Title: An Unbroken Promise

Characters/Pairings: Antonio, Lovino and slight UsUk

Genre: Romance, Angst

A/N: This fic is a valentine's day present for boo_sagara on LJ. ^.^ And I'm really sorry for any spelling or gramatical errors on here.

Summary: Lovino meets Antonio one last time before he goes into war. Spades AU!

An Unbroken Promise

Lovino took a sip of his drink as he tried to not look at the entrance of the restaurant every five seconds. Every now and then, someone would come in through the door and Lovino's heart skipped a beat for just a moment before it stung with disappointment when it wasn't the person he was waiting for. He would then scowl and curse himself for acting like he was desperate (which he certainly wasn't!).

He sighed and fixed his hat properly for the hundredth time. He didn't even like the hat he was wearing (it was a gift from Bella though and he couldn't refuse her) but without it, he would be confused for his brother. He winced at the thought. How long had it been since they've last seen each other? Had a proper conversation? Made pasta together with their grandfather? Too long, Lovino thought. Then again, Feliciano was the Jack of Hearts, a royal now, and had no time to play with his brother (the previous Jack, an old man with a short temper and strict attitude, had told him that years ago and didn't even let him say goodbye to Feliciano).

A scowl formed on his face. He never liked thinking about his brother, even if for a second. They used to be close but now they barely see each other. And when Feliciano manages to escape his duties and visit him every few months, all he ever talks about is the King and Queen of Hearts. He rarely asks about what Lovino had been doing during their separation. Feliciano doesn't know that Lovino met a Heart's soldier by coincidence a year ago. That no matter what he did, the soldier continued talking to him and they eventually became acquaintances (Lovino never like referring to the soldier as a friend). He wasn't aware that the soldier and he would meet at a small restaurant every week to talk and have been doing so for months. That sometimes, they would take walks that would last for hours or sit down under a tree near the edge of the forest and have a picnic. Feliciano didn't know that…

"I'm sorry I'm late! The King extended the briefing and he barely ended it a few minutes ago! Have you been waiting long Lovi?"

He didn't know Lovino was in love.

Lovino looked up to see the Hearts soldier he had been waiting for. He was panting slightly, probably from running all the way here, and his forest green eyes looked at him apologetically. He was still in his uniform, a red jacket and boots accompanied by a pair of white pants and a sash outlined with small red hearts, and he was getting stares from the other customers. Lovino took one more second to admire how attractive he was in his uniform before speaking in his usual tone that didn't betray what he had been thinking about.

"You're late bastard."

The soldier smiled nervously and took a seat across from Lovino. "I'm sorry. King Ludwig wanted to make sure we got all the details." He ran a hand through his hair and chuckled softly. "He got mad at me when I asked him if I could leave early. It's a good thing the Jack was there or I would have been forced to stay after even longer."

Lovino didn't say anything. He just tilted his head slightly towards the window to look at the city. The restaurant they were at was in the middle of the Hearts capital and had a great view of the castle. He stared at it, pondering if it was wise to insult the King (because he was a bastard that stole his little brother) in front of the soldier. Normally, Lovino wouldn't give a damn about who was with him and say whatever he wanted to, but this soldier was different. He was the Ace of Hearts, the Commander of the Hearts Navy, and therefore had a strong loyalty to the kingdom. He could send Lovino to be executed if he wanted to.

It was a good thing the soldier had other plans for him though.

"Lovi? Are you spacing out?" The soldier questioned and waved a hand in front of Lovino's face. He frowned and slapped the hand away a bit too harshly, earning a look of hurt from the other. Lovino bit his lip to keep from apologizing and sipped his drink again. It was almost empty now.

"I'm not spacing out idiot. I'm just thinking about a few things."

The two stayed in an uncomfortable silence. From the corner of his eye, Lovino could see the soldier was fidgeting in his seat and looking at him for a few seconds before looking away and then repeating the whole process. It was starting to give him a headache.

"If you have something to say, then say it damn it!" Lovino turned his full attention to the soldier, his eyes locking with a pair of shocked ones. The soldier didn't say anything and looked away. Lovino let out a huff of irritation. What was wrong with him today? Usually, the soldier was cheerful and wore a big, bright smile that could put the sun to shame. Instead, he was silent and nervous. It was unsettling and Lovino didn't like it. The last time he saw someone like this was when Feliciano was trying to tell him they couldn't see each other anymore.

"Tch, if you're going to be quiet this whole time then I might as well leave!" Lovino made the motion to stand up and stomp out of the restaurant when a hand gently grasped his wrist.

"Please don't leave Lovi!" The soldier pleaded. "I really need to tell you something but I don't know how I should say it!"

"Just say it!" Lovino repeated his words from before. "Say it before I decide to leave!"

"I'm heading out tomorrow!" Lovino paused at those words and stared at the other in disbelief. The soldier looked uncomfortable but continued. "Hearts allied itself with Clubs a week ago. Two days ago, Clubs decided to declare war on Spades and Hearts is to attack by sea while Clubs attacks by land. I have to leave with other soldiers in the morning and I don't know when I'll come back!"

Lovino stood frozen in his chair, trying to understand what the soldier just said to him. "You're…leaving?"

The soldier nodded.

That movement sealed everything.

He didn't know what to say so he went into his default mode. Anger.

"Bastard! Why should I care if you're leaving? " Lovino yelled at the other. "See if I care if you leave tomorrow or not! I'll actually be happier when you're gone!" That was a lie. He would be miserable, depressed. " There will be no one to annoy me with their constant talking!" He liked it when the soldier spoke to him about his childhood or told him stories he made on the spot. Lovino loved his voice in general. "You're actually doing me a favor!" Another lie. "I wish you'd leave sooner!"

Lovino was panting slightly from his outburst. He looked at the soldier, who was staring at him in surprise. Had Lovino said too much? Did he hurt the soldier's feelings? But it was the soldier's fault! And the King's! And Clubs! It was everyone's fault for his outburst! Even Feliciano had a part in this somewhere!

Lovino was so busy adding people to his list of who should be blamed that he didn't see the soldier raise his hand to cup his cheek gently. He jumped and almost yelled at the soldier to stop touching him when he felt the soldier's thumb wipe something away near his eye.

Tears.

He'd been crying.

"Lovino…" The soldier stared intensely into Lovino's eyes, a serious look on his face. "I'll come back to you."

"I just told you I didn't care, idiot." Lovino tried to sound like he meant it, but the words came out with a quiet sob. He covered his face with his hands when his vision blurred up even more. "I won't miss you at all!" The sound of a chair moving close to him was all Lovino heard for a whole. Then, a familiar pair of arms wrapped themselves around his frame and brought Lovino closer to the source of warmth. A hand gently rubbed Lovino's back in a comforting motion.

"I'll miss you too Lovi. " Lovino choked on a sob and buried his head into the crook of the soldier's neck. This was embarrassing as hell and he was pretty sure that half the restaurant was staring at them but he didn't give a damn at the moment. The person he loved was going into a war against Spades and there was a chance that this would be the last time Lovino could feel the warmth of the soldier. It would certainly be the last for the longest time.

"I hate you, stupid Antonio." Antonio chuckled softly and hugged Lovino tighter. Lovino was never good with words, especially when facing tough situations, but Antonio could understand the real meaning behind everything Lovino had ever said. He was the only one who ever could.

"I love you too." He murmured.

Epilogue

Lovino ran as fast as he could to the port, ignoring the calls and insults meant for him when he bumped into somebody. He didn't care about anything except for seeing Antonio.

"Grandfather? Is something wrong?" Lovino questioned the man in front of him, who was staring at the notice he was given by a messenger a few minutes ago. The older man took a deep breath and shook his head sadly.

"It seems Spades is going to win this war very soon."

Lovino's eyes widened at that. For his grandfather, a man who believes his home of Hearts was the strongest of the four regions, to say such things…

"Something happened didn't it?" His grandfather nodded.

The port was crowded by many when Lovino finally reached it. They were all looking out into the sea and talking to each other in hushed whispers. He stacked five crates on top of each other and sat down on the very top. He wanted to be the first one to spot the ships when they came.

"The Queen of Spades is a genius when it comes to the sea." His grandfather said. "He was able to plan a surprise attack on the Hearts Navy and sunk half of the ships. Only a few thousand soldiers are alive."

Lovino clutched his fists as hard as he could so they would stop trembling. "But we can still win this can't we? As long as the Ace…" The look his grandfather gave him sent a wave of terror through his body. It couldn't be. There was no way Antonio was…

"The Ace hasn't been accounted as a survivor. It seems his name is on the list of deceased."

What his grandfather had been told was a lie. There was no way that Antonio would die that easily. He promised Lovino that he would come back alive. Antonio better be on that ship or Lovino was going to bring him back to life to kill him all over again!

It was half an hour before Lovino saw the group of ships heading his way.

Antonio winced when the door creaked open and a ray of sunshine entered the room he was in.

"You're lucky I'm the one who found you, idiot." A voice said. "If it were anyone else, you would have been at the bottom of the sea." Antonio stared at the visitor in disbelief.

"Why did you save me?" He asked. "I thought you hated me."

"On normal circumstances, I would have killed you myself." Antonio winced at the statement. "But things are different. Spades is fighting Hearts and as much as I loathe saying it, your navy is on an equal level to mine. If one of the armies doesn't get an advantage soon, both our armies will kill each other without gaining anything."

"Where are you going with this?"

"If you help me plan an attack on your navy, I'll set you free. And if you don't, I'll push you off this ship, injuries and all. I'll give you a day to think this over, so I suggest you think carefully, Antonio."

"You're as cruel as ever Arthur." Antonio growled out. Arthur frowned.

"I'm doing this for my kingdom. Anymore of this war and a depression will occur. I'm sure the same thing would happen to Hearts as well." At the mention of Hearts, Antonio thought of Lovino.

Lovino felt a small stab in his part every time a soldier stepped off the ship and it wasn't Antonio. By looking at the number of soldiers, it seemed that only a few more were inside.

"Damn it Antonio, you better be inside." He murmured.

"I'll help you." He said quietly yet full of determination. Arthur's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"You're serious…" He breathed. "Are you that willing to see your soldiers die and your kingdom lose? I would have thought an Ace such as you to have more loyalty."

"It's not like I have a choice!" Antonio yelled. "Someone is waiting for me in Hearts and I don't want that person to suffer!"

"This person is so important to you that you're willing to betray Hearts?"

"I would betray the world for him. I love Hearts and my soldiers but he means everything to me. I promised I would come back to him alive and I'm going to keep that promise. No matter what."

"You're an idiot." Arthur said before leaving the room.

When the last soldier finally stepped off the ship, Lovino jumped off the crates and ran. Antonio was still inside, probably making sure the ship was okay before he stepped out. Then he would hug Lovino tightly and say how much he missed him while Lovino would turn red and half heartily try to push him away. Then they would go somewhere and catch up on the last three years.

He reached the ship and asked the last soldier who stepped out if anyone else was inside.

"Sorry, there's no one else." He gave him a look of sympathy before walking away to hug his family.

Lovino looked back to the ship and saw how empty it looked for the first time. That was when the reality sank in.

Antonio wasn't on the ship. He was gone.

"Eh?" Antonio was confused by what Arthur just said. "What do you mean the plan is awful?"

"It's exactly as I said. This plan is too obvious. Your navy will be able to spot my soldiers in an instant." Arthur ripped the plans Antonio took hours to think of without any hesitance. Antonio twitched.

"So you want me to start over?"

"Actually," Arthur took something from his pocket and gave it to the other. "There's been a change of plans. I've realized you'll be useless to me and useless people are not tolerated in my kingdom." Antonio looked at the item in his hands and he gasped.

"You-"

"Don't get me wrong, this isn't for you." Arthur interrupted, a light flush decorating his face. "I'm doing what is best for my kingdom. Also, Alfred told me stop being so harsh, the git." He murmured the last part but Antonio heard it. He beamed at the other and tackled him onto the floor to hug him.

"Thank you so much Arthur! I promise to never make fun of your eyebrows again after this!"

"That's splendid, now get off me before I change my mind! You're heavy!"

He didn't know how long he stayed there looking at the ocean. It could have been hours or minutes, it was all the same to Lovino. He was vaguely aware that the place was empty except for an incoming ferry boat.

"You sure you did the right thing Artie?" Alfred stepped out from his hiding place to stand beside Arthur once the ferry boat was a considerable distance from them."You don't usually let people go."

"Did you want me to keep him as a prisoner?"

"Not really. I'm just saying this isn't like you."

Arthur sighed. "Is it really that shocking that I can be nice every once in a while?"

"Sort of." Alfred grinned at Arthur's glare. "I mean, there's a reason why you're nicknamed the Ice Queen of the Seas right? What made this guy so special?" Arthur smiled at the jealous tone Alfred took on. He ruffled the taller blonde's hair and chuckled at the pout the other made.

"Antonio and I are in the same situation." Before Alfred could voice out his confusion, Arthur continued. "We would both do anything for the ones we love." Alfred blushed a deep red, sputtering nonsense before taking Arthur's hand in his and heading towards the Spades castle.

"W-we don't have time to stand here all day! We have a war to win!"

Arthur laughed. "You're right."

"Lovi!" Lovino snapped his head towards the direction of the voice. A brunette with forest green eyes was waving at him frantically from the ferry boat and had a giant grin on his face. Lovino felt himself tear up slightly and a small, relieved smile spread on his face.

"Antonio…"