~Strange~ (Romano x Reader x Italy) Pt 9

     The plane ride was excruciatingly long. ___ had to sit in front of a bouncy little child, and sandwiched in between a rather rotund lad and Lovino. Under normal pretenses, she would have been fine, but when the child was kicking her seat and throwing toys around, she began to lose her patience. At least the rotund lad was quite nice and would often ask the child to calm down. However, he took up most of his seat and a little bit of hers. Lovino, on the other hand, was sleeping. His normal bitter face full of peacefulness. He looked surprisingly lovable. It made her want to squeal and hold him close - now, of course she didn't.

     Gilbert had even less luck with his plane seat - forced in between a group of obnoxious teenagers. ___ was surprised that he hadn't blown his top yet. God knows if Ludwig was in his place, he would certainly be screaming at the various teenagers. Of course, all these Countries were classified as teenagers, but they at least had some civility from knowing how to 'Country'. The albino had been kicked around, scratched, and cursed at for not being 'cool enough'. However, when he threatened to lock the teenagers in China's house forever, they became quiet.

     ___ stretched slightly, leaning back against her seat. The moment she did, Lovino slumped onto her body. He continued to sleep against her, as if he hadn't just fallen from his seat. His olive fingers gently gripped her shirt. She noticed that Lovino was slowly snoring, muttering underneath his breath as he did. Instead of pushing him away, ___ gently placed her hand on his head. He was warm, adorable when asleep too. She had to remind herself that she had to avoid that curl of his - she didn't want a scandalous event on a plane!

     "Idiota..."

     She giggled slightly, rubbing his dark hair gently. He let out a small groan, his fingers digging even deeper into her shirt. Lovino opened an eye slightly, yawning as he did so. Instead of sitting up, he remained up against her. He was obviously still groggy. He raised an olive hand and rubbed his face. Lovino looked up to ___, a small grin hesitating on the edge of his face. He felt giddy to have been woken up by her.

     "Good morning, idiota," he said, "Why are you touching me?"      She shrugged, "You rolled over onto me, so I just petted you," she replied, "And you're so cute when you're sleepy~ I could just hug you all day."
     Lovino hesitated, "I still love you, ___," he whispered, "Are we almost there?"
     "No, we still got another hour or two," she replied, "I wonder if Gilbert can manage."

     Lovino peered over the seat to where the German was. He nearly chuckled outright at the sight. The albino was having his hair braided by a teenage girl, silently glaring at his lap. The teenager sitting beside him was violently playing video games, and occasionally smacked him. ___ laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. This caused Gilbert to turn over and glare. He stood up from his seat and marched right over to their aisle.

     "Excuse me sir," Gilbert began, "May I please switch seats with you? I'm friends with these two, and I'd like to talk with them."

     The rotund sir nodded, standing up and stalking off toward the teenagers. They all went quiet as he sat down. Gilbert sunk into the seat, glaring at his two friends. Lovino had gone quiet, finally removing his hand from ___'s shirt. She laughed again, pulling the braids out of Gilbert's hair. The albino quietly thanked her, leaning back against the seat. He was obviously tired, and was unable to sleep when it came to his seat with the teenagers.

     "Do you need somewhere to lay?" ___ asked, "Lovino's shoulder is open."
     The Italian scoffed, "Don't even say that to him, idiota!" he gently hit her shoulder, "I don't want him to even touch me!"
     "I'll just lay on you, liebling," Gilbert leaned against ___'s shoulder, "If its not too much of a problem. Kesesesese~"

     The albino was soon fast asleep against ___'s shoulder. She let out an irritated sigh, grabbing her book from the pouch in front of her. She began to read, not noticing how Lovino was glaring at Gilbert, jealousy written across his face. The Italian decided that he should go back to sleep too. Taking this to heart, he leaned against ___'s other shoulder, wrapping his arms around her waist. The (h/c)-haired girl bitterly flipped the page of her book. Of all things to sleep against, these boys chose her.

     Instead of hitting each and every one of them, ___ simply rested her hand on the top of Lovino's head again. She gently patted him, continuing to read her book. It would be a lie if she wasn't fond of him. Lovi could be such a sweet-pea when needed, and he chose to direct it to her most of the time. ___'s heart ached for Feliciano though. She missed him. It just felt that he was spending most of his time away from her. He had gone on that trip, and then left home early for the meeting.

     The next time she saw Feli, she would clearly state her concerns. Perhaps he would understand and apologize - or maybe he would get mad with her for spending so much time with Lovino. It wasn't her choice for Feli to be away, but she could avoid her boyfriend's brother. ___ looked down at the sleeping Italian, sighing. No, she couldn't avoid Lovino. Even though he was sort of a dick, she didn't want to think of hurting him like that.

     After the flight attendant had told everyone to buckle up, ___ was forced to help her friends out. She quickly buckled Gilbert's, and he didn't move at all. By the time, she was done and turned over, she noticed that Lovino had all ready buckled his. He was sitting up now, rubbing his face hastily. He still looked dead tired. Lovino's hazel eyes turned to look at her.

     "Good thing I didn't let you buckle me up," he said, "Don't want a mishap, do we?"
     Her face went bright red, "What kind of mishaps do you have in mind, Lovino?!" she sneered, "I wouldn't do anything like that! Pervert!"
     "Idiota, I meant getting my jeans caught in the belt!" he snapped, "Che palle, as if I'd be that perverted! Jeez, you should know me better!"

     Two hours later, the three of them were locked in a hotel room. Supposedly, Ludwig and Feliciano were going to come and pick them up for the meeting. Extra hint on supposedly. They had yet to see any form of transportation come to their hotel. Nonetheless, all three were dressed to the tee (___ having gone for the business suit like Lovino suggested). Gilbert was adding the last finishing touches to his own clothing.

      "Oh, ___," he called out, "I hope you realize that you won't recognize everyone in the meeting, just the ones that attend school."
      She looked up from her book, "I know, I'll probably only recognize a handful," she replied, "I hope we all become great friends, though."
     Lovino scoffed, "Yeah, yeah," he muttered, "Just remember to call everyone you know by their Country name in the meetings. If you don't, others may get confused. We're not here as humans, but Countries. Just...call me South Italy or whatever..."
     Gilbert finished his tie, "Yeah, and remember I'm the awesome Prussia, West is Germany, Feli is North Italy, Francis is France, Matthew is Canada, Ivan is Russia, etcetera etcetera." 
      "It'll be totally weird calling you guys by Country names," ___ mumbled, "I guess it couldn't hurt to start now, though, eh Gi-Prussia?"
     Lovino, hearing an approaching car, stood, "You dumbass, you'll be referred to as (your country name), so make sure you answer," he stated, "If you don't, Veneziano will be embarrassed, and more importantly so with Prussia and I. So don't fuck up, capisce?"

      He flung open the door and stepped onto the porch. Lovino spotted his brother and Ludwig emerging from a vehicle (no doubt China's). Feliciano glided up the stairs, flapping his arms slightly. He was obviously excited to see ___. Lovino rolled his eyes, leaning against the railing and allowing Gilbert and her to exit and lock the hotel room.

      "Vee~ ___ - no! (Your country name)!" Feli chirped, "I'm so happy to see you! Ah! You're still wearing the necklace!"
      ___ looked down at her chest, "Yeah, I really like it," she said, fondly, "I just hope no one teases me about it. No offense, but since I'm a new Country, I'm not sure if I should belong to anyone yet."
      Feli laughed slightly, "It's okay if you take it off, bella," he said, "Just make sure to put it out there that you're my girlfriend, si?"

      Ludwig motioned for everyone to leave. One by one, they all descended the stairs and approached the vehicle. Gilbert mentioned in passing about how they were almost ten minutes late now, and that he refused to take the blame. Nonetheless, they all piled into the car.

     ___ stood outside the meeting room, fingers hesitating on the door knob. Feliciano and Lovino stood behind her, and Gilbert behind them. She was nervous, finally being able to meet everyone else. Inhaling deeply, she flung open the door. Unfortunately, no one was there yet, only a few people. And Gilbert said they were late! Said Prussian chuckled, pushing his way into the door and over to where his seat supposedly was. She hesitated again, only beginning to move when Lovino gripped her shoulder tightly.

     "(Your country name) sits here, always," he said, forcing her into a chair, "England sits on your left, America on your right. Know this, and you'll be fine. Intervene their fights, flirt with them, flash them, do whatever and you'll be okay too. If you don't like sitting here, request to be moved, and we'll have a vote, okay?"

      She sat down immediately, reading the name tag at her seat. ___ let out a sigh, placing her attache case beneath her. She watched Ludwig sit, Gilbert on his right, and Feli on his left. Lovino sat beside his brother, glaring at the spot next to him (probably Spain's). She was sitting alone, not seeing anyone else around her spot (although, there was a male sitting a few feet away with a panda on his back - she supposed this was China).

     Said man looked away from his paperwork, finally spotting her. 'China' waved politely, smiling brightly. ___ smiled back, feeling her heart pounding away in her chest. Even her face suggested she was nervous and flustered. The Chinese muttered something about 'being cute' underneath his breathe before returning to his work. ___ hastily bent over and opened her case. Perhaps she could read for a few minutes (or catch up on the last meeting's work that she never got around to doing).

     As she dug around her suitcase, the meeting doors open once more. Instead of looking at whom entered, she continued to sort through the various papers. A voice greeted the others and was approaching her position.

     "Heeeey, Britain!"

     A hand smacked her behind, causing ___ to bang her head on the desk. China and the others looked up at the sound, noticing how the new arrival had started laughing. Her head and torso emerged from beneath the desk to glare at the new comer. Blond hair, blue eyes, hair lick, and glasses. Her (e/c) eyes narrowed at the boy, whom had finally settled down from laughing. However, once he got a good look at her, his face went bright red.

     "H-hey! What happened to you, dude?!" he grabbed her shoulders, "DID ONE OF YOUR SPELLS GO WRONG AND YOU GOT TURNED INTO A CHICK!?"     Feliciano had floated over at this point, gently grabbing the Country's hands, "America, please let go of (your country name)," he said, "Vee~ I think you're hurting my girlfriend."
     "(Y-your country name)?" America looked down at her, "Oh, shit, dude! I'm so sorry! I thought you were England! He's usually here before me, and...I'm really sorry! Italy, dude, I didn't mean to smack your girlfriend's ass, I swear!"

     Without hesitating, ___ smacked the American across the face. His glasses had even slid down his nose and almost completely off. She had obviously hit him hard, a red mark had appeared on his face a moment later - but it was nothing compared to ___'s face. She sat back down in her chair, refusing to look at the American. He hastily sat down beside her, as if nothing had happened. However, she noticed that he was rubbing the side of his face.

     "You hit pretty hard for a girl, you know?" he laughed, "I'm America, or Alfred F. Jones, however you please! What's your name, dude?"
     ___ looked over her shoulder at him, "I'm ___ ___," she replied, "Er...I guess I should refer to myself as (your country name). I'm new to this. But God so help me, if you touch my ass again, you won't have a face to make pretty anymore."
     Gilbert chuckled, "You tell him, frau!"

     Feliciano hovered around the two, watching as America gave ___ an intense glare - as if to say, I accept your challenge. ___ glared just as harshly back, her fingers twitching in a way that suggested she wanted to slug him then and there. As if on cue, both nations jumped up and grabbed ahold of some part of ech other's clothing. Even though America wasn't looking to fight with a girl, he just felt like playing along (not the mention he found a girl with so much confidence sexy).

     The two held onto each other's shirts for another moment before settling down. Taking this as his chance, Feliciano brushed the side of his girlfriend's face. ___ looked toward him, (e/c) eyes softening. She gave him a small smile, making the Italian's heart beat furiously in his chest. He leaned forward slightly, wanting to close the distance. ___ leaned toward him as well, their lips just half an inch away from each other. It would be their first kisses with each other - ___ wondered how it would feel.

     "No snogging in the meeting room."

     Feliciano's head was struck by a roll of paper. He shrunk away from whomever had struck him. Blond hair, green eyes, and extremely thick eyebrows - ___ knew him. This was England, or so she was told by Lovino just a few hours before. He caught sight of her, staring slightly. Nonetheless, he sat down on her otherside, pulling out some documents and a canister full of hot tea no doubt.

     China let out a sigh, "Aw, come on, England. They were just going to kiss, aru. You ruin everything," he whined, "You never allow cuteness in the meeting room!"      England rolled his eyes, "Shut your mouth, China," he said, "This is a meeting room, definitely not a hotel room. Even America is acting more-" ___ and America had begun their glaring contest once again. "Oh Lord, what have you done know, America?"
     "I thought (your country name) was you, so I kinda..." he shrugged, "I kinda smacked her ass."
     The Englishman glared harshly, "You wanker! Why would you even want to strike my behind?!" he demanded "Is this just another one of your American football gags?!"

      England had struck America upside the head with the papers, this time. His emerald eyes were full of dislike, and ___ could agree with him on that. Over the next few minutes, many other Countries started pouring in and taking their seats. When Gilbert had said earlier that ___ wouldn't recognize most of them, he was absolutely correct. She only knew a handful of others, and the rest she wasn't able to meet at the current time period.

     Once all the chairs were full and everyone was quiet (except for a few stragglers), America had stood up, "Hey dudes!" he cheered, "There's a big problem in economy right now for all of us, isn't there (not that I won't get out of it, I am the hero)? Well, I was thinking-"
     England had cut him off at that, "No, we're not doing anything that involves your strange plans, America," he said, "If anything, we'll set up a smooth system of-"
      "I disagree, Angleterre," France had said, "I say we just let things go the way they are. If we attempt to do anything, won't it end the same? As in debt, non?"
     It was China's turn to speak, "If you guys don't try anything, you'll never get out of debt, aru!" he shouted, "Why don't you just buy more of my products and-?"
     ___ had decided to join in, "No, I believe the reason many of our Countries are in debt is because of exported goods," she concluded, "If we just created more goods in our homes, I believe that the tariffs would slowly lower and dissolve completely. I also believe we're relying too much on each other. We should at least try and break away from the same mistakes. Have we not learned anything from over the years?"
      "I think the chica's right!" Spain chirped, "We have problems with economy because of wars, useless spending, high tariffs on imported goods, and useless government projects that fall through!"
     Russia chuckled, "Sort of like America's space program, no?"
      America jumped up, "You're just as bad, Russia!" he said, "You have a space program to, Commie! Unless you've forgotten?!"

     Germany watched quietly as all the Countries argued. He had been surprised to see ___ get up in action so soon. He had expected her to learn from others before acting. Japan let out a small sigh a few seats away, rubbing the side of his face.

     "What's wrong, Japan?" Germany called down, "You seem distracted."
     The Japanese looked back up at him, "There's just a bad feeling in the air, is all." he replied, "Thank you for your concern,  Germany-san."
     Lovino overheard this, "I feel the same, potato bastard!" he said to Germany, "I've felt it since this morning. Do you think something's going to happen?"
      "Nein. Calm down."

     He spoke too soon. The meeting doors had sprung open once again, letting in a large amount of cold air. All the bickering nations turned to look, surprise filling their faces. ___, however, was continuing to argue with America about how going about economy growth. Neither realized that the new person had been walking toward them. Everyone's eyes followed until finally...

     "___," the figure said, "It's time to die."

~