I don't own Hetalia!end/AN/

"Grandpa, Grandpa, I can't remember!" Italy squeaked, holding his stylus above his wax tablet.

Grandpa Rome looked down at the tiny nation, saying, "It's all right, Italia; think about it. If IV is four, and X is ten, then what must nine be?"

"I don't know, Grandpa, I'm hungry!" Italy insisted, thinking of sweet honey treats. He turned his best puppy dog face on Rome, and said, "Please, I'm hungry, so hungry!"

Rome chuckled, saying, "You can eat once you figure out how to write nine. Now, think about it; if ten minus one equals nine, how is it drawn?"

"Grandpa," Italy squeaked, sticking fingers in his mouth, "It's really hard."

"But you can do it," Rome said, smiling at him. "You'll see, just keep thinking."

"X is ten," Italy said, brows furrowed. "So it needs a I." His brow furrowed more in concentration. "If I put it on the right side…"

"It's eleven," Rome said patiently.

"But if I put it on the left side…" Italy said, face brightening in realization. "It's nine! IX is nine, isn't it, Grandpa?!"

"Very good, Italy!" Rome grinned, rubbing Italy's head affectionately. Italy finished writing the answer in the wax, and promptly cleaved to Rome's leg.

"I can have sweets now?"

"Of course you can!" Rome picked up Italy, and carried him off. "Good boy, good boy!"

Italy cheered, and soon enough, had his mouth full of sweets. Rome watched with a sad look on his face.

If Italy only knew how the Empire was cracking and breaking…

But Italy grinned at Rome, teeth with the sweets sticking to them and making them look yellow.

Rome laughed. It would be all right so long as he still had Italy; if Italy made it out, that was all that would matter.

His legacy would carry on.

/AN/ I don't think there's much fanfiction of this kind, with Grandpa Rome and Chibitalia, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.