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The phone had been ringing for a couple of minutes.
Romano shuddered in the bed, looking at the alarm clock that didn't even struck 9.00am.
"What the ... ?!"
He hadn't been woken up so early by the phone since when Veneziano had informed him that Italy had entered the war alongside Germany in 1940.
He staggered out of bed, still half asleep, and threw himself on the phone answering.
"Hello?!"
"Hi Lovino!" Feliciano exclaimed cheerfully.
"Feli, do you realize it's not even ten o'clock?! Whatever are you doing up at-", he asked, looking at his watch again, "-nine o'clock?!"
"Well, I'm going to work! I want to get off as soon as possible for tonight! Happy birthday, fratello!"
Romano froze, staring at the wall. He turned towards the calendar that marked March 17th.
"Oh ... I mean, it's our birthday and you wake me up before ten!?" He roared.
"Vee?" Feliciano murmured in shock. "Sorry! I didn't look at the clock!!"
"Happy birthday to you too ... But why the hell did you call me at this hour?!"
"I’m throwing a party but I am a little behind schedule, I only thought about it yesterday ... It’s a beautiful day and I’d like to have a dinner there on your beaches, ve?"
"Oh! Yes, it's a good idea! I set up, you invite people!"
"Ok! Do you think Austria will come this time?"
"Sure, England always goes to celebrate America's birthday!" Romano replied sarcastically.
"Oh well, I'm glad!" Veneziano exclaimed before ending the call.
Romano stared at the phone in his hand for a few minutes, then hang up. He placed one of the nonnas' typical lace doilies on the bedside table1 and went back to sleep. He woke up around two for lunch, then went for a siesta again. He heard the doorbell ring around four. He yawned, stretched and went to open.
"Hi Lovino!" Spain exclaimed lively.
"Antonio! What are you doing here?"
"I came to help you set up the party!" He laughed cheerfully. "I thought that with all there is to do, you would have appreciated a helping hand"
"I don't need your help, bastard! I got it covered!" He grumbled, all pissed off, going to the bedroom to get dressed. Spain smiled sweetly closing the front door behind him and following Romano.
"Well?! What are you doing?! I have to get dressed and go buy some food." Romano exclaimed, annoyed.
"I can make sangria! And few festoons. I brought everything I need" He answered raising the envelopes and entering the kitchen.
Romano shuddered, blushing slightly while he couldn’t be seen. He really believed that Antonio wanted to get in bed with him. It would not have been nothing new. They were often together and equally often shared the bed. But Romano had never formalized anything between them.
"Well, because there is absolutely nothing!" He blurted under his breath. "Stupid bastardo caliente!"
She joined him in the kitchen putting on an apron while Spain was humming, preparing large quantities of sangria.
"Uh? What are you making, Lovino? " he asked.
“Pizza margherita in abundance! I wanted to order it in a pizzeria, but I had the atrocious suspicion that someone of doubtful taste could try asking for it with pineapple or bananas. I would not tolerate it!" He said seriously, spreading the flour on the table in large quantities.
"Ah! At least it will be good!"
"Of course it will be good, I'm doing it!"
They started preparing various things together, chatting with "Vivo per lei" by O.R.O in the background.
"Live a story with her and then when you least expect it, you are now in love with her sweetest faults ..." Antonio hummed checking out Romano, who was cursing against the dough that did not seem to rise. He looked at the flour with which he had dirty his face, his hands completely kneaded. He chuckled, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"What the hell are you doing, damn bastard!?" Romano shouted shifting abruptly. “We don't have time for damn sex, in a few hours we have a party! Won’t you give me a break at least on my birthday?!" He added without ceasing to shout, kepping a hand on his face where he had been kissed. Spain laughed joyfully.
"I just wanted to kiss you. You didn't even say hello to me today"
"I didn't feel like it!"
“Quiero un beso! Just one beso, one one!" Spain said cheerfully, curling his lips. Romano pushed him away with a hand on his face.
“You big horny dog! I remind you that I don't know Spanish!"
"Oh, why are you like this?" He said passing a napkin over his face. "I know you understand it ... Y no pido mas, just a beso2!" He bent over placing his hands and head on the table again putting his lips in a kissing pose.
Romano snorted and then gave it to him.
The beach had been lit by torches that set a magnificent summer atmosphere despite being in March. A huge table was set up, full of pizza, cold pasta, fruit, tomatoes, chips, popcorn, babà3, savory and non-savory pies, and other various desserts which Veneziano had also helped to cook.
Beautiful festoons overhanged the table and stretched towards the sea, which, however dark, murmured in the slight breaking of the waves. In the distance some light from ships or platforms could be seen, along with the sound of a seagull who had been awake for too long.
"Kampai!" Japan said raising his glass, followed by a joyful echo of the other participants.
"Alla salute!"
"Prosit!"
"Cheers!"
"Happy Birthday Italy!" The participants exclaimed in one voice.
Veneziano laughed cheerfully, raising his hand with which he held Romano's, and the glass with the other.
"Thanks! Thanks!"
Feliciano leaned over Germany to kiss him when Romano grabbed him by the collar and then put one foot on Ludwig's face.
"Don't touch my brother, potato bastard!" he exclaimed.
"Ve? Ve? Germany! Germany!" Veneziano shouted, freeing himself from his brother's grip by holding on to Ludwig. "Lovino, he's my boyfriend!"
"Ugh, look around, there is a whole better world to choose from"
Suddenly, someone slapped Romano’s ass. He screamed, turning with an open hand to hit the person who had touched him. "Antonio, you damn ... Gilbert!?"
"Hahaha!" Prussia laughed, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Lovino, you never change! Still single?"
"What? Your brother stole Feliciano's attention from you so you try to hit on me?"
“Eeh Feliciano will soon understand that he got the wrong brother! And there is enough Gilbert for the whole of Italy!" he laughed again with his hands on his hips without even realizing that Romano had gone away.
"Ooh, Belgium!" Prussia happily called joining the group of girls that was there.
The evening passed peacefully between flirtations, wishes and a toast.
Lovino was keeping Antonio at a distance, but he didn't want to be with him right now. Whenever they were close, he wanted to get lost in his green eyes, tight in his embrace. It was unacceptable to be so attached to him. When he was a child Antonio had forced him to do the cleaning! Him! Italy Romano! It was unforgivable and Romano knew how to hold a grudge forever. Even with Antonio. Even when he felt his scent and his warmth, his lips, the slight sigh and ... forever!
Veneziano climbed on a chair and knocked on a glass with a fork.
"Excuse me, a moment of attention, please. I have an announcement to make!"
"Nein! Why Feliciano?" Germany exclaimed at his side, trying to convince him to get off the chair, already completely red in the face.
"I just wanted to tell to everybody here that Ludwig and I have officially engaged!" He exclaimed, showing his hand with the engagement ring. “And you are all invited to the wedding! Even Roderich if he’d agree to come ... "
"Why should I miss it?" said Austria, who just arrived, emptying a shoe from the sand in annoyance. "Unless you do it with this hot weather on a damned beach"
Veneziano cheered happily while Prussia grabbed Germany by the collar shaking him.
"How could you have had the exclusive of Feliciano?! Ludwig? Ludwig hey? Oh no, he broke!" He laughed seeing his brother went haywire.
Romano had witnessed the whole scene in shock. His eyes had widened when he’d heard 'officially engaged' and his anger had increased over the word 'marriage'. He had rolled up his sleeves to face the potato bastard but suddenly all his anger had subsided. He watched with dull eyes his brother, who happily embraced the boyfriend filling him with kisses on the face, making the latter even more red than before. He clenched his fists, then hesitated, walking away on the seafront. Feliciano hadn't even noticed, he never noticed when Romano was feeling bad.
Now he was lying alone on the sand, barefoot because he had got rid of his slippers. He kept his knees to his chest with a disheartened look. True, he didn’t approve of Feliciano's choice and he could not understand why Ludwig made him so happy. But it wasn't just that. Suddenly his stupid little brother was getting married. He’d loved the same person for years, centuries. He had made a commitment with him, he had never hesitated, mulling over the past. He had never considered his objections. And now he was getting married.
He lived for Ludwig and Ludwig lived for him, and had decided to scream it to the world and the moon. Like in the song4. And suddenly he was envious. He too wanted to scream to the world that he lived for Antonio, but he was only capable of screaming that he was a great bastard.
He pouted, offended. Well he was! Of course, he never wanted to take things to a serious level. But Antonio never did too!
"Ah! Why do you always passively accept everything with that fucking smile on your face!?” He snapped nervously, throwing sand into the sea.
"Lovino, Feliciano is looking for you, he is worried ..." Antonio said, approaching him with one hand in his pocket.
"Oh sure, easy to think of me only after telling everyone about his wedding! Why not tell everyone before your damned brother?" He said sarcastically.
"Oh Lovino, you know how much he and Ludwig love each other ..."
"I don’t care!"
Antonio looked him and sat down at his side, taking off his shoes and breathing deeply into the salt-scented air.
"What is it that really bothers you?" He asked.
Romano blushed, surprised at that question.
"Is there anything worse than that why I should get angry? What are you going to ... "
Antonio suddenly kissed him, cupping his head with the hand. Romano accepted the kiss and then muttered and pushed him away.
"Are you crazy?! What the hell are you thinking??" He started hitting him without hurting him, pissed off. "Stupid! Stupid!"
Antonio grabbed his hands looking him in the eyes, then opened his mouth surprised to notice that they had tears in them.
"Lovino ... I'm here for you!"
He tried to hug him but Romano began to squirm angrily.
"Stop it, you piss me off! I hate you!"
"I know!"
Romano stiffened and then placed his head on Antonio's shoulder, abandoning himself to that embrace.
"Is that why you don't love me like Ludwig loves Feliciano?" He murmured before he could regret it.
Spain rested his head on his, caressing him and smiling. "I love you much more than Ludwig will ever love Feliciano."
"That’s impossible."
"It's how it is for me."
They remained silent, embracing. Romano moved slightly, leaning his hands on Spain's chest.
"But you don't care ... You never tell me what you want, you don't show up for long periods, you're not jealous ..."
"You are happy like this, Lovino." Spain replied forcing a smile. Romano only then noticed that it was not the first time that his smiles were not sincere. "And I don't want you to be unhappy because of my selfishness."
"I ... you ..." Lovino blushed in anger. Spain could never have been considered selfish, never as much as Romano himself. "Yo vivo por ti 5 ..."
"How?" Antonio asked in surprise.
"Besame, you stupid Spanish bastard!"
Lovino grabbed his shirt kissing him, then pushed the spaniard on the sand. Antonio smiled happily, caressing his face.
"Can I hope to be considered your boyfriend then?" Spain asked.
"You can do what you want, like I care!" Lovino answered blushing.
They kissed again, lulled by the murmur of the waves.
Epilogue
Romano returned to the party holding Antonio's hand. Feliciano ran towards him almost in tears, hugging him.
“Lovino, sorry, sorry, I hadn't thought of telling you before! You are my brother and I was so mean!"
"Ah Feliciano, what a nonsense!" He said, trying to move him away.
“But you left looking sad! I'm not happy when you're sad!" He said crying against his shirt.
"You’ll get me dirty!" Romano shouted, trying to move him. He then noticed that his ahoge curl was stuck in that of his brother.
"Ve? Ve? Ah!! Germany!! Germany! Help!!"
"Agh! Antonio, do something!"
They screamed together as Ludwig and Antonio tried to free them.
1 - You will not find a single house, especially in southern Italy, that does not have three basic things: lace or crochet doilies over almost each piece of furniture, a red and white squared tablecloth and a crucifix. The latter is more likely to miss than the other two.
2 - Y no pido mas, just a beso: And I don’t need much, just a kiss
3 - Babà: Italian small cake saturated in rum
4 - “Vivo per lei” by O.R.O.
5 – Yo vivo por ti: I live for you
