"Remember the promise. I'll be seeing you" Alfred whispered in Esmeralda's ear as he ran to catch up with Arthur as he loaded the carriage.
"Don't miss me too much!" Spain slapped England's back a little too hard.
"Ooof! Shouldn't be too hard, you git" England murmured while rubbing his back.
Alfred gave on last look to Esmeralda before disappearing in the carriage. She watched as it became smaller and smaller, eventually until it became unseen. Spain sighed happily, "Well I'm glad that's over! Want some lunch princesa?". She shook her head, still staring in the direction the carriage rode off to. "I'm not hungry" she finally pried her eyes off the road and trudged her way inside, just wanting to be alone. She wasn't looking forward to a month alone with just Antonio. It made her nervous and her stomach got tied up when she thought about it.
Spain looked at her, shocked. "Not hungry? Since when are you not hungry?". He hurried up the front steps and into the large house. "Princesa, is everything okay? Did something bad happen?" he asked, suddenly concerned and ready to chase Alfred and Arthur and rip America's head off. She stopped a the foot of the stairs.
"Yeah, everything's fine" she just wanted to take a nap and recover from all the emotional stuff that happened just as quickly as it left. Her heart skipped a beat as a flash back was played. She remembered every last detail as if it was happening all over again. She sighed deeply, only to be surrounded by Alfred's sweet but earthy scent.
"Are...are you sure?" Spain raised an eyebrow, still worried. She started walking up the steps, one by one. "Yeah. I'm just gonna take a siesta" her voice truly did sound exhausted, and she was still a little sore from the events. Spain watched her go up, a little confused and disappointed that he didn't get to jump into bonding time now that it was just the two of them. He frowned for a bit before going out to the garden.
Esmeralda tossed and turned, only managing to rest, but not slip off into sleep. She cracked an eye open, and then the other. She sat up and tied her thick long hair into a ponytail. She rubbed her eyes and left her room. "The sooner the better" she groaned as she went to look for Antonio. She found him in the garden, kneeling by some ripe tomatoes. He looked up and smiled at her.
"Hola! No nap? Well come pick some tomatoes with me" he motioned for her to kneel down next to her, and she did so. Slowly, but she did. He grabbed a tomato from the vine and squeezed it. "You know more about tomatoes then I do. So tell me, is this tomato good enough for lunch" he asked, trying to lighten her mood.
She pretended to think, before reaching out and grabbing the plump fruit. Immediately, she started getting dreamy. The tomato was so perfect she just wanted to sink her teeth into it. She yanked it off the vine and held it close to her face. The perfect shade of red and just the right amount of hardness. Spain watched her carefully, not wanting to pull her out of her trance. He held his breath as she examined it. "I think it's perfect" she whispered, slightly tossing it into a basket.
Spain smiled and stood up, "Ready to start cooking?". The basket was already filled to the brim. The two walked over to the kitchen and started washing the tomatoes. Spain looked out the window that was right above the sink. "It's beautiful outside isn't it?" He asked, trying to make casual conversation. She nodded without looking outside. Spain found himself frowning. "Would you like to cut up some herbs I picked?" she nodded. Just a simple nod. She kept her eyes locked on the bowl that everything was being cut into. Spain managed a smile and gently placed the herbs and knife in her hand. He looked at her, worried again, and watched as she diligently cut up the herbs.
He set down his own knife, giving up and pushing the tomatoes away. "Esmeralda, please tell me what's going on" he put his hand on his hip and a deep frown settled on his face. Esmeralda continued to cut up the herbs, never looking up at him.
"What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine..." she forced a smile, but continued looking down. Spain's frown deepened even more, but he softened it and his face went back to being genuinely concerned.
"I'm worried about you...Esmeralda" he tried to get her attention, but she wouldn't stop looking at the center of the bowl. "Esmeralda" he said more persistently. "I'm worried! Look, you aren't even paying attention to what you're doing" she blinked, actually observing her procedure and noticing that the herbs were getting everywhere but in the bowl. "Esmeralda, look at me. Princesa...what's going on" he held her wrist so she would stop chopping. When their skin touched, her eyes immediately flickered up to meet his. "What happened? Tell me" he looked at her as if the answer would appear on her forehead.
"Nothing bad happened. We got home and then I went upstairs to change. I'm just tired" she rubbed her eye with her free hand. Well, the first and last part was true. "Seriously Spain. I'm exhausted" he continued to look at her. This was not how he wanted the day to go. He wanted to have a fun time, not be drowned down by his concern. He was looking so forward to this day, but she was only putting him down. What else is new?
"Well...Alright then. But know, if you ever need to talk, I'm right here okay" he put a loving hand on her shoulder. She nodded, sure of her self that she would never even go and vent with Spain. "You know what, why don't I call one of the chefs in and we can go do something. Anything you want!" he offered happily, wanting the fun bonding time to begin.
"Can we relax?" Spain was about to disagree, but then he remembered how tired she was. She did look tired. Her gaze was unfocused and distant.
"Fine with me! Why don't we go up in my room and I can braid your hair? Isn't it soothing when hair gets played with" he smiled harmlessly. She raised an eyebrow at first, wondering if going into his room and letting him play with her hair was even a good idea.
"Eh, what the hell" she shrugged and went over to his room. Spain followed excitedly. She had only been in his room a small number of times, but it was only to deliver a message or have a short conversation. It wasn't off limits, it was just secluded from everything else in the house. Instead of upstairs, like Esmeralda's and Lovino's room, it was downstairs and in the back corner of the house. The only light that ever emitted from the corner was whenever Antonio had his door open. The inside was completely different. It almost had a royal and ornate feel to it. Everything was bright and comforting, all the colors were passionate ones that made you feel free. Spain had paintings and little Spanish nick knacks, a world map, books, and many more. In the far corner were two guitars and the sun or moonlight always managed to peer through his closed curtains.
"Well go on! Sit on the bed!" Spain jumped on his massive bed and beckoned her over. She walked over slowly, she's never even touched the bed. She got comfortable and Antonio went to work, brushing her thick wavy hair with his long fingers. New Spain sighed and closed her eyes, allowing Spain to detangle her hair. He began braiding it, slowly, letting her hair linger on his fingers. He pulled all of her hair out of her face and attempted a French braid. Once he was finished, he was about to show her his master piece, but realized she had fallen asleep. He laid her down carefully, with her head on his fluffy pillow. He smiled as he saw her peaceful face and listened to her breathe slightly.
He sighed and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "You look so innocent..." after he realized what he said, he couldn't help but give a soft snort, knowing that Esmeralda being innocent was impossible. He got up slowly and put a thin sheet over her resting body, leaving out the thick blanket since the heat from outside was pouring in the room. "I wonder what little shenanigans you're getting into in your dream. Just leave me out of them okay!" he laughed as he bent down and kissed her forehead. He shut off the lights and went to finish some work.
Time passed and Antonio finally finished everything that needed to be done. Not having hearing anything from Esmeralda, he figured she had woken up and went back into her room and keep to herself, so he was surprised when he walked into his bedroom and saw her lying there, right where he left her, still sleeping.
He ran a hand through his brown curls, "You sure were tried weren't you". He looked at her in disbelief. She was no longer the little girl who ran around the house knocking everything down. She was growing quickly and now resembled a teenager of merely fifteen years old. He grabbed some clothes and slipped into the bathroom to change. Once he was finished, he went and laid on the bed next to her, pulling up the thick blanket since the night was cold. He quickly fell into slumber, falling asleep to the sound of Esmeralda's breathing. Near the middle of the night, Spain woke up to a large thumping on his chest.
"What the hell are you doing creep!" Esmeralda had awakened and was trying to get Antonio to wake up. He sat up smiling.
"Did you sleep good?" he asked as he grabbed the pillow and set it down.
Esmeralda huffed, "You're such a creep. You couldn't have gone up and slept in Lovino's room or something! Don't share the bed with me! That's weird and makes you look like a pedo!"
Spain laughed and lifted his hands up in surrender, "Okay I get it!"
"Now leave me alone!" Esmeralda pointed towards the door.
Spain raised an eyebrow, amused. "Wait, are you kicking me out of my own room?" he laughed.
"Yes! Now go!" she shoved him with another pillow, too lazy to make the trip to her bedroom.
"Hmm...I don't know. I was planning on staying here with you" he teased.
"No!" Esmeralda shoved a pillow in his face and stomped out.
"Goodnight princesa!" Spain called out, still amused.