smile. "That is funny." You really don't understand him. He seems so different when he's around you, he's less hostile. You take this moment to see how much money Gilbert gave you. 60 DOLLARS?! Holy shit.

He must've been reeal desperate for you to keep Lovino at bay. You thought it over for a minute and realized what he was trying to do. He was trying to set you up with a night out with him. It might've been too soon for that kind of thing since you got rejected for your own sister.

"Hey,________"

"Mm?"

"Do you want to come to town with me to get something to eat? I don't plan on stickin' around this place when it's not even mine."

"Alright. I think this is pretty awkward having someone keep an eye on you in a place that's not yours. I know a good pizza place." You grabbed your bag off the banister and locked the door before leaving. You noticed a red Ferrari in the driveway and you couldn't help but stare.

"That's your car?" You turned to Lovino and he shrugs.

"Mine and Feliciano's. Our grandpa got it for us as a shared birthday present. Feliciano's birthday is one day before mine." He mumbled.

"Really? That's amazing! I've never heard of a sibling's birthdays being that close together."

"Mm. My mom went into early labour with him. That's why our birthdays are so close." He sounded like he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

The walk to the street where all the small shops were was a long and mostly silent one. There was the occasional stop you two had to make because you took a wrong turn in a couple places.

"You sure you know where we're going?"

"Yeah. I just can never remember where I'm supposed to turn at. Oh! This way."

When you entered the shop district, you were in the middle of it. It was a narrow street. To your left, the road went up a mini-mountain, there might've been a better word for it but to you it was a mountain, and to your right was a long stretch of shops on the left and right side.

"Have you been to this part of town before?"

"Nope. I live on the Southside. Not too far from the farmer's market."

"Well… Then I'll give you a grand tour." You grabbed his hand but quickly let go once you realized what you were doing. "Oh, sorry, I-I just… Force of habit, y'know?" It wasn't a complete lie. When you were watching little kids, you'd always take them by their hand and guide them around here. And part of you needed something to hold on to.

Normally, you'd let Gilbert or Ludwig comfort you when things were bad but they probably were planning their night out for a while and you didn't want to ruin that just because you had a bad day. You knew that the world did not revolve around you. You were painfully reminded everyday. You just wanted to lean on someone but that can wait, right?

Lovino gently took your hand again and gave it a friendly squeeze.

"It's okay. Besides, you're on business, right? Do what you have to." He gave a cheeky grin.

You took him past the small toy shop, the bakery, the tea house, a theatre and a garden center before finally arriving at the pizza shop.

"Well, what do you think?" The pizza place was more like a café. If there weren't four very large ovens and a display case for already-made pizzas, it would be a café. It even had a piano in a corner right next to a window overlooking the street.

"I've seen classier. I-er-I mean…"

"That's fine. I asked you what you think, I never said you had to like it."

"Right." He turned away sheepishly. "I'll go pick a spot for us to sit then. If you're gonna order, I'll have whatever you'll have."

"Okay." He really was a strange one. But you were starting to like him. Despite his tough exterior, he is really awkwardly sweet. You really wanted to know what was that mysterious connection the two of you have is. It was frustrating to not know what it was. It was drawing you closer to him.

You went up and ordered a pizza with cherry tomatoes, asparagus, bacon and peppers topped with mozzarella cheese. It was going to be a LONG wait so you decided to use this time to get to know Lovino better.

Lovino picked the bar counter at the window and you climbed up to a chair next to him. It was a bit of an awkward silence cause you didn't really know what to talk about.

"___________?"

"Yeah?"

"You alright? You seem upset about something."

"Ah! Well… It-it's just I… had a really long day." You lie. How the heck could he tell? That completely caught you off guard.

"Your eyes tell me. You're putting on a mask and forcing yourself to be so cheerful but you seem hurt. Do you want to talk about it?" He truly was an interesting person. He could tell that much by looking at your eyes?

"Alright." You sighed. "I got rejected by someone I really like. For my older sister."

"Ouch." He said softly.

"But I got him back." You had a dark smile. "I poured coffee on his pants. I know what you're going to say." You frowned a bit. "'That might've been overkill.'"

"Are you kidding?" He burst out laughing. "That was the best thing I've ever heard of. You got serious guts to do that." He calmed down then cleared his throat. "I know what that's like. Feliciano is usually put before me."

"Really? I thought you two had a good relationship. Like you were kind of worried about him."

"I-I'm not worried about him!" He turned away. "It-it's just… Gah!! I can't explain it. We're not really on the greatest terms, he can be such a pain in the ass but he's the beloved one in the family. It's always Feli this or Feli that. He manages to beat me at everything!" He slouched on the counter. "It feels like…"

"You're forever in someone else's shadow." He lifted his head up and shifted his eyes to you.

"Yeah. But… I don't want to see him get hurt. We may not be in the perfect relationship but he's still my brother and I can't hate him forever."

"I'm jealous. I don't have any kind of relationship with my sister. I try to make one but it never ends well. I always get 'get out' or 'go away'. She only talks to me when she's too lazy to do chores and sticks them on me."

"Is that so?" Lovino sighed and stared out into the street. He turned his head to the piano then back to you.

"You like music?"

"Yes!" You lit up instantly and Lovino smiled a bit.

"Will you listen to me play?" He asked shyly.
"The piano? I'd love to!" You moved to a spot closer to the piano as Lovino uncovered the keys. He sat there pondering what to play while you waited patiently. You heard four notes then a pause. Perhaps he was changing his mind? No. It was the same four notes played over and over.

After four repetitions of his left hand, he started playing with the right and the melody that he played was so soothing, so beautiful, it had the rhythm like rolling waves. Then his right hand played higher notes with a different tune to it. But it still had that beautiful rhythm that was so moving; the way he was playing, it was like saying 'I'm here. Notice me… See what I have to give.' The music started to slow down then finally stopped. You took a seat next to Lovino on the piano stool as he was finishing up the song.

"So… uh… What do you think?"

"It's beautiful." You couldn't help yourself. Your body acted on its own and you gave Lovino a hug which made him blush like crazy. "I know how you feel."

"G-Grazie." Lovino blushed.

You two took turns playing songs on the piano and Lovino taught you a few duet songs. You both were playing so beautifully and having too much fun, you almost forgot about the pizza that you ordered.

You checked your phone and it was pretty late and you should start heading back. You asked to clerk to cut the pizza that was left in half and box them up so you and Romano could take them back.

As you were walking back to Gilbert's and Ludwig's place, you couldn't help but smile. This was just the thing that you needed to cheer you up. Lovino was such a sweet person all along and he treated you like a princess. Not literally but he was the kindest guy you have ever met and he actually listened to you. And not just because you were 'babysitting' him, he actually listened to the kind of person you were.

You unlocked the door and were greeted by the Beilschmidt dogs. You calmed them down and managed to get into the house. Lovino was standing nervously on the porch, eying the dogs carefully.

"You can come in you know, they don't bite unless if you were dangerous. Besides, the others probably aren't gonna come back for a bit."

"A-alright." You set your pizza on the island counter so the dogs can't get to it. Unless if they were smart enough to stand on each other and coordinate to get to it… Nah, that won't happen. They're smart but they're not THAT smart. Unless if Gilbert was training them again.

"Hey, Lovino, want some ice cream for dessert?" He hesitates for one minute before he finally answers.

"Yeah sure." He says as he comes into the kitchen. "_________ can I borrow your phone for a sec?"

"Why?" He doesn't wait for your answer and takes it off the island and types something quickly on it then hands it to you.

"Tonight was better than I thought. How about I babysit you next time, huh?" He gave you a cheeky smile. "Only next time, I'd rather not come here."

"S-sure." You say as you blush. He gave you a hug and whispered 'Grazie' in your ear. You find yourself hugging him back tenderly. It seemed like it lasted for a very long time and you only wished that it would last longer. Your phone went off and Gilbert was calling to let you know that they were about ten minutes away and to make sure that Lovino didn't destroy their house.

"Yeah, everything's fine Gil. Uh huh. Yep. No- I… GILBERT!! You have a VERY twisted mind. Goodbye." You say as you abruptly shut your phone.

"What was that about?"

"Gil thinks that we went… full throttle. I swear, he is such a total pervert some days." Especially when he's drunk.

"Oh really?" Lovino raised an eyebrow. "That potato head can't respect women worth a darn. I wonder…"

"What?" You narrowed your eyes and could swear that he was plotting something. "Don't do anything stupid, Lovino." You pointed at him. "Remember, I'm in charge of you not destroying anything. For now. You can destroy something when Gilbert gets his own place and he's not paying me to keep an eye on you."

"Oh, don't worry. I wasn't planning on destroying anything." He smiles brightly, which was kinda creepy yet adorable. You felt your stomach cramping and you desperately needed to use the bathroom.

"Help yourself to some ice cream and to whatever drink, condiments are in there," You pointed to a cupboard then ran off to the bathroom.

When you came back out, Gilbert and Ludwig and Feliciano were back. Ludwig and Gilbert were apparently drunk, Gilbert WAY more than Ludwig, and Feliciano was acting very cheerfully. You felt sorry for him because when BOTH brothers get drunk, it can be quite a handful.

"Glad to see you all made it back in one piece." You smile at them.
"Ve~ We all had a great time. Did you have fun with fratello?"

"Yeah. We went to a café not too far from here and we spent most of the evening there. There was a piano so we played for a good couple of hours."

"Really?~ Fratello is so good with the piano, I could never play like he does. That must've been a real treat for him to play for you for so long."

"Yes, it was."

"So you both did your Italian composures or were they some German composures? Germans make the best music." Gilbert slurred.

"Gil… I think you should go to bed now." You say as your eye twitched.

"I TOLD you to call me if anyzing happened but uh-uh. You no fuuuuun. I let you know how my night went vith Lizzy, ja?" Yeah, he was definitely drunk. Lovino came in with his box of pizza ready to go.

"Fork over the keys, Feliciano." He says without even saying hello. Feliciano took the keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Lovino.

"Well, have a good night." You smiled and waved at the Italian brothers.

"Buona Notte~" Feliciano says as they're walking out the door. Lovino turns his head and smiles at you. You look a little confused because you swore he winked at you. Either way, it was pretty sweet of him.

"Well, you two have a good night." You left shortly afterward. "And don't do anything stupid."

"Ja ja." Came the synchronized tired reply from the brothers. You walked halfway down the block and suddenly you hear this horrible girly like scream that echoes on for a distance. Two seconds later, your phone buzzed and you got a text from Lovino.

'I think that's a record. Heard it all the way from the gas station.'

'Lovino WHAT did you do?! o.O#'

'Lol. WTF is that kind of emotion?'

'Angry and shocked. I turned my back on you for FIVE MINUTES'

'Give me some credit. I didn't destroy anything '

'Lol. I guess. But srsly, WTFH did you do?'

'Just a little payback for being an ass. If he thinks we went full throttle, then we went full throttle. In HIS bed.'

'Pfft. XD Lol. How'd you do it?'

'Warmed up some vanilla ice cream and mixed a little honey. Aren't I bad?'

'Yes. Very bad. I think you need a scolding when I see you again. >'

'Lol. Srsly, what is up with your emoticons?"

'…That was a typo… And I'm kidding. You just made my night. Night. <3'

'Buona Notte, bella. It was my pleasure to make you smile.'