I'm back with a new multi-chapter story, this time it's a SpainxRomano story! It's my first attempt at drawing these characters, and I just want to warn you right now that this is MY take on their characters, and they might very well seem a bit out of character at times. But, I hope you'll read on anyway, and that you'll enjoy!

This is an AU story, and it's not intended to be historically accurate or anything. It's also yaoi/shounen-ai, which means love between two boys! If it isn't your cup of tea, then just click that little "back"-button up there, ok? ^^

It's going to be a dramatic, angsty and sad story, but hopefully it'll be funny and joyful too! The rating is set to M because of dark themes that aren't suitable for kids, and because of foul language, not because of any hardcore sexual themes or anything.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia – Axis Powers or any of its characters. I will only state this, this one time, but of course it's valid throughout the entirety of the story!

Please enjoy, and leave me a review telling me what you thought about it if you want to read more! ^^

oOo

Lovino Vargas had always loved the scent of the sea. It soothed him, and calmed him down, when his life seemed as turbulent as the sea that crashed against the rocks near his secret spot. This place seemed to be the only place he could come to for some peace and quiet, whenever it felt like everything and everyone was turning against him.

More times than not, it felt like this particular spot – quite difficult to reach if you didn't know exactly where to go, and which rocks were safe to step on – wasn't a part of the hateful and cold world he'd come to fear and despise.

He'd come across it quite randomly, in fact, at a point in his rather short life where everything had seemed particularly dark. Running blindly across the rocks, vision blurred by tears, and thoughts blurred by darkness, he had eventually reached this place, fully intent on throwing his miserable self of the rocks and into the rough waves below. In that exact moment, however, the sun had risen behind the vast ocean, illuminating everything in a golden and red hue and making the previously dark water sparkle with life. It had taken his breath away, and instead of jumping, he'd collapsed onto the very spot he now sat on, simply staring with awe as tears rolled down his cheeks.

From that day on, he'd started coming here when he was in need of privacy. It had become a place where he could sit for hours, hugging himself, crying, and dropping all the masks and pretences he put up as shields on daily basis. Sometimes, if the waves and the winds were loud enough, he even screamed at the ocean, crying out his despairs and willing them to drown in the fuming waters. It helped a little to do that – just emptying his soul of burdens, and his lungs of air.

Giving a small sob where he now sat, the young Italian pulled his knees up to his chest, hugging them as his lithe frame trembled. He probably should have brought a jacket seeing as the summer wind, which felt more like an autumn breeze today, blew straight through his formal clothes. A set of golden amber eyes swam with tears as he looked out on the sea, filled with anger and hurt.

Today was supposed to be his day! His birthday. Feliciano had invited several people to hold a party for him, like the kind younger brother he was, probably thinking it would make Lovino happy. Yet, within a short time, Lovino was easily forgotten and Feliciano was the one everyone talked to. Of course, it was logical; Lovino didn't know them, and wasn't exactly known to be open and welcoming to strangers. In a way, he thought bitterly, he only had himself to blame for being an ungrateful bastard. Feliciano hadn't intended for the birthday party to turn out like that, of course, and Lovino hated himself for even thinking about feeling angry with the younger Italian. He appreciated his brother's efforts, he truly did, but in all honesty; he just wished he had been spared the inevitable pain for once.

"Damn it," he cursed at himself, though it came out more as a whimper than anything else. Why did he have to be so talentless and grumpy and generally unlikeable? It was no wonder everyone liked Feliciano better than him. The younger Italian was always the cute one, the one everyone loved and admired. He was everything Lovino wasn't. God knows Lovino hated being reminded of this fact.

He supposed his hatred was easily misinterpreted by others, and led everyone to believe that his hatred was directed at Feliciano himself. The first time he'd realized what people seemed to believe was going on, it felt like a massive kick in the balls, really. He knew he wasn't the only one upset by these beliefs; Feliciano constantly tried his best to convince them all that Lovino truly loved him, and that he wasn't really mean or abusive at all. No one believed it. In their eyes and suspicious minds, he was probably a danger for his brother, abusing him as an outlet for his emotions. It was evident every time they looked at him, and that hurt more than anything.

Lovino could never hurt his brother in any way, not if he could prevent it. While it was true he was fucking emotionally unstable when around other people, he wasn't like that when it was just him and his brother alone. He'd willingly give his life for his brother. Even so, he'd probably still be seen as a cold, aggressive monster by the world in general anyway. Admittedly, he wasn't even sure he could blame them for that.

"Damn it, God, am I just a joke to you, created for your amusement? I'm such a fucking miserable excuse for a man... obviously, the world would have been better off without me." the words were only a whisper, carried away by the wind as Lovino glanced up at the cloudy skies. He knew he wouldn't be able to kill himself, however. Everyone who viewed him as a weirdo and a danger to his brother might be overjoyed; but Feliciano would be devastated. That was one of the few things he felt absolutely confident in. In a way, it was a slight relief to know that at least even his life wasn't entirely without meaning.

Closing his eyes, Lovino concentrated on the scent of sea in the air, pushing all thoughts of ruined birthdays and all ideas of a quick, painless death far into the back of his mind. Hugging himself absently, he hardly even noticed when his lips parted and he began to sing. A soft, gentle tune in his beloved native language filled the air around him, joining the sound of waves and trees whispering in the wind. The beauty of it went unnoticed to him - all he knew was the way singing would calm his rapid heart as he sat there. As if his worries drowned in the sorrowful melody, giving him a short, fleeting moment of tranquillity.

He never noticed the man standing a bit away from him, safely hidden from sight behind a few trees. Nor did he know that his singing made tears escape down the man's cheeks as he listened intently to the sorrowful melody, and the words that spoke of fear and loneliness...

oOo

Antonio Fernandez Carriedo was generally a man with an easy smile. A man who would be seen as happy-go-lucky, if not a bit oblivious. Few knew that behind his positive, passionate attitude lay many years of hard work. Having lost his family at a young age, he'd grown up under difficult circumstances, and life had never been easy for him, no matter what people seemed to believe. To him, life could easily be seen as a road he'd travelled; often by taking small, uncertain steps. Eventually, he'd reached the place and time in life that he existed in right now. A place and time where he was generally able to be in good spirits, and where he wouldn't usually resort to anger or irritation.

Throughout his life, he'd had several friends, but only a handful that he considered close to him, and he was quite happy with this, to tell the truth. After he moved here, in hopes of seeing more of the world, and possibly even settle down in the not too big town on the coast of Northern America, he had missed his friends from Spain, of course, but he wasn't particularly lonely. Already during his first weeks in the new apartment, had he made new acquaintances and even friends, something he'd been quite surprised with himself, but which didn't seem so surprising to others; With a warm, bubbly personality like his, he'd been told, people were drawn to him like flies to a light.

America had spoken of hope to Antonio, and he's grown restless and eager to travel somewhere new. Besides, it had felt as if his heart had told him to travel to this particular town, and as a true optimist, he'd followed his heart and ended up buying a small apartment here.

On the days when he wasn't at work at a local flower shop, he liked to take walks around various areas of town. More often than not, he'd end up by the sea, finding that the ocean reminded him of his old home in Spain. It wasn't that he grew particularly home sick, but there was a definite hint of nostalgia resting inside him as he walked easily across the rocks, careful not to step on loose ones.

This particular day, he had walked further than he had first planned to, thankful that he'd pulled on a jacket as a second though before leaving the apartment – the temperature wasn't very summer-like at all. Not like the summers he was used to, at any rate. Taking a small path leading across loose rocks and unstable ground, he had several times considered turning around and heading back. Eventually, a soft sound ahead of him had made the decision for him.

At first, he thought the quiet melody he heard was just the sound of the wind playing with the water. As he drew closer to the source, however, he could definitely make out a song, and when he was close enough to hear clearly, he stepped behind some trees. He wasn't sure why he was hiding, but it might have to do with the fact that the person singing was clearly out here to be on his own.

The young man, sitting a bit away from him, was dressed rather nicely, yet his clothes looked thin, considering the windy weather, and appeared somewhat dishevelled. Silky, auburn hair fluttered in the wind, and as it was lifted from his face, Antonio caught sight of pale skin, marred with tears. He couldn't see the person's expression or eyes from his position, but he could still tell that the man was deeply upset about something or the other. It was evident in both his vulnerable posture and the song that flew from his lips.

Antonio could practically feel the pain and sorrow put into the song, and it broke his heart. He hardly even noticed as tears began to fall freely, and he could only stand there numbly as he listened. When the melody ended, he felt a momentary loss, before opening his eyes, peeking out from his position to see that the man had stood, wiping at his eyes as he turned to leave. Quickly, Antonio hid further from view, holding his breath as the man moved past him. As he did, however, Antonio caught sight of his eyes.

While the young Spaniard was a bit of a romantic, he had never really believed in love at first sight. At the moment his gaze locked on those golden eyes, however, his knees felt weak and his heart picked up speed, beating so hard that he was sure the man would hear it.

It lasted only a short moment; before he knew it, the golden-eyed man had moved gracefully across the rocks, hands buried in the pockets of his pants, and then he had disappeared from view. Antonio let out a breath, sinking down until he was sitting on a rock, feeling quite shaky all of the sudden. Glancing up at the skies, he raised a hand to his chest, and gave a small hum when he could almost feel his heart beat, even through the layer of clothes he was wearing.

"So... this is why you led me here..." he whispered, knowing perfectly well that the sound of waves was the only reply he'd ever get to that statement.

oOo

Hope you'll keep reading! Please review and tell me what you thought of it, and I'll be posting more soon!