Valentine's Day; 10-years-old

Antonio's mother always taught him to make his own happiness. So he did, smiling even in moments when people wouldn't find a smile appropriate. The child was skipping along the block of stores, searching for a gift for his mother, when he found a little girl in a maroon dress, crying on a bench.

"Hey...what's wrong?" he asked, scooting next to her. She wiped her eyes.

"Nothing's wrong!" she screamed.

"But, you're crying. Are you crying because you don't have a Valentine?"

"No! Valentine's Day is stupid!" cried the girl.

"I don't want you to cry anymore! I'm Antonio! What's your name?"

"Lovino..." she said.

"Don't worry, Lovi! I'll be your Valentine! I'll be your boyfriend so you don't have to cry anymore, okay?" Antonio said, taking her hand.

"You don't have to do that..." Lovino said.

"I want to! I want to buy you a present! Come on!"

He dragged her into a flower shop, the proprietor smiling at the children.

"Well, hello! You two look so cute! Are you her Valentine?" she asked. Antonio nodded.

"I'm her boyfriend!" he chirped.

"Oh! Don't you think you're a little too young?"

Antonio shook his head. "I wanna buy her a flower!"

"Aw...you want to buy her a flower? Well, look around and make sure you pick a flower she likes!"

Antonio led Lovino around the shop, eventually letting go of her hand. He turned back when Lovino seemed enthralled by a bunch of red roses.

"Do you want one of those?" he asked. Lovino nodded. She ran back to the cash register, standing on her tippy toes to get the owner's attention.

"Scuse me."

"Yes?"

"How much are the roses?"

"Roses? Your boyfriend can get you one for a dollar. A lot of them cost a lot more money." she answered. She smiled as Lovino ran back to Antonio, telling him. "Would you like one?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She handed Antonio two roses, the boy pulling a confused look.

"One for your mommy."

"Oh! Thank you!" He gave her the dollar for Lovino's rose, handing the flower to her.

"Have a nice day, and Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Mama always said that roses are the flower of love." Antonio said.

"My nonno says that too..."

"So, why were you crying?"

"I was sad. My brother had a Valentine. No one wanted to be mine." Lovino explained.

"Don't worry about that! I'm your boyfriend now!" Antonio cried happily. Lovino nodded.

"It's getting dark, so I have to go home now." she said.

"Me too."

Under the setting sun, Antonio leaned over, giving Lovino an innocent kiss on the lips. He pulled back, Lovino blushing wildly.

"Th-thank you again...for the rose...and the kiss..." she said.

"Don't thank me! I'm your boyfriend!"

Reluctantly, the children parted for home, each heading in their own direction.

"Hi, Mama!"

"Antonio! Where have you been? I was worried!" Mrs. Carriedo cried, sitting her son on her lap. He handed her the rose.

"Ay, que lindo! Is this for me, Tonio?"

"Happy Valentine's Day, Mama! Te amo!"

"Oh! Tonio! Te amo mucho, mijo!"

"I have a girlfriend." the boy said sweetly.

"You do? Is she pretty?"

"Very pretty! Her name is Lovino!"

Mrs. Carriedo furrowed her brows, wondering if her son was mistaken. However, after asking a number of times, Antonio was adamant, so she took his word.

"Is she nice?" she asked.

"Uh-huh! She's pretty and nice and wears a pretty dress!"

"Does she go to your school?"

"I don't know. I never saw her before. She was crying in front of the flower store."

"Why was she crying, mijo?" asked .

"She didn't have a Valentine, so I told her I'd be her boyfriend and I gave her a rose."

"Well, that was very nice of you, Antonio. You made someone very happy today."

"Lovino, where'd you get this rose?" Mr. Vargas asked the child.

"My boyfriend gave it to me."

"Your boyfriend?"

"Yeah. Some jerk kid came up to me and told me he'd be my boyfriend and he got me this rose." Lovino explained.

"Well, that was nice of him. Is he a good kid?"

"He's nice. He's too nice..."

Mr. Vargas bent down to the child. "He's a very nice boy. You cherish this rose and you cherish your friendship with him. Alright?"

"Yes, Nonno."

Antonio was disappointed. Seemed that Lovino didn't go to his school. When would he ever see Lovi again? He looked for her by the flower shop, yet she was no where to be found. He searched in the park for her, finding her sitting alone on a bench.

"Hi, Lovi!" he cried, hugging her. She blushed immediately, slowly hugging him back. "Why aren't you playing with the other kids?"

"I don't like playing with them." she said.

"I'll play with you!" Antonio said.

"I don't want to play."

"Then I'll sit here with you. Can I hold your hand?"

Lovino slowly slipped her hand into Antonio's, swinging her feet. Antonio beamed, intertwining his fingers with hers.

And he was content to sit, just like that, with that one girl who stole his young heart.

Seven Years Later...Valentine's Day

When Antonio was 12, he and his parents relocated, but his boundary school hadn't changed.

He had to leave Lovino, but pledged to stay faithful to her no matter what. He promised her that he wouldn't even look at another girl. Now, at seventeen, he still wasn't regretting his decision to remain faithful to Lovino.

He was still making his own happiness; however, he hadn't bought a Valentine's Day present for anyone, except his mother, in years. If he couldn't buy anything for Lovino, he wouldn't buy anything for anyone else.

During lunch, he spotted a boy at a table alone. He didn't have any presents or anything, and seemed rather out of place around all the lovey couples and sea of presents. Antonio pulled up a chair, smiling at him.

"Hey, Lovi! You look lonely." he said.

"I'm not lonely. Fuck you." the boy replied, looking away.

"You seem lonely to me! You don't have a Valentine?"

"I have a Valentine...he's just not here." he said.

"Me too. My girl is somewhere else. I haven't heard from her in years. I promised I'd be her boyfriend, and I don't want to let her down in case I see her again."

"Yeah...some dick promised me that he'd be my boyfriend when we were kids. I wonder where he is. I'm about to just say "fuck him" and date other people."

"Don't do that! You waited this long for him, didn't you? Why don't I take you out this evening? As friends, of course."

The boy, Lovi, shrugged. "Why not?" he said.

"So, Lovi. Tell me about your boyfriend." Antonio said, sitting next to Lovi on the bus.

"I met him when I was a kid. In fact, it was on Valentine's Day. He saw me crying and told me he'd be my boyfriend. Then, he bought me a rose. He was my first kiss." Lovi explained. Antonio gapsed.

"You know, that's exactly how I met my girlfriend!" he cried.

"What?"

"She was crying because she didn't have a Valentine, so I promised her that I'd be her boyfriend and she didn't have to cry anymore!"

"Funny thing is, his name is Antonio." Lovino said.

"My girlfriend's name is...Lovino...That's your name, right?" Antonio asked.

Lovino's eyes widened. "Are...are you the Antonio I met when I was a kid?" he asked.

"That would mean that I'm your boyfriend. Where was your first kiss?" asked the Spaniard.

"Uh, that park by Dora's Flower Shop."

"You're Lovi! You're my girlfriend? But, you were wearing a dress?"

"I liked dresses. I didn't know they weren't for fucking boys, and since I kept getting angry when people would mistake me for a girl, my Nonno bought me boy's clothes."

"How come you never corrected me?" Antonio asked.

"You never let me. You treated me so nice, instead of teasing me for wearing a dress." said Lovino.

A moment of silence passed.

"It's alright if you don't want to be my boyfriend now that you know I'm a boy."

"To be honest, Lovi, I don't really care. I've fallen in love with you. I stayed faithful like I told you I would." Antonio said, smiling.

"I waited for you." Lovino said.

"I haven't looked at anyone else in seven years. I'm so glad I found you."

"So, you really don't care that I'm really a boy?" Lovino asked.

"Not at all."

Antonio reached over Lovino, pulling the stop cord. "Come on, Lovi. We're getting off here."

"So...is this a date or are we still going as friends?"

"Oh, no, Lovi. It's a date." replied Antonio. He pushed Lovino inside Dora's Flower Shop.

"Welcome! How may I help you?"

"I don't suppose you remember us?" Antonio asked.

"Hm?"

"Seven years ago, a little boy and a little girl walked in and bought two roses."

"Oh! They were so cute! Young love! I'd never forget that!" she said.

"We're them, all grown up, and the little girl was a boy." Lovino hid his face.

"Oh! Well, this is a surprise! I didn't think you two were still together after all this time apart!"

"I remained faithful." Antonio said with a smile. "Uh. I'd like to buy a rose please. For Lovi."

"Of course!" she said. She handed Lovino the rose, finishing her business with Antonio. "Have a nice Valentine's Day, you two!"

"The park?" Lovino asked. Antonio sat him in a swing, pushing him gently.

"Yeah. A walk down memory lane." he said.

"Oh...I've never been on a date before." Lovino said. Antonio stopped him, stepping in front of him. "Is there anywhere else you want to go, or should we stay here?"

"Let's stay here for now."

They stayed long enough to watch the stars peek over the horizon.

"Lovi, look! That one's twinkling!" Antonio chirped, pointing up to the sky. He was happy to lie in the grass, Lovino in his arms.

"Yeah? What of it?" Lovino asked.

"Make a wish!"

Antonio and Lovino closed their eyes, silently making their wishes.

"What did you wish for, Lovi?" Antonio asked.

"It's stupid. You tell me yours first." Lovino said.

"I wished that I could be with you forever!"

"That's stupid." the Italian muttered. He rolled over, snuggling against Antonio's side.

"It is not, Lovi! I love you, so I want to be with you." Lovino sighed.

"You haven't changed that sickeningly optimistic personality of yours in all of these years." he griped.

"Of course not! So, what did you wish for?"

"It's stupid. I don't want to say." Lovino said.

"Come on, Lovi! I wanna know!" Antonio cried.

"If you laugh, I'll kick your ass."

"I promise I won't laugh, Lovi."

"I wished that I could kiss you..."

"Oh, Lovi! That's not stupid! Of course I'll kiss you!"

"As much as I want?" asked Lovino.

"All night if you wanted me to. In your dreams. I'd text you kisses. I'd give you kisses even if you didn't want a kiss."

"That's just stupid." Lovino said.

"It's not. I think that's what people do when they love each other a lot."

"Oh, really? I've never been in love."

"Me neither...until I met you."

Since they didn't want to waste the night, Antonio walked Lovino home.

"Do you still live where I remember?" Antonio asked.

"Yeah. You still remember where I live?"

"Of course. I came over to play enough as a kid."

Just before they got to Lovino's home, Antonio stopped him under a street light.

"You wanted a kiss, right?" he asked.

"Well, yeah..."

"You probably wouldn't appreciate me doing it at your door, so..."

Slowly, Antonio leaned in, capturing Lovino's lips in a sweet, gentle kiss.

"Y-you..."

"You wanted me to kiss you, right?" Antonio asked.

"Yeah..."

"I'll see you later?"

"Y-yeah...buona notte..."

"Buenas noches. Te amo, Lovinito."

"T-ti amo..."

A/N: I like this too. I think it's pretty! Hope ya'll enjoy it too.

LonelyHearts2008