::North & South Italies::

The invitation had been simply too good to pass up, even though you weren't really sure why you, of all people, had been chosen for the job. That thought buzzed around your skull all day, but besides being good friends with the cooks in charge, the decision didn't make sense. Ah, well... I guess they have their reasons.

The warm air of the evening was comforting, what with the sea breeze floating past your face and caressing your cheeks as if it wanted to hold you but simply could not, the smells of each and every storefront and home window your passed exciting the gurgles in your stomach and oh! how they nearly made you drool right there on the street .

The house you were headed to was just up ahead, and it was by chance you took a "wrong" turn down a little alley and turned up where you did because you ended up only a few houses away from your destination. A few people meandered through the tight buildings, hurrying to get home in time to eat supper.

At last you came to it-la Casa di Vargas, it read. The House of Vargas, just where you wanted to be. The home itself was better and worse looking than the ones one either side of it, judging by its age but how well-kept it was as well. Cracks and ivy created a patterned duet on the walls while pots of shrubs and windowsills full of flowers hugged the corners. With one final glance down the festive street, you let yourself grin and then knocked a few times.

Scuffling could be heard behind the closed door, but it was too muffled to really tell who or what was going on. Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal two faces that showed opposite expressions. "Oh, great. I thought-a we were done with this after-a we went to-a the market..." the frowning one groaned, arms crossed over his chest.

"Fratello, I told-a you earlier!" the peppy one laughed, patting his brother's shoulder. Beckoning you inside, he announced, "Welcome to our home-a! Nonni isn't around-a, so we can-a make whatever we want-a to eat! Come in, come in!"

You gladly accepted and hurried in, leaving your shoes in the entrance hall and following the two brothers to wherever they so chose to lead you, which happened to be the kitchen. There you noticed the bags of fresh produce on the center counter, waiting to be cleaned, cut, and made into something delicious.

"Normally we would-a socialize first, but-a since we're running out of-a time, we thought-"

"You thought-a-"

"That we can do enough-a talking while we eat to make up-a for it! How does that-a sound?" He smiled squintily at you, even if you had no intention of turning down the offer.

"Sounds great! Thanks!" you said back, rolling up your sleeves. Glancing around the kitchen with all its unfamiliar territory, you rubbed your hands together and eagerly looked at the younger Vargas brother. "So, Feliciano... Exactly what can I do?"

"You can-a shut up, for one..." Romano grumbled before his brother could get a word in, earning him a faceful of flour. "Gah!"

"You be-a nice to our guest, Fratello, or-a you don't get to help make-a cena!" Dusting his hands off on his apron, Feliciano shot you a smirk before scampering to the other side of the kitchen to fill a pot with water. "Now-a you, on-a the other hand, can-a wash those vegetables!" he instructed, jabbing a flour-covered finger towards the center table, feeling it a little strange to hear your friend speak with such a commanding tone. (Probably imitating Ludwig.)

As you made your way to the other side of the room, you had to excuse yourself past the grump in the corner who scoffed at your nearness and slouched off to another room. You scooped up the bag of veggies and set them near the sink, beginning to remove anything the three of you wouldn't want to eat with warm, soapy water running steadily over your skin.

After a few minutes of work while listening to Feliciano's humming, a strange sound echoed from outside the kitchen, building in progression yet staying in place. The cheerful Italian smiled gently, glancing at you before remarking, "I'm-a sure you'll like-a this. It's-a mio fratello's specialty..." And no sooner had he stopped talking that a pleasant tune rang out from the lungs of an accordion somewhere in the vicinity.

Romano, though hidden from sight, played the piece with ease, buttons and keys making the sounds into music and music into... well, it kept changing- first, something more operatic, then a dance. Taking you completely by surprise, two hands found their way around your waist and spun you away from your work station, taking one of your hands in his at that point.

"Feli?"

"Si~?"

"What are you doing?" you laughed, noticing the smeared flour across the boy's face and hoping the pasta wouldn't get mushy if the two of you left it for too long.

"I'm Italiano, I can't help but dance-a when I hear-a music like-a this! And it's-a no help that you're-a here, isn't that-a right?" He brought you in close to him with a grin and began leading you in a rhythmic pattern across the floor and into the hallway to the sounds of the accordion. Into the living room you went, twisting and bouncing along until you backed up against something hard, cueing the music to cease immediately.

"Watch it!" Romano snapped, yanking the instrument away from you.

You stuttered, your arms falling limp, "But I didn't know you were behi-"

"It..." He hesitated and forced his dark eyes to meet yours. "It doesn't matter now."

An uncomfortable silence followed, but Feliciano saved the moment by grabbing the accordion from his brother and shoving him in your direction. "Romano, you're better at-a making the other stuff than I am, so go help _!"

"And just-a what will-a you be doing if I'm-a stuck with all-a the work?!"

"Not all of it, fratello! You've got _!"

You stood there, hoping you wouldn't meet the angry eyes beside you, but not failing to notice the cheeky grin from across the room. Eyeing your friend a little suspiciously, you mused, "Yeah, what will you be doing, Feli?"

He waggled his brows at the two of you and ushered you down the hall and back to where work still needed to be done. "Providing a lively atmosphere~" he chuckled, spinning on his heel to play the accordion in his own way.

Romano's dark eyes did just about everything they could to avoid your curious gaze, but the rest of his body, on the other hand, continued to dance without losing a single step. Slow steps in circular motions carried the two of you down the hallway, the sonorous breath of the accordion's song resonating throughout the whole house to a traditional song of Italy, or so you assumed. At one point you glanced to the side, hoping you would avoid hitting the wall, but the thought disappeared as you were hugged closely, spun out to the side and back again, landing against your friend.

"I've-a got you, you clumsy thing..." he grumbled, looking briefly at you. His face completely changed once he and you danced across the threshold into the kitchen and he barked, "Feliciano, I hardly think-a your music could-a be called 'lively'! I almost fell asleep!"

You were released into the empty space near the sink, head spinning and heart racing. As you returned your attention back to the food, you could hear the two brothers arguing as Romano snatched the accordion back and left the scene once more while Feli slowly made his way back to the boiling pot of pasta, giving it a stir.

"On your-a left!" he warned, coming up beside you with the pot in his hands. Quickly steadying the strainer, you held it as he poured, the steam rising up so that you both had to back away before it burned your faces, laughing a little at it. "Y'know," he began with another quiet chuckle, "Romano seems-a quite testy, but really-"

"He's not," you finished, sharing with him an understanding smile.

Dropping the subject upon hearing footsteps, you set to work bustling about helping make the rest of the dinner, even if you weren't as helpful as you'd have liked to be. Romano, of course, would have preferred that you not help at all, but what could you do when Feliciano insisted and encouraged it? At one point or another you tried to stifle a laugh when Romano snuck a sprig of rosemary down the back of Feli's shirt- "Maybe he'll-a smell better now, mm?"

With rolled-up sleeves and an apron that fit rather well tied around your waist, you shook your head, took a deep breath, and grabbed the rolling pin. Here we go. Let's not screw this up, you thought as your knuckles turned white, slowly stretching the soft dough and spreading it out.

"Too thick!" Romano snapped in passing while he took care of the fresh salads, just as you had wiped your elbow across your brow with a triumphant grin. Your smile morphed into a frown as you shot him a look, Feliciano stepping over to help.

With a grin, he told you, "It's-a really not that bad, _. Romano's just picky!"

"Am not-a!"

"Si, you are!"

"Stai zitto!"

There was laughter, accusations and learning, petty squabbles, and delicious fragrances drifting above each part of the kitchen, filling the whole room and likely the whole house as well; and if nothing else there was cooking.

"Jeeeeez," you sighed, patting your stomach contentedly. "I couldn't eat more if I tried, man. This was incredible. Gotta really hand it to you Italians."

"Mangi, mangi!" Feliciano cooed, gesturing to the massive amounts of food on the table.

"No, really, I-"

A warm roll of bread, already buttered, was tossed into your lap by a disgruntled Romano with a fork halfway to his face."Eat."

Despite being full to the brim, you meant no disrespect so you nibbled at the bread and continued conversing until the boys had had their share and finally understood that if you ate anymore that your untrained stomach would heave all of that hard work up after dinner and no one wants that. A strange compromise of sorts.

As hard as you tried to hide it, a yawn took over your body and both brothers noticed it at the same time. "All those carbs..." you mumbled with a shrug, upending your glass.

"If you're-a tired, then just go-a to sleep," Romano said lazily after sipping his wine.

Feli chirped, "Si, we have-a plenty of room for-a you to stay the night!"

"We don't."

"But-a we do, fratello!"

Feli's whine only earned himself an eye roll and silence as his older brother took another swig of the wine, lightly tinting the corner of his mouth. Returning his attention back to you, the younger boy excused himself from the table and came up behind you, scooting your chair back and allowing you to get up. "Come, I'll-a show you where you can-a sleep."

Tucked into the bed already and beginning to adjust the pillows for maximum comfort, a few knocks came on the door.

"You can come in!"

Romano entered a little slowly, making his way over to a chair and sitting down backwards with his legs straddling the back and his arms folded so that his head could rest on his knuckles, curved around the top piece of wood. He blinked once, then twice, then looked at you with a blank stare for a moment.

"Fratello? Frateeeeeello!" a loud but distant Feliciano called, clearly in search for his brother.

"He's in..." you began to answer, stopping only when Romano held up a finger to his pursed lips, silencing you in one motion with his brow furrowed. However, the endeavor was lost when the younger brother bounded up the stairs and caught sight of Romano.

"Aha! Found you!" His cheery tone suddenly switched in the blink of an eye as he stomped over to his brother and grabbed him by the arm. "Fratello," he hissed, crouching low, "You had-a too much to drink-a tonight, so you shouldn't be in-a here...!" In an effort to remove his (only slightly) drunken brother from the room, he ended up pulling too hard and once Romano gave up the struggle he went limp, causing one to stumble backwards and the other to topple over onto the floor. The chair fell against the side of the bed.

"Romano!"

You whipped off the sheets and had one foot on the ground when Feliciano caught your eye and shook his head. "Don't-a worry. I've got him."

Sitting anxiously on the side of the bed, you watched the boy drag his brother out of the room with a few grunts, eventually leaving your sight. You sighed and wondered what that was all about, deciding to try and get some sleep, as hard as that might prove to be.

As you nestled back down under the covers and went to reach for the lamp, Feliciano entered the room once more.

"Scusate to barge in again, but I just-a wanted to check on you. Huh? Are you okay?" he questioned worriedly, quickly coming up to the bedside.

You nodded, shrugging. "I just can't sleep is all. Having a hard time after that, even though I'm exhausted from today."

"Si, I can understand that. It's-a tough on the body, too, you know. I had trouble-a sleeping not too long ago, too. I was-a having trouble sleeping-a during my siesta, but mio fratello counted sheep..." he trailed off, suddenly looking as if he had gained a bright idea. "That's it! Did-a you know that if you count-a sheep when you can't-a sleep, you'll fall asleep in a few moments? I can-a count sheep for you! Would you like-a that?"

"Well, I don't really-"

He shook his head again and giggled, saying, "No need-a to be shy! I'll-a count for you, so close your eyes now. Here I go! Una pecora! Due pecore! Tre pecore! Quattro pecore! Cinque pecore! Sei pecore! Sette pecore! Otto pecore! Nove pecore e dieci pecore!" Without glancing at you but rather letting his gaze drift off, Feli continued with, "Sheep are-a so fluffy and adorable... Not only are-a they cute, but the cheese made-a from sheep's milk is-a delicioso! You usually use goat-a cheese when making the pasta sauce for Carbonara, but if-a you use sheep cheese it still tastes-a great." Suddenly remembering that you were there, he grinned and offered, "If-a you haven't eaten it like-a that before, do you wanna eat some with-a me sometime?"

Not really getting where that came from, you nodded, albeit still confused. "Uh, sure. That'd be nice."

His grin widened as he exclaimed, "Meravigliso! I can't wai- Oh, I'm-a sorry! I'm-a supposed to be counting sheep! Undici pecore! Dodici pecore! Tredici pecore! Quattrodici pecore! Quindici pecore! Sedici pecore! Diciassette pecore! Diciotto pecore! Diciannove pecore! Venti pecore!"

You yawned once more, the sheep idea only working slightly. However, Feliciano took the sign as more than you thought it to be. "Oh, you're-a starting to feel sleepy? This is-a more effective than I thought-a! Ludwig taught-a me this, but I've-a never tried it on anyone else before..."

Ludwig suddenly came up? "I can only imagine him trying to count you to sleep," you muttered shuddering a little. "Spill it, Feli. Is it a little scary, then?"

"Hm?" It appeared as though he had been drifting again. "Does-a Ludwig make me uneasy? Well-a, he may be a bit on-a the strict and-a brawny side, but-a he always helps me, he only adds a little bit of salt-a in everything he eats, he keeps his kitchen all clean and sparkly, and-a he always ties my bootlaces when I forget! He's a serious and-a nice guy at the same-a time! Just-a the other day I..." He caught your eye again and smiled bashfully. "Ah, looks like I was-a talking a bit too much... You looked-a like you were having fun listening so I got caught up. We can't have-a you staying awake, though! Time for the sheep!

"Ventuno pecore. Ventidue pecore. Ventitré pecore." At this point he wasn't as hyper as he had been, the carbs finally beginning to calm him down as well. "Ventiquattro pecore. Venticinque pecore. Ventisei pecore. Ventisette pecore. Ventotto pecore. Ventinove pecore. Trenta pecoreeee… ve… "

His head bobbed a little as his eyes began to droop, the tired sigh escaping through Feliciano's smile. "Hey... Feli?" you whispered, giving his arm a poke.

"Oh...oh! Looks like I got caught-a napping!" he laughed, squinting at the lamplight. He continued, "Whenever I count-a sheep, it always works on-a me, too. But I promise that I'll-a count my hardest until you're-a sound asleep!"

Scoffing and scrunching your brows at him, you said, "Feli, why don't you just go to sleep, then? I'll be fine, come on."

Your efforts were in vain as he rested a warm hand on your head, muttering, "It's al-aright, leave it to me...! Just close-a your eyes, take a nice, deep breath, and listen to my sheep-a counting." You took his advice as his voice softened to a gentle whisper, the words as smooth as fresh pasta.

"Trentuno pecore... Trentadue pecore... Trentatre pecore... Trentaquattro pecore... Trentacinque pecore... Trentasei pecore... Trentasette pecore... Trentotto pecore... Trentanove pecore... Quaranta pecore... Quarantuno pecore... Quarantadue pecore... Quarantatre pecore… Quarantaquattro pecore... Quarantacinque pecore... Quarantasie pecore... Quarantasei pecore... Quarantasette pecore... Quarantotto pecore... Quarantanove pecore... Cinquanta pecore..." He sighed, his eyes drooping once more. "Cinquantuno pecore..."

The treatment had worked only halfway, but you didn't want Feli to fall asleep on you so you had faked falling asleep as he counted, stopping him at 51 sheep by letting out a little snore, your mouth hanging open.

Blinking, Feliciano turned his gaze to you. "Hmm? Heey." He poked your cheek, and it almost did the trick to expose you but thankfully you covered it up by shifting onto your side and mumbling something in your 'slumber'.

"Looks-a like you're-a sound asleep! I'm glad!" He giggled quietly and patted your hair, whispering, "Have a relaxing sleep and a good-a morning tomorrow. Now then, off I go. Sogni d'oro! Sweet-a dreams!" He exited the room silently, flicking out the lights on his way out.

As soon as you heard the door click shut, you rolled onto your back again, sighing in relief. Now, the real trick... Actually falling asleep...

Your eyelids had just begun to droop again when a loud yawn came through the doorway, followed by a dark-haired Italian barely managing to stay upright that hummed a familiar tune. Flicking on the lamp beside your bed, you squinted up at him, watching his wobbly steps as he drew nearer. His hair was mussed-up and the corner of his mouth was still stained from the wine, though it appeared as though he had just come from the washroom to ready himself for bed.

"Romano...?"

His gaze popped upwards to meet yours, his grimace returning in an instant. "The hell am I-a doing in-a here...? What are-a you doing in-a here?" he snapped, stopping where he was.

"It's where Feli said I should sleep. He never mentioned that it was your room," you grumbled back, shifting in the bed so you could see him better.

"My room-a? It's-a..." Romano's dark eyes flicked around the room, and the curl on his head bounced when he answered, "No, this is-a the guest room. Mine's next door..." He began humming again as he turned and made for the door, giving you a half-wave as he reached for the knob.

That song... "Romano, wait!" He paused mid-step. "Are you humming the song you played on the accordion earlier?" you asked him carefully.

He did nothing for a moment, then nodded once before reaching again for the door.

"Aw man, come on, don't leave yet! I can't sleep!" you whined, leaning out of the bed and reaching for him to come back in the most dramatic way you could.

He sassily turned to face you again, dark bags beginning to form under his eyes. "You can't sleep? Like I care! What the hell do you want me to do...?"

"I dunno, count sheep or just sit here and fall asleep... I don't know!" you pondered, knowing a second dose of sheep would likely do the trick, especially if Romano was falling asleep as he counted.

"Ugh, why sheep? That way is for babies!" he griped, dragging his hand across his frowning face and coming back over to the bedside.

You sighed and gave him the stink-eye, sticking your tongue out to prove that, yes, you were still a baby.

He gaped back. "Wha?"

"Well, you're always such a grump and I never feel welcome here, at least not from you. I try to be cool and help out, but you just cut me off when I've barely had a taste for this place, y'know?" you rambled, not realizing how much you'd been meaning to tell him these things.

"O-Oi!"

"I'm not done! You think just because I'm not from here that I'm stupid and I don't understand and you know what? You're right! I don't understand so help me! I just... I'm just tired..." you finally sighed, resting your head back against the pillow and swallowing hard. Good luck getting to sleep now, idiot...

"Alright, alright, I'll-a count the sheep for-a you and then I'm going to my own room." He pulled up the nearby chair and sat in it the same way as before, remarking, "You screech just like my little brother until you get what you want..."With a deep breath, he began. "Una pecora! Due pecore! Tre pecore! Quattro pecore! Cinque pecore! Sei pecore! Sette pecore! Otto pecore! Nove pecore! Dieci pecore! Hah? What are-a you looking at?"

You had been accidentally staring at him while he was speaking, trying to figure out how bitterly one could count fluffy little sheep. His whole face was contorted to a mask of frustration, as if this whole ordeal was a massive chore. "I, uh... Nothing, sorry."

He rolled his eyes and poked you in the forehead. "If you-a really wanna fall asleep that-a bad, then-a put your back into it! I'm-a counting for you because-a you said you could not-a sleep! You know that, right? Now hurry up and close-a your eyes." Resting a beat to let you follow his order, he continued with arms folded across his chest, "Good. Nice and-a tight. I'm-a continuing, damn it. Undici pecore! Dodici pecore! Tredici pecore! Quattrodici pecore! Quindici pecore! Sedici pecore! Diciassette pecore! Diciotto pecore! Diciannove pecore! Venti pecore!"

You caught yourself staring at his grumpy face again when he reached his second set, earing yourself a smack on the top of the head.

"Hey!"

"GO TO-A SLEEP, YOU BASTARDO! I'm-a wasting my precious sleep hours to count-a sheep to you right-a now! Speaking of-a, everyone keeps saying to count-a sheep but-a why does it have-a to be sheep?! What's-a wrong with counting pizza or-a tomatoes instead?!" He paused a moment, thinking to himself and then out loud, ignoring the fact that he had just called you a bastard, and quite loudly. "That's-a right. It's-a not like I have-a to count sheep. Counting sheep does not match me at all. I've-a decided. I'm-a going to count tomatoes instead."

"Tomatoes? Really? I don't think that's the big issue he-"

"You shut up-a! I'll-a count whatever the hell I want!"

Rolling your eyes and rubbing the spot on your head, you muttered, "Fine, as long as you do it quietly..."

"What's-a with you? If you've got a problem, I'm-a not counting jack! Just be quiet and-a listen, you moron," he snapped, glaring at you before clearing his throat. "Ventuno deliziosi pomodori. Ventidue deliziosi pomodori. Ventitre deliziosi pomodori. Ventiquattro deliziosi pomodori. Venticinque deliziosi pomodori. Ventisei deliziosi pomodori." You could tell by this point that your words had sunken into his brain at least a little bit, or maybe it was just the change of subject, because his voice had softened and it seemed that he might even be enjoying himself a little. "Ventisette deliziosi pomodori. Ventotto deliziosi pomodori. Ventinove deliziosi pomodori. Trenta deliziosi pomodori."

When he looked down at you expectantly, you grinned slowly. Before you could say anything, he remarked, "Ahh, now you're-a finally getting sleepy, huh, you little sob! This is-a... embarrassing so hurry up and-a fall asleep, and-a forget this ever happened, moron!" He paused again and mused, "Still-a, this tomato counting seems to be-a more effective than sheep counting. Figures an idea I came up with would-a work."

You raised your brow at him.

"Anything I think up is-a gold compared to what others think up and-a you know it! Tomatoes really are-a delicious. Ahh, now I feel like eating a pizza," he sighed blissfully, lost in his food thoughts.

"So why don't you?" you teased, chuckling drowsily.

He stared at you, taking you seriously. "Hah? I can't eat-a one now! I have-a to put you to sleep-a first. Now stop-a the talking and-a go to sleep! I'll-a be sure to knock you out with this round," he vowed, smiling a little. "And-a here we go... Trentuno deliziosi pomodori... Trentadue deliziosi pomodori... Trentatre deliziosi pomodori... Trentaquattro deliziosi pomodori... Trentacinque deliziosi pomodori... Trentasei deliziosi pomodori… Trentasette deliziosi pomodori… Trentotto deliziosi pomodori… Trentanove deliziosi pomodori… Quaranta deliziosi pomodori… Quarantuno deliziosi pomodori… Quarantadue deliziosi pomodori… Quarantatre deliziosi pomodori… Quarantaquattro deliziosi pomodori… Quarantacinque deliziosi pomodori… Quarantasei deliziosi pomodori… Quarantasette deliziosi pomodori… Quarantotto deliziosi pomodori… Quarantanove deliziosi pomodoriiiiiii… Cinquanta deliziosi pomodori."

Romano glanced down at you with a yawn and a frown, pulling the covers up over your shoulders. "Hmph, sound asleep! Damn, you were a handful to deal-a with...!" He sighed and rested his chin in his hand, "Well, that-a was embarrassing. This has to be the, uh... let's see..." he mused as he counted on his fingers, "about the 200th time I've-a dealt with something embarrassing since I was-a born. There was that one time I wet the bed, that time I... and-a how was I supposed-a to know there was an old man behind-a me?!"

Hearing you let out half a snore told him it was time to leave. Scooting himself off the back of the chair, he gave your hair a ruffle and turned to return to his own room. "You worked me hard today- che palle... Even-a so, Buona Notte..."

A/N

Wow. Long one because it's got two characters. Didn't feel like doing them separately and figured I could make it work somehow. I've kind of missed these little things. As always, if something is incorrect, don't hesitate to let me know!