"Eh, bastardo!" A small boy with nut brown hair, almost red, pulled in Spain's shirt. The tall man looked down, a small sigh escaping his lips. He looked tired and worn out.

"Sí Lovino?" The boy quickly looked down on his feet, his curl jumping. He mumbled something that Antonio couldn't hear.

"You need to speak louder," he commanded. The boy huffed.

"I can't... I can't sleep..."

Antonio looked perplexed at the boy. He hadn't been home very often, and when he was, all Lovi did was curse and shout at him. He knew he wasn't exactly a good guardian, but he still loved the boy. But sometimes he was just an annoying little prick, and Antonio had wondered why on earth he kept him. But it was moments like these were he saw Lovino's true self. And he knew he couldn't just leave the poor boy. He might not know it, and Antonio was sure he most certainly would never say it, but Lovino needed him.
Antonio scratched his head.

"So.. Eh... What do you want me to do?"

Lovino kept quiet for some time, shuffling his feet.

"Could you... Could you tell me a story?"

Antonio's green eyes widened slightly.

"Lovi, I don't know any bedtime stories... You should ask Femke..-"

"But I want you to tell me a story," the boy interrupted. Spain stared at him. He scratched his head again.

"I don't know I'm kind of busy at the moment... The paperwork keeps piling up."

Then the Italian did something that Antonio will never, ever forget.

"Please?"

The sun had set, but there was still left a warm red light across the late autumn sky. The air was still heavy. Lovino snuggled further down under his blanket. He turned to look at Spain, who dragged a chair next to the bed.

"I'm not good at bedtime stories Lovi."

Romano lay still, waiting for him to begin.

"Alright.. Once upon a time, there was … uh… A little tomato. Yeah, a little tomato who had … Eh…" Spain trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"You really suck at this," the small boy suddenly said.

"Well, what do you want to hear?" he asked, slightly irritated.

"You're supposed to tell the story, idiota," the boy shot back. There was a pause. Silence lingered. Spain stared out the window, looking at the red sky, watching the golden clouds drift. His eyes became very distant. Lovi turned a bit in the bed, getting impatient.

"Lovi, do you know why my flag looks as it does?" The small boy was startled by his sudden question, but shook his head in reply.

"A long time ago, back before I ever found you, I had been a great empire. Bigger, stronger and far more rich than I am now. I had sailed the world. I actually found America before England did." He sighed, slipping back into the memories. "I was a conquer. The strongest. The bravest."

Lovino could see him. The strong country standing tall across the world.

"I had gathered a lot of wealth from my many adventures. And of course, many wanted that. The world is a greedy place … You'll learn that one day. I went through a lot of wars. I needed to keep my status, needed to show the world I still held the power. And my king wanted to show off his wealth. He made an entire amour out of pure gold and went to the battle fields in it. "
"But, back in those days I was more … Many men died that day. Even the king killed. In the end, his amour was covered with blood. It looked like… He looked mythical. Impossible. He then ran a single finger across his amour, so that you could see the gold shining beneath the blood. The wealth and the power."

Lovino looked at Spain with wide eyes. The small child had never heard anything from him like that before. Antonio was always so happy. This.. This wasn't the Antonio he knew. Lovino waited for him to continue. Suddenly Spain stood up, pushing the chair away. He avoided looking at Lovi as he walked out of the room leaving the boy alone.

It was later that night. Antonio had stayed up, trying to get his mind away from the past. In the end, he was too tired. He went to bed, staring up at the ceiling. Why did he tell Lovi all that? Why did Lovino had to be so annoying? He shouldn't have bugged Spain that much. But Antonio still felt bad. The poor boy. He probably couldn't sleep at all now. Neither could Spain.

It was while Antonio had been up, thinking about all this, that the door creaked. A small silhouette slipped through, closing the door again. He shuffled over to the bed, jumping up in it. Spain lay still. Lovino's small body crept close up Antonio's.
He could feel the warmth radiate off. It was comfortable. It felt… nice. The boy tried to reach around Spain's stomach, holding him close like an oversized teddy bear.
Antonio turned and lay and arm over Lovino's little body. He cuddled up closer to Spain, curling up.

They lay there, not saying a thing. Lovino didn't really understand what had gone through Antonio's head. All he could figure out was that something was wrong. And then it clicked. Lovino needed Spain. He needed someone who could protect him, guide him. But Antonio realized that he needed Lovino just as much.

A/N I'm not quite sure why I wrote this… I think just felt like telling the story of Spain's flag... Maybe. And some fluff with Romano and Spain xD
Anyway, leave a comment on what you think about it, then I shall be very happy.

Btw, Femke is the name for Belgium (as far as I know).

/Sarah