Mellow! This is going to be my only multi chapter Hetalia piece for now. I am in need of a beta, if anyone wants to. And I will provide any translations at the bottom, hopefully they're right. And this story will have very little to do with history, it's just for the fun of it. Hope you enjoy!

Growing Tomatoes

Chapter 1

"So you're really just giving him to me?" Antonio asked, shocked. When the Austrian aristocrat said that he wanted to discus some business deals over lunch this was the last thing that he had expected.

"It's too much trouble to handle both of the twins." Roderich shrugged taking a sip of tea. "Perhaps he can be of some use to you."

Antonio couldn't believe it, he was finally getting a underling. That alone made him want to run and break out in song.

He always wanted to be a boss, non of the adult nations seemed to respect him. He didn't know why. He had friends, who could ever forget the Bad Touch Trio, but even they didn't seem to think of Antonio as an equal per se. It was going to be fun being the boss for once, instead of just going along with everyone else.

Antonio hadn't meet the oldest Vargas yet; well he had, but that was years ago. He was sure that Romano was different from then, after all he was a baby then in Grandpa Rome's house.

But Feliciano he's seen a few times, and was hoping to get to talk to today as well. Feliciano, he thought, was one of the most adorable and nicest child he has ever meet. Surely his older brother couldn't be that much different.

Antonio spent the next hour in a daze, all he could think of was all the fun he would have with Romano. Sure he knew that whatever Roderick was saying was probably very important, but he just couldn't concentrate.

He could show Romano tomatoes and how to garden. Ah tomatoes, were tasty. Not that the food Roderick served him wasn't, but he loved tomatoes. Hopefully Romano would like them just as much as he did.

"Finally I have some papers for you to sign, and then you can see the boy." Roderick said breaking Antonio's thought about tomatoes; that quite honestly, he could've thought about all day.

Antonio happily scribbled his signature down on the papers. "Si."

"If you give me a moment I have to go find him, no doubt that he's run off again." Roderick sighed and even his Mariazell seem to droop.

Antonio just gave him a goofy smile and went back to his thoughts about tomatoes.

Antonio was snapped out of his thoughts a few moments later when he heard two arguing voices. "I expect you to listen and quit this ridiculous."

"It can't be as ridiculous as that coat of yours!" The other voice shot back.

Antonio knew that the first voice was Roderick's and he guessed that the second was Romano's.

Finally the two appeared at the door way, both with frowns on their faces from their obvious fight.

"Here he is," Roderick held a boy by the arm.

The older Italy certainly looked like Feliciano. His hair and eyes were a little darker, but they both had similar curls sticking out of either side of their heads. Romano though, being older looked to be about fourteen years old. Antonio was a bit disappointed that he didn't look as cute as his brother, though it might have been that scowl on his face. But, strangely enough it also appeared as if Romano had been crying recently. "Good luck with him." Roderick muttered.

"Si, si." Antonio was still so happy to get an underling that it didn't seem like anything could bring him down.

"This is the bastard?" Romano yelled accusingly pointing at Antonio. "I have to go work for him!"

Austria swiftly brought his hand down five times on the teen's bottom. "I've told you about that mouth of yours before. Children are to be seen and not heard."

Romano tried to get away from the hard smacks, but the Austrian had a strong grip on his arm. "Chigi!"

Wearily Roderick looked back at Antonio, "As you can tell he has a mouth on him. I've tried to get him to stop, but it's just been so much work. He also is lazy and likes to run off every time my back is turned."

Beside him Romano sniffled and tried to brush away a few tears that had fallen. Antonio felt his heart go out for the boy, but he still felt that it was a well deserved spanking. "Anyway, he's yours now. Romano, go wait in the carriage," he gave the Italian boy a small push.

The boy scowl deepened and flashed the Austrian some hand gesture that Antonio didn't know before running out of the room.

"What have I told you about that!" Roderick shouted down the hall after the boy.

Antonio was confused. Was that sign something bad? "Eh, pardon what did that mean?"

"Nothing, just make sure he doesn't do that to you." Roderick said vaguely. "You're going to need a firm hand to deal with him."

Antonio was a little taken back. "Ah, ok."

"I mean it, be strict. That wasn't him just acting out, he acts like that all the time." Roderick looked at the Spaniard hard, "Are you sure you can handle him?"

"Uh, si?" Antonio suddenly felt a bit hesitant. The behavior that he just witness didn't look like it would be fun to deal with everyday.

The boy might be just upset about going with a stranger though, Antonio reasoned. Even if Roderick said that he was like that everyday. With Antonio the boy could act different or something. Either way the thought of having an underling, even if it was Romano, helped him make up his mind. Vigorously Antonio nodded and said more surely "Yes."

Roderick raised an eyebrow at the answer. "You might have to spank him often. Children won't respect you if you don't lay down the law."

Antonio didn't really like that advice, but it wasn't like he ever raised a child before. "Is it really necessary to hit him?"

"It's not hitting, it's spanking." Roderick clarified and nodded. "Ja, it's the only thing that works with him."

Antonio didn't really like the fact that he's have to punish the boy. He'd rather just do fun things, but that didn't appear to be an option. "I already signed the paper, of course I'll take him."

"Fine," Austria waved his hand. "Auf Wiedersehen."

Antonio ran out the room so excited he didn't even say goodbye. Leaving the mansion he ran into Hungary. "Oh, Mr. Spain!"

"Si, mujer hermosa?" Antonio answer wonder what she could want with him.

Trailing behind the Hungarian woman was a child younger than Romano, Feliciano. He looked so cute in his little green maid uniform that Spain felt a little pang in his heart that he wasn't taking Feliciano with him. "Oh, Mr. Spain are you the nation getting Lovino?" Elizabeta asked.

"Lovino?"

"Sorry, I thought Austria told you Romano's human name." Hungary smiled.

"No he didn't, I guess he must've forgot." Antonio was beginning to wonder if Roderick even new that Lovino was the boy's human name. He did look tired though, Antonio reasoned. "But si, he's in that carriage now."

"Oh, please take good care of him, and bring him to visit. I don't want little Feliciano to get lonely." Elizabeta wrapped her arms around the child.

Antonio smiled at the sight of the two, "Si, that shouldn't be a problem." He would anything to make little Italy happy.

"Thank you, come along Feliciano. Mr. Austria has a little more cleaning that he needs done, the we can go play."

Little Feliciano looked up at Elizabeta with a big smile, "Si! Oh, and bye big brother Spain!"

Finally, Spain turned back to leave again and to his relief found Romano waiting for him. "Hey Romano. Lo siento, I was so late."

"Did you just say something to me in fucking Spanish?" Romano yelled.

"Um, si. You'll be learning it soon too!" Antonio tried to keep up beat, but the scowl on Romano's face was making it a little hard. "Also, could you please not swear, it's kind of rude."

"I don't want to learn fucking Spanish, teach me something cool like Russian. But I don't want to have anything to do with German potato bastards."

"Romano, I'm only giving you one more chance. Don't swear, boss Spain doesn't like it." Antonio thought that warning the boy would work.

"Chigi! Just because you own me doesn't mean that you're my fucking boss. Cazzo!" Lovino started to shout.

Antonio felt torn, he didn't like having to take Austria's advice to soon. Sure he had been spanked a few times when was a young nation, but he hated it. He really didn't want to do that to Romano so soon in their relationship. But he felt like he didn't have a choice, after all Roderick had said that he needed Romano to respect him.

Grabbing the still swearing Italian, Antonio pulled the boy over his lap. Romano was caught off guard when the first spank came, but came alive by the second.

"Stop it you bastard!" he screamed and thrashed about.

Antonio was starting to loath himself for doing this. "I'll stop if you apologize for being rude."

"No." But instead of defiant, it came out more of as a whine.

Antonio himself was wincing with the hard swats that he was delivering. Finally he targeted a set of five harder swats to Romano's sitting spots before letting the child down.

Antonio felt his heart clench as he saw Romano's red, tear streaked face. "You will listen to my warnings and not swear, si?"

"S-si."

Antonio signaled to the driver, who had heard the whole exchange, and they were off. Antonio looked at Romano with pity, it had to hurt the boy's bottom when the carriage hit bumps.

Antonio cleared his throat, "Romano, I don't want to spank you. But I will if you don't listen to me."

The boy sat as far as he could from his new guardian biting his lip, he didn't even seem to care that said guardian had spoken to him.

"Lovino, please look at me when I'm talking to you."

In a flash Lovino jerked his head up. The copper eyes locked onto the Spaniard's green ones. 'H-how do you know my name?"

"Mrs. Hungary told me. Would you prefer me to call you that or your country name?"

Lovino glared at Antonio and growled, "Call me whatever you want."

Antonio was surprised; the kid hadn't told him no, so he would continue to call him by his human name. "Since I'm going to call you by your human name I think it's only fair that you call me by mine. I'm Antonio Fernandez Carriedo."

Once again Lovino acted like Antonio said nothing. He dropped his head again.

Antonio sighed, he was hoping that at the very leas the teen would give him a response. Apparently even that was too much to expect from his new ward. He thought about trying to start a conversation again, but he knew it would be a waste of time.

Antonio pacified himself with hopeful ideas that Lovino was just upset about leaving his brother and would soon setting into life with him. Meanwhile, Romano drifted off to sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Translations~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Auf Wiedersehen- Good bye (German)

Si, mujer Hermosa- Yes, beautiful woman (Spanish)

Lo siento- sorry (Spanish)

Cazzo- fuck (Italian)