This chapter is dedicated to one of my roleplaying buddies. Happy Birthday, Matteo! Love ya! Well...it's 11/25 at my area so I still consider it to be their birthday. :U Anywho, onto with the chapter!

I do not own Hetalia in any way, shape, or form.

Chapter 2 – Belittled

"Bloody hell! I am so sick of your nitpicking!"

A certain angry Englishman was, once again, yelling at a particular Frenchman.

"Angleterre, do not be so hasty!" Francis Bonnefoy was briskly walking after the fuming Brit, vainly trying to calm Arthur down. "Please slow down!"

"What, so you may continue to aggravate me? No bloody way, Frog! I am leaving; do not even attempt to follow me!" Arthur left Francis's household, slamming the door angrily behind him. He continued to fume, storming away, too caught up in his ire to even notice where he was walking. Suddenly, England bumped into someone, sending the unfortunate victim to the ground.

"V-ve!" Feliciano Vargas had been out for a walk and was unlucky enough to be in the path of the enraged Englishman. The Italian clutched at his sore head, whimpering lightly. "M-mi dispiace! I didn't mean to be in your way! D-don't hurt me, per favore! I have relatives in Manchester!" Italy, just for an additional measure, pulled out his white flag and began to frantically wave it about.

"Italy! Calm yourself; I will not harm you." Arthur sighed in exasperation, his tone harsher than what he originally planned.

Feliciano recoiled and looked at the floor, ashamed, cowed, and visibly upset. His protruding curl was drooping, reflecting his current feelings. "Mi dispiace…"

"No, I should be the one who is apologizing. I did not mean to be so harsh, Italy." The blonde felt guilty, seeing the distraught expression that crossed the other's face. England briefly wondered where that sudden pity rose from before shaking the inquiry off—he had more important things to tend to, after all. "Why don't you stop by my house for a cup of tea, Feliciano? It will be my way of apologizing."

Italy slowly looked up at Arthur, slightly wary at the offering. "…will I have to eat your food, Inghilterra?" Feliciano's face scrunched up at the thought of eating England's dreadful and volatile food.

The blonde's eye twitched in slight irritation but he forced himself to remain calm. "If you do not wish to eat my food, then you do not have to, Italy…" Arthur extended a hand towards Feliciano.

The other glanced suspiciously at the outstretched hand before hesitantly taking it, pulling himself up with the help of Arthur. "Ve…I guess it's okay, then! Grazie, England…" Feliciano brushed the dirt off of his clothes, straightening them, releasing Arthur's hand. "Lead the way!"

Arthur nodded and began to promptly walk in the direction to his house, Feliciano dutifully trailing behind after the blonde.

"Are you feeling any better, Italy?" Arthur set a tea tray down on the table before taking a seat, pouring two cups of tea. He handed the Italian one cup and drank the other, savoring the aromatic flavor.

Feliciano gratefully took the offered cup and cautiously took a sip. While England's cooking was horrendous, the Italian appreciated the tea. "Sì, I'm feeling much better. Grazie!" He took another sip from the teacup, looking slightly thoughtful. "Say, Inghilterra...why were you so angry?"

"I beg your pardon?" Arthur blinked, feeling slightly bewildered by the sudden inquiry. He set his respective cup down on the table. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Ve...well, before we crashed into each other, you seemed really angry at someone. What happened?"

"Oh yes...that..." England turned away, glaring slightly at the wall. "The Frog was irritating me once more. I grew tired of his constant nitpicking; it is borderline belittling..."

"Big Brother France just wants what's best for you, doesn't he?" Feliciano furrowed his eyebrows together in thought.

"I'm not so sure about that..." Arthur's mind wandered back to the time where he admired Francis's long hair before shaking his head, the memory dispelled.

"I think that he does, ve, and Inghilterra isn't quite being belittled." The Italian looked slightly pensieve at the latter portion of his statement. "Have you ever been bullied by other nations, been called a coward, been continuously mocked, or been forced to cling and hide behind others for protection? The list is endless. There is a reason as to why I have a tendancy to flee and cling to Germany: I've been cowed by the bullying. The same goes for mio fratellone as well. We're both the grandchildren of Rome and yet, here we are, cowardly and always finding a way to hide or flee from danger. We're the ones being belittled, not you, Inghilterra."

England felt his heart grow heavy with guilt; he had been one of the few people who contributed to the belittlement of Italy. "Italy, I apologize for my actions. They were highly unjust; you did not deserve to endure through such horrendous treatment."

"It's okay, Arthur! What's done is done. Just be sure that you don't repeat it again, sì?"

"I solemnly swear it; I will demean you nevermore, Feliciano."

"You really mean it? Ve, you have no idea how much this delights me, Arthur!" Before Arthur had a chance to reply, Feliciano spoke up once again, "Dio, it's already late! I should go home before fratello starts yelling at me again. Ve, grazie again for the tea, Inghilterra!"

"The pleasure is all mine, Italy. I'll escort you to the door." Arthur took the tea cups and set them onto the tray, walking towards the front entrance. He opened the front door and held it open for the Italian. "Take care, Feliciano."

The brunette flashed a brilliant smile in response and bounded over, placing a quick kiss on the Brit's lips. "I will! Arrivederci, Arthur~!" With a slight skip to his steps, Feliciano made his way home.

Arthur remained at the entrance of his house, slowly bringing a hand up to his lips, his eyes slightly widened in shock. His lips still tingled from the kiss...Arthur felt himself smile as he gently closed the door. His thoughts would remain centered on that one ditzy Italian for the rest of the evening.

A/N: And this ends my second chapter! My muse and motivation better remain by my side throughout the duration of this fic. I guess you can say that this is former FrUK that became Angel Pair. I have no idea, haha….

Again, my knowledge in foreign languages is fairly limited so I apologize if I made any mistakes in the French or Italian.

This chapter, like the one prior to this, is not beta'd. The offer still stands in case anyone is interested in becoming my beta!

Read and Review, please?

Translations:

Angleterre – England (French)

Mi dispiace – I'm sorry (Italian)

Per favore – Please (Italian)

Inghilterra – England (Italian)

Grazie – Thank you (Italian)

Sì – Yes (Italian)

Mio fratellone – My older brother (Italian)

Dio – God (Italian)

Fratello – Brother (Italian)

Arrivederci – Goodbye (Italian)