Axis Powers Hetalia Oneshot
Human, High School AU
RomaBelg (Romano x Belgium)
Warning: Strong Language

***

The von Bock soda shoppe on the corner of Pinwheel Avenue was a popular place to visit, especially during the summer or after school. Its location, which was quite close to the high school, drew in more high schoolers than adults during the afternoon, but that was expected. Students were known to hang out there, sipping soda comfortably in the air-conditioned shoppe and chatting with their friends.

To Emma von Bock, cashier and server of the shoppe, it was a wonderful sight.

She loved seeing classmates enjoying themselves in her family's shoppe. It was fun to see who showed up on the afternoons, orders already memorized,  and serving the soda glasses and ice cream bowls to them with a cheery smile. Emma wouldn't trade the job for anything else, she loved it.

Her brothers worked in the kitchen... Well, one brother. It really took only one person to whip up sodas and occasionally scoop ice cream, so the duty switched between Lux and Nathaniel in alternative weeks. The one not in the kitchen served as backup staff, either being cashier or barista if the other two needed a break or were busy.

It was a fine establishment, and the three siblings enjoyed the work.

On one such October afternoon, it was like any other day: the shoppe had a moderate amount of customers, Lux was inside the kitchen, Nathaniel was sitting on a table doing homework, and Emma was behind the counter.

Emma sighed, the pencil between her fingers doing flips and twirls in her hand. She mentally counted the customers again: eleven in total. There was Alfred, Arthur, and Francis by the entrance, bickering as usual, Toris and Feliks in a booth nearby, Feliks talking animatedly about something. Yao was alone, scooping soda with a spoon as he studied for a test, and that group of five that always came on Tuesdays together were talking loudly.

There was also Nathaniel, but he didn't count as a customer.

She pursed her lips together in worry. Her eyes drifted to the wall clock that was decorated with neon strips above the tables. The time read 4:22, almost an hour after school had ended and the shoppe opened.

Was Lovino not going to come again?

Lovino Vargas, her schoolmate and dear friend for more than a few years. She, along with Antonio -- and Nathaniel, in a sense --, were the first friends Lovino made when he moved in here to his grandfather's after the tragic death of his parents. True, it had taken weeks to chip through the shell he had put up to protect himself from further emotional pain, but it was all worth it at the end, the four of them being great friends.

And there might have been the teeniest, tiniest part of Emma that had a huge crush on Lovino--

She fixed the ribbon that held back her short, blonde hair, a compulsive habit of hers. It was red today, not the usual green. Emma didn't know why she wanted it to be different today.

Peach soda, half whip cream, no cherry... Emma recited Lovino's usual order in her head, over and over. Emma, at first, found it an odd order, asking for less whip and no cherry, but she soon found out after Lovino had asked for something called 'Italian soda'. Lovino would usually point out how the soda they sold, while similar, was not the authentic Italian soda, how it was the best drink in the world, and how he would make the real one if only he had any barista skills. He would say this while sucking his peach soda in earnest, however.

She smiled as she remembered the various breaks she had to be with her friends. Antonio would always tease Lovino in any way possible, and Lovino would always respond with a "shut up, bastard" as he flushed red. Sometimes Emma would join in on the teasing, and at those times Lovino would get extra red in the face as he tried to try to discreetly shy away from his friends. There were times when Lovino would retaliate with his own comments, smirking as Antonio couldn't find a retort...

Now that Emma thought about it, Antonio hadn't been to the shoppe in a while as well. It seemed as if both of the boys were trying to avoid her, not just Lovino, both making excuses and whispering to themselves a lot. She had asked Feliciano, Lovino's brother, about Lovino when he came into the shoppe yesterday, and he was just as clueless about it.

She jolted at the chime of the door's bell, signaling someone had opened the door. Glancing up, she inhaled sharply at the sight of the boy who opened the door.

"Lovi?" She muttered, straightening herself. Her hand reached towards her ribbon, and she forced it down.

Lovino was glaring at the machine that made the door chime, his hand still gripping the door's handle. His other hand was on the strap of his shoulder bag, also gripped tightly. He muttered something to himself as he let go of the handle and looked straight at the counter, ready to walk there. When he made eye contact with Emma, however, he stiffened up like a board.

Emma blinked. Why was Lovino so... Nervous? She had never seen this side of him before, being so used to the confident air he always held.

He shut his eyes tightly, gripping his bag until his knuckles were white. After a brief moment, he opened his eyes and strode over to Emma, the grip on his bag not loosening. Every step seemed forced, robotically moving before stopping just in front of Emma.

There was silence between the two. Lovino's eyes were perpetually cast down, staring at his shoes. Emma's, in contrast, were staring at Lovino's downcast ones, wide in shock.

Emma spoke first.

"Where have you been, Lovi?" Emma asked, wincing internally at how harsh her tone was. "It feels like you've been avoiding me for the last week for no apparent reason. Why?"

Lovino visibly flinched, and Emma immediately felt bad.

"I was... Doing shit," Lovino muttered, looking to the side, "with Toni. B-Being busy. And, um..." He took a deep breath, and then looked up at Emma. "Look, I'm really sorry for avoiding you. I was being a total jerk, and..." He paused, gaze drifting again. "Look, I'll buy you soda. As an apology. Watermelon and extra cream, right?"

Emma nodded numbly. She was actually shocked Lovino remembered; she rarely ordered soda when she was with Lovino and Antonio, usually ice cream.

Emma shrugged uncertainly. "I don't know... I'll have to ask my brother to fill in for me--"

"Which one?" Lovino asked, much too quickly.

"Nathaniel." She stole a quick glance at him, and Lovino followed her gaze. Upon seeing him, sitting quietly at that table, Lovino swore under his breath.

"Um..." He grimaced, wringing the strap in his hands. "O-Okay..."

Emma raised an eyebrow, but she didn't question it as she grabbed the pad of paper to write down the order. "Do you want your peach soda too?" She asked, eyes down on the pad.

"N-No," he responded, quickly looking away. "I, um... Don't have enough money. Just enough for y-yours."

Emma nodded, ripping the paper from the pad after she finished writing. "If you say so. Your total will be..." She typed on the cash register quickly. "Two sixty-eight."

In one fluid motion, he stuck his hand in his pocket, pulled out a five dollar note, shoved it to Emma, and returned his hand on his bag.

"Keep the change," he mumbled, his gaze drifting to Nathaniel.

Emma took the bill, still confused as to why Lovino was so worried about Nathaniel. She put the bill in the register, closed it, then grabbed the order. "Sit down, Lovi, I've got this," she smiled, before heading to the window that looked into the kitchen.

Since there hadn't been any other recent orders, Lux had taken the opportunity to take a break. He was sitting on a metal folding chair, reading a novel. Lux looked like he was absorbed in the book, Emma didn't really want to bother her little brother.

She rang the bell on the ledge of the window twice. "Hey, Lux. We have an order."

Lux didn't even flinch as he looked up from his book. "Oh, Emma! Another order?" He bookmarked his book and closed it, setting it on he chair as he walked to Emma.

Emma handed the order to Lux, over the multiple flavor bottles below the window. "Yeah. And by the way, Nathaniel's going to fill in for me."

Lux nodded and quickly looked over the slip of paper. "Oh, just one order? You're not eating with your friends--" He glanced up, and his eyes widened. "Oh."

Emma gave him a strange look. "What?" She looked behind her, but she couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.

"Nothing, dear sister," Lux grinned. "Enjoy your break."

Emma nodded uncertainly, turning away from the window and untying her apron. She lifted the counter's flap, her apron in her arms as she walked towards Nathaniel.

At the sound of her heels clicking on the shoppe's tile, Nathaniel looked up from his homework to Emma. "Hmm?"

"I'm going to take a break," Emma said, motioning over her shoulder. "I'll be drinking soda with Lovi."

Nathaniel paused, eyes steely as he put down the pen marking his homework. "Not with Antonio?"

"No," Emma shook her head, and then made a pleading face. "Please?"

Nathaniel's eyes narrowed, but he proceeded in putting away papers. "It's just you and Lovino?"

Emma sighed. "It'll be fine, Nat. You know Lovi. We'll stay here anyway." So maybe that's why Lovino was so nervous, he was worried about spending time with her alone.

The bell on the kitchen window dinged, and both Emma and Nathaniel looked up to see Lux place a tall glass full of red soda, ice, and whip cream on the ledge, a wide smile on his face.

"... Fine," Nathaniel mumbled, continuing his homework clean up.

"Thank you!" Emma grinned. "Could you put away my apron for me?"

Nathaniel nodded, and Emma whirled around happily, looking for where Lovino had sat down. Upon finding him, sitting alone in a two-seat table somewhat away from the other customers in the shoppe, she strolled over there.

Lovino was checking the contents and shuffling things around in his bag, and when Emma neared, he quickly shut his bag and looked up at Emma. "Oh, hi."

Emma smiled. "Hey!" She sat down across from Lovino, grinning. "What's in your bag?"

Lovino suddenly blushed pink. "N-Nothing," he sputtered, shoving the bag behind him. "Nothing at all..."

"Really?" Emma asked, leaning in. "There looked like something was in that bag."

"I said there was nothing, damn it!" Lovino insisted, voice rising. "Don't look in my bag--" He stopped, his eyes flickering upward as he sighed in relief. "Emma, your soda."

Emma turned around to see Nathaniel coming, now in his white apron, holding a tray that held her soda. He picked it up and set the soda down in front of Emma, along with a single straw.

"Enjoy," Nathaniel said, tucking the tray under his arm as he walked away from the duo.

Emma ripped the paper covering the straw, bended it, and then poked it in the mountain of whip cream to the soda underneath. She glanced at Lovino, who just stared at the glass. Taking the maraschino cherry off the cream, she placed it in her mouth as she asked, "You want some?"

Lovino's gaze flicked up, and he shook his head. "No, you have it."

"You sure? I can always get another straw." She placed the stem of the cherry below the glass, chewing.

"Yeah." He looked away, slightly scowling.

Emma nodded, taking a dab of whip cream with her finger and putting it in her mouth. "So, what have you been doing with Toni?"

Lovino shrugged, shifting in his seat. "Stuff."

"Like what?"

His face turned a rosier shade of pink. "... Boy stuff," he muttered, clutching his arms. "Boy stuff you wouldn't understand." He chewed his lip, scratching his neck as he fidgeted some more. "Is-Is it hot in here?"

Emma smiled sympathetically. "Lovi, have some soda," she insisted, turning the glass so the straw faced Lovino.

Lovino stared at the straw. "Emma--"

"I haven't drank from it yet," Emma assured, "and I can always get another straw. Drink, Lovi."

Lovi glanced at Emma, then back at the straw. Hesitantly, he pinched the straw between his fingers and brought it closer to his lips, then sipped.

Emma beamed. "Better?"

Lovino nodded, pushing the straw back into the cream. "It's good," he commented.

"It is," Emma agreed. "I'll get that straw, okay?"

Lovino nodded again, then took another sip of the soda.

Emma pushed back her chair as she stood up, striding over to the counter. Leaning over, she plucked a straw from the metal container. She flashed a smile at Nathaniel, who was watching her closely from his post. He then looked away.

She removed the paper covering on the straw as she strolled back to her table, momentarily distracted. When she looked up at the table, she was surprised to see a heart-shaped box beside the soda.

"Oh?" She hummed, straw briefly forgotten as she picked up the box, sitting back down. "Is this--"

"Chocolate," Lovino answered, gaze drifting. His face was less flushed, and he didn't fidget as much, but he was still extremely tense. "Because you like that type of stuff."

Emma examined the box, turning it over in her hands. It was just a bit larger than her hand, wrapped in red foil. To her surprise, the writing was all in Dutch; there were some snippets in French, though. But there was one line, just along the edge on the back of the box, that caught her attention: Gemaakt in België. Made in Belgium.

Her breath caught. This was authentic, Belgian chocolate. She hadn't had any in... Years. She smiled, memories of the trips to the Netherlands and Belgium coming back to her. When she was still in elementary school, visiting grandparents, eating the local cuisine, picking up on Dutch phrases...

"Lovino..." She whispered, unable to say anything else. She looked up, opening her mouth, but then closing it. Buying her soda, giving her chocolate... Was this all part of his apology? "... Thank you."

Lovino nodded, as if he was brushing off her gratitude, but she had caught the brief look of surprise that crossed his face. "Y-Yeah, you're welcome. Wh-Whatever."

Emma grinned. "So, are we going to finish this soda?" She asked, grabbing her own straw.

"Yeah--" He stopped suddenly, then his eyes widened as he buried his hard in his hands. "Shit, I messed up!"

Emma blinked. "What?"

Lovino pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "Gah, I was supposed to ask then give the chocolates! Lovino, you goddamn idiot..." He hid his face, which was increasingly turning red. "I messed up, damn it..."

"Messed up what? Lovino?" Emma questioned, leaning in towards Lovino. "What did you mess up?"

Lovino shot up, grabbing his bag. "I-I can't do this, I'm sorry, I've gotta go--" Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he briskly walked out of his spot--

-- but not before Emma caught his arm, looking up at him from her chair. "Lovino! Stop! What were you going to ask?"

He looked down at Emma, his face panicked and red. She kept her grip.

"What was it?"

Lovino pursed his lips, looking everywhere except at Emma. "N-Nothing," he muttered.

"It was obviously something!" Emma retorted. "Come on, Lovi. What was it?"

Lovino shut his eyes, gritting his teeth. "It was..." He stopped. "It was..." He repeated in a quieter voice, his whole body becoming rigid.

"What?" Emma asked, her grip on Lovino loosening.

His eyes opened slightly, and he took back his arm as he kept silent. He then mumbled something, blushing red.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "I can't hear you."

Lovino shuffled his feet around, still not looking at Emma as he mumbled again.

"Seriously, Lovi," Emma sighed, getting irritated, "you need to speak up--"

"Girlfriend!" Lovino snapped. "Will you be my girlfriend!"

Despite the loud chatter around her, it seemed as if all sound was sapped from the atmosphere. Emma stared up at Lovino, shell shocked. She couldn't think, she couldn't feel--

Lovino scratched the back of his neck. "Look, I don't care if you say no. You probably will." He grimaced, hesitating. "M-Maybe I should go now--"

"Don't," Emma said, eliciting a surprised sound from Lovino. "Stay."

Lovino opened his mouth to protest, but stayed silent as Emma reached for his hand, grasping it tightly.

"Y-Yes," she smiled up at him, cheeks painted a rosy hue. "Yes, Lovino."

Lovino blinked, not moving at all at first. But then, he smiled -- a genuine one.

"Well, um... The soda isn't going to finish itself, will it?" He asked, slowly sitting back down.

Emma slowly let go of his hand, grabbing the lone straw as their eyes met.

"No, it won't."

***

Omake:

Antonio couldn't focus on his homework at all. His gaze kept on flickering to his phone, which was on top of his biology textbook, as he waited. And waited. And waited.

He puffed out his cheeks in annoyance. It was already bad when Lovino told him he couldn't watch, but he also couldn't stay outside the shoppe! Something about that he'll ruin it for them... Hmph. At least Lovino promised to call him later.

Antonio continued doing his homework, answering two more questions, but then he looked at his phone. The black screen with his reflection mocked him, telling him that he was missing out. Why did he agree to stay away from the shoppe? He was anxious to know! Did Lovino succeed? Did Emma say yes?

He flipped his phone over, glaring at it. So it won't ring? Fine. He'll wait.

Calling Lovino himself failed, as he would never respond. And it wasn't as if he could call Feliciano, as he probably wouldn't know; Lovino was secretive like that. Plus, if Antonio told Feliciano about his brother's antics, he'd be dead by morning rise.

He was about to read over the next question when the phone rang.

Antonio grabbed it so quickly, he almost upended his book over his desk and on his bare foot. Fortunately, he slammed his other hand on the textbook as he answered the call.

"Lovi, Lovi! Did Emma say yes? Did she? C'mon, Lovi, tell me!" Antonio shouted into the phone, ecstatic.

There was a disgruntled sigh on the other end. "Calm the hell down, Toni."

"But I can't calm down!" Antonio replied, pushing the textbook back as he rotated in his swivel chair. "You took too long to answer me~ What happened?"

"I had to make sure that Feli wasn't listening. Or Nonno. And I swear to God Feli can literally sniff out my hiding locations."

Antonio chuckled. "Well, that's Feli for you. But seriously; did she say yes?"

There was another sigh, but this time it was more happier. "Yeah," Lovino replied, sounding wistful on the other end. "She said yes."

"Ohh! I told you!" Antonio laughed. "She has the chocolates, yes?"

"Of course she does. Duh."

Antonio grinned, looking up at his room's ceiling. "Yeah. Nathaniel told me that she really loves Belgian food, including chocolate and waffles. But chocolate was probably better than waffles."

There was a growl. "Toni, that shit was expensive. You didn't tell me it would be thirty dollars for just eight measly pieces of chocolate. You owe me."

"Yeah, yeah, sure~" Antonio grinned wider. "And the classes with Francis helped, yes?"

Lovino was silent for a moment. "... Maybe."

Antonio laughed. "Well, you were the one who said that the best you could do with a girl romantically was flirt. Even though I've never seen you flirt with Emma before..."

"That's because she was my friend, bastard!" Lovino snapped. "What's the point of flirting with your friend?!"

"Mmhm, sure~" Antonio could hear Lovino mutter curses and swear words through the phone, and he grinned. As they quieted down, Antonio adopted a more serious tone. "But Lovi, when are you going to tell Feliciano and your grandpa?"

"Hmm? Oh, that." There was an exasperated sigh. "I dunno. Nonno's just gonna tease me about it, and Feli's gonna overreact and be all 'Oh! Lovi! You have a girlfriend now? Oh~!' and that."

"Maybe tomorrow?" Antonio suggested, stopping himself from rotating more in his chair. "So you can get used to having a girlfriend."

"What do you mean, 'get used to having a girlfriend'? I'm going to be a pro at this!" Lovino huffed. "Unlike you and your other friends, who just lay around and break hearts all along with your goddamn flirting."

Antonio gasped in mock shock, putting a hand over his heart. "Lovino! You wound me so!" He teased, and he could imagine Lovino staring at his own phone.

"Whatever, bastard. I gotta go now, see you tomorrow." And he hung up, with no explanation why he had to go.

Antonio smiled, tossing the phone back on his desk. Oh, Lovino.

Tomorrow will certainly be interesting.

***

Oh, lookie there. I made romance.

Crappy romance, but romance nonetheless.

So hey! Basil here. I hope you liked the oneshot! RomaBelg is one of my favorite Hetalia ships, and it's my first time making a story about it.

See you next time with another oneshot!