A/N: SPAMANO WEEK. You thought I was going to miss that? Pfft.

Spamano Week 2017 prompts:

July 30th/Day 1- Dresses (Canonverse)
July 31st/Day 2- Sleepover (Child AU)
August 1/Day 3- Surprise (Coffee Shop AU)
August 2/Day 4- Historical (Human AU)
August 3/Day5- Gifts (Cardverse)
August 4/Day 6- Sailing (Mertalia)
August 5/Day 7- Festival (Any/No AU)
August 6/Bonus - Comfort (Any/No AU)

(The AUs are only suggestions. According to the rules of Spamano Week 2017, you do not need to do the AUs. As such, I am only writing the AUs I am comfortable with, but I am going to write all the prompts.)

July 30th: Dresses (Canonverse)

I see this as a pre-relationship fic, or a 'they're-not-admitting-they're-in-a-relationship-yet' fic.

The sun's quiet beams gave the dust a new life. It was almost like dated glitter that had lost its shine. It even smelled. Old dust always did. Of smoke and mould and time. The little circular window of Antonio's attic always reminded Lovino of Heidi. He imagined peeking out to see dramatic Swiss hills and maybe two little girls (one in a wheelchair) playing with sheep. The real view was just of a flat, long road lined with peaceful houses exactly the same as this one.

Lovino wiped the sweat off his brow with his wrist and stretched, so the knots in his spine went crack-crack-crack. He'd promised to spend his Sunday helping Antonio sort out his boxes. I want to simplify, Antonio had told him. There's a lot of stuff in the attic that I want to look through. Some of it was trash: centuries' old clothes or coins that held no emotional value. They'd be shipped off to a museum. Lovino had also found some letters, paintings, and photographs, along with a broken knife from the 1600s that Antonio seemed keen on keeping.

They worked quietly and efficiently, only speaking when they had something to say. It was hot. They were dusty and tired. Neither was in the mood for conversation. Lovino picked up a military badge from the bottom of a box. He almost threw it in the trash, but then asked, "Antonio, do you want to keep this?" Lovino got no reply, except for rhythmic but audible breathing. He looked over his shoulder. "Antonio?"

Antonio was on his knees, peering into an almost empty wooden box. Dust mingled with sweat on his face. There was a cloth tied around his thumb from earlier, when a piece of broken glass pierced him.

"Antonio, what's up?"

"Lovi, look at this!" Antonio pulled out a long blue dress from inside the box. It was dusty too, and had lost some of its colour, but Lovino could tell it had once been opulent, with long, dreamy folds and pearl buttons. It shimmered in the sunlight. "I bought this for Belgium in 1914. Of course, then the war broke out and I didn't get around to giving it to her…" Antonio's eyes were wistful. Lovino watched the way he touched the dress, almost like it was a missed opportunity. "You know," he said, "I've always wanted to wear a dress."

At Lovino's unblinking stare, Antonio seemed to realise what he'd admitted. He dropped the dress back into the box and looked away. Antonio jumped to his feet, hit his head on the low ceiling and cussed, receding to the back of the attic to look at more boxes.

"I don't know why you're so embarrassed." Lovino knew about embarrassment. He was always turning scarlet for the slightest of reasons, always getting flustered, always feeling humiliated. This had ebbed over the years, but the emotions had never quite left him. "It's just a piece of cloth. If you want to wear it, you should."

He heard Antonio mumble.

"What?"

"I said," Antonio dropped three large books onto the floor. A dust cloud rose from where they fell. "That the dress won't even fit me. I bought it with Belgium's physique in mind."

"So get yourself a new one, idiot. We can go tonight if you want. If you don't want to go alone, that is." Really, it was 2017. There was no need for Antonio to be so ashamed about it. Still, the biases of the past could be difficult to combat, even for a once-fierce warrior like Antonio.

"Let it be, Lovi. It's not important. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"That's stupid! You should just–"

"Lovino." His tone flashed with warning. "Let it be, okay?"

"Fine." Lovino picked up the books Antonio had thrown and put them into the box titled Trash (For Museums).

"You want me to what?"

Lovino threw the dress out onto the table, where tiny dust bunnies fell off its sleeves. Feliciano touched the fabric with two fingers. The twins were both good at design (they were Italy, after all). Feli, however, had a keener eye for vintage clothes, and had a greater appreciation for the materials that went into them.

"I want you to alter this dress. Make it a little looser at the sides, here." He pointed at the dress's curves.

"Where did you even get this?"

"Classified." Lovino had stolen it from Antonio's attic when the other man had gone down to make lemonade. It didn't feel right to tell Feli about it. This was Antonio's private dream.

Feliciano smiled curiously. "Okay. Well, I'm not sure how much I can loosen it. What I can do is replicate it. I know a guy who can get me the same sort of silk. You'll have to give me a size reference though, Lovi."

Two pairs of amber eyes stared each other down.

"Maybe a size larger than me." Lovino ran a hand through his hair, careful not to touch his curl. Feliciano's gaze shifted from his face to his waist, and then to his hips.

"All right. I'll measure you and make it a few inches larger on all sides. Sounds good?"

The replica dress took two weeks to make. Sewing it was the easy part. Feli had spent most of the fortnight finding the right silk and pearls. Antonio hadn't asked about the missing original. Lovino was sure he hadn't even noticed. How would he react? Would he be furious?

Lovino just wanted him to live a dream. He was willing to fight off Antonio's shame and self-loathing if he had to. He'd do this right, too. He was going to make the dress irresistible. That was why he put it into a hand-made box covered in white satin and mother-of-pearl embellishments.

His stomach kept swirling in the flight to Madrid. Would Antonio like it? Would Antonio like it?

"Lovi!" Antonio grinned as widely as ever, going in for one of his classic big hugs. "This is such a surprise. Oooh, what's in that bag? Did you get me a present?" He waggled his eyebrows at his own joke, but Lovino didn't find it so funny.

"Yeah, I did, actually."

"You–oh, really?" Antonio, if possible, smiled even more. Lovino loved making him smile. It was like watching a rose bloom. "That's so sweet! Thank you!" Without thinking, Antonio kissed his cheeks, leaving fiery red blushes where his lips touched. "Come on in, I want to open it!"

They barely made it into the living room before Antonio grabbed the paper bag from him and pulled the large box out. Ever the hyperactive puppy. "That's beautiful!" Antonio touched the box. "Oh my, Lovi, this box alone must have cost you a fortune."

Lovino said nothing as Antonio opened it. He wanted to experience the moment his expression would change. When he saw the dress, however, Antonio just froze.

"I know you told me to drop it," Lovino quickly explained, "but I don't think it's a shameful dream. If you want to wear a dress, you should. If it makes you happy, you should. And if it makes you happy–" he broke off and picked up, "I would like to make you happy. Because…well…" the blush had spread up to his ears and down to his neck. "You make me happy."

Antonio's eyes were shimmering like the dress did in sunlight. "I don't want to look ugly."

Despite being taller and wider, Antonio felt like bones in Lovino's arms. "You could never look ugly." Antonio's tears soaked into his shirt. By the time he stopped crying, the damp spot had become rather large.

"Sorry," Antonio said thickly, wandering off to the kitchen to find tissue.

"Don't be stupid."

Antonio's eyes confronted the mirror. The replica dress fit almost perfectly, except for the length of the sleeves. The skirt cascaded to the floor, looking the way laughter sounded. Lovino only wished he'd thought to buy matching shoes. Antonio's bare feet were hidden behind the fabric. The neckline, however, exposed his collarbone. At least Lovino had come prepared for that.

"I look weird."

"No you don't."

"I look like a man wearing a woman's outfit."

Lovino slapped his shoulder. "You look like hot shit." The nuances of Antonio's expression were starting to change. "Don't start crying again. Please, you look really good."

Antonio was looking at his lips. "Are you sure? Are you sure I look…" His voice dipped. "Pretty?"

From his pocket, Lovino pulled out a silver and pearl necklace. It looked so delicate; it reminded Lovino of rain. Coming behind Antonio, he draped the necklace over his collarbone and clipped it shut. He could hear Antonio breathing, soft, short, tense.

Lovino whispered in his ear.

"You're the prettiest."

A/N: Coming back from under the ground with A VERY ROMANTIC FIC.