A/N - Hello again, guys! I have a new little story in mind to write, obviously, so I hope everyone likes it!
Just to clarify - Alice [Fem!England], Daisy [Fem!Italy], Emilia [Fem!America], Madeline [Fem!Canada], Tomas [Portugal], Ben [Germania], Grandpa [Ancient Rome]
Sorry that there are so many, but that should be everyone! ^^
Please enjoy and review!
i. wonderland
Antonio sat in the shade of a tree. He was sipping pink lemonade from a mason jar and thinking that Francis was weird for requesting that he served their drinks like that. He closed his eyes and relaxed, his drink resting on his leg, condensation dripping over his fingers.
Across the island, he could hear the pats of a tennis ball hitting off Francis and Gilbert's rackets. Satisfyingly. Echoing, echoing.
Lovino was swimming, Antonio knew, and he opened his eyes to watch his sunlit figure make its way towards land.
He was pushing his wet hair out of his face, and met Antonio's gaze.
Antonio was a galaxy and Lovino was a trapped firefly.
But then Lovino was thrown aside, his family's Sheltie pinning him to wet sand. Antonio hadn't heard him howl with laughter and silly protests like he was then in a long time.
Antonio chuckled and chewed on his red-and-white striped straw. His cheeks were tinged pink.
He was in love.
Antonio jerked awake. His blanket was ready to fall off of the bed. It was dark in his room. Dark and hot.
He was sweaty. So sweaty. Sometimes he hated summer.
He got up from his bed, yawning. Stretched and stumbled across the room to the balcony doors. The lock fell free, ringing and cackling, and he threw open the doors. The water rushed in, the wind hit his face. The floor of the small balcony was warm, but it felt nice on his bare feet.
He wiggled his toes, breathed a deep breath.
Somewhere, he could smell breakfast, and he knew to look to the right.
Antonio hurried back inside, dressing in simple clothes of a T-shirt and shorts. Flip flops in hand, he left the empty Carriedo house for the Beilschmidt house. Birds screamed overhead. Ellie was faintly barking. The waves rang in his ears.
Along the way, bare feet slapping off of the wooden-plank trails, the smell of fresh pancakes and cold orange juice. Jams and chopped fruit. Toast.
Antonio slowed to walking - hobbling at times to slip on his flip flops. Francis was coming along the path that led from the Kirkland house.
They had their usual greetings of good mornings and did you sleep wells? as they climbed the wooden stairs. Avoided the tennis rackets leaning against the railing. One was Gilbert's, one was Lovino's. They entered the house, screen door shutting with a soft bang behind them.
Through the foyer, and into the door that revealed the open dining room.
A long table, made to seat many.
Many, many, many.
Antonio and Francis made it to their thrones.
Lovino, Antonio, Francis, Gilbert.
Gilbert, Francis, Antonio, Lovino.
… and Ellie. Ellie was somewhere in the mix. She always wanted their food.
Antonio was five.
The boat's motor was roaring.
His brother settled him upon his broad shoulders.
Alice, Francis, and Gilbert were standing on the dock. Francis and Gilbert were waving. Two new friends. Antonio waved back. They no longer looked like ants at this distance.
The motor died. Faded. Broke off.
The spray of water ceased and the wind stopped blowing his hair.
Francis and Gilbert were staring at him. He was staring at Francis and Gilbert.
Tomas swung him overboard and Alice grasped him under his arms. Pretty glasses and long hair, a kind smile. She placed him down on the dock. Antonio stood still on the dock. He reeled and he rocked, he wobbled and swayed. The dock was loose and he was waiting to fall.
Fall.
f
a
l
l
into the water and drown.
Ben and Alice and Tomas brought their luggage off the boat.
Francis took a hand and Gilbert took the other. They ran off together, the three of them, along the coast. No time to remove the orange life vest. They kicked up sand and mocked the incoming waves.
Francis, Antonio, and Gilbert
dissolved into laughter.
"Best friends," they were saying by the end of the night, with sunburnt faces and legs caked with sand. Vanilla ice cream stained their lips and their eyes glowed.
Their little fingers
were
cut
by
fragments of seashells.
Francis, Antonio, and Gilbert were
best friends indeed.
Alice came in with one last batch of pancakes.
Tomas with a pitcher of orange juice.
Ben and Grandpa carried trays of fruit.
More plates were made, they all began to eat.
The kids got loud, with squeals and giggles. Even Ludwig, amongst Daisy, Emilia, and Madeline. The adults talked, and they looked mad at times. Gilbert trash-talked Lovino about their approaching tennis match. Francis distracted Gilbert. Antonio saw how relieved Lovino looked.
"I know you'll kick his ass," Antonio muttered. His voice was low. Couldn't swear in front of the children.
Lovino huffed. He stabbed at his last bit of a pancake. Didn't eat it.
"You have jelly on your cheek." he muttered back.
Antonio laughed. Dabbed it off with a napkin. Felt sticky, but he still grinned.
"Happy?" he asked.
"Very." Lovino rolled his eyes. Took a swig of his drink. He had this little grin on his lips. Fireflies in his eyes.
Antonio looked back at his plate, scattered with crumbs and a tiny piece of crust. A dribble of orange juice from when he poured too much into his glass.
Plates were collected, and they helped clear the rest of the table.
The four kids were coloring at the table.
The adults were tucked away into the kitchen.
The four of them stood on the porch.
Lovino, Antonio, Francis, Gilbert.
Gilbert, Francis, Antonio, Lovino.
"Are you guys going to come watch me kick Lovi's ass?" Gilbert asked. He had an arm tightened playfully around Lovino's neck. Ruffled his hair. Knocked the rackets over.
Francis snorted.
Antonio grinned.
Gilbert was such a sore loser.
The three of them were ten.
Francis, Antonio, and Gilbert stood on the dock and waited for their new friend.
"New friend!" they would giggle whenever they could.
Alice and Tomas stood with them.
Alice ran her fingers through Francis' hair. Gave them each a stick of gum.
Antonio quite enjoyed the taste of Wild Blueberry Twist.
The boat appeared and slowed down in front of them. It was tied down.
The trio shared a glance. Where was their new friend?
Ben appeared, he held two bags in one hand and was aiding another to step off the boat. The man held a baby. A baby girl with short red hair and a sleepy face.
"Hello, Mister Vargas, it's a pleasure to meet you." they still said.
"Did Ben tell you to say that?"
They hesitantly nodded.
"Wonderful," he'd said. "... Lovino!"
They held their breath.
A head of wild and curly hair appeared. This Lovino slunk his way off the boat. A dog followed after him. Sheltie. It sat beside them. He pushed his way under the man's arm and clung to his shirt with a fist. Fidgeted with the orange life vest. Stared at his gray-brown shoes. The white shoe-laces were dirty.
The sunlight made his earrings twinkle. Antonio thought they were cool.
"These are my grandchildren, Lovino and Daisy. The dog's name is Ellie... Lovino, say hello."
He was nine. He was scared.
"...Hello."
They greeted him. Complimented Daisy.
Antonio cracked his gum. He didn't mean to. Lovino's head snapped around. He had big, dark eyes.
The four of them
ran.
The sky was falling. Melting.
Bright. Neon.
Antonio wanted to kiss him.
Gilbert tossed another stack of old, dry foliage into the pile. Francis tossed a cup of gasoline. Lovino lit a match and let it fall. He was grinning.
The cold ocean air vanished and they were filled up with a heavy warmth. The dried leaves and sticks crackled and popped. The water rushed in and caught the flames in their dark embrace, blending it with moonlight.
The sand was icy underneath their feet.
Lovino sat down beside him on the log.
Antonio really wanted to kiss him.
But then there were screams, and the kids attacked. Ellie came flying down the trail, yipping and whining.
There was rustling bags. Soda and chips, s'mores and hot dogs.
The adults took their seats on the other logs. Daisy, Ludwig, Emilia, and Madeline settled. They got their sodas, they got their plates and what food they wanted. They roasted hot dogs and soon they had marshmallows going as well.
They stuffed their faces and talked and laughed.
Crumbs dusted their laps and sugar stained their teeth.
They told stories like: remember that one time Lovi chipped his tooth?
But instantly there was: hey, idiot, want me to beat you in tennis again?
Daisy screamed when she noticed the lightning bugs coming out. The kids ran. They kicked up sand.
Ellie relaxed by Lovino's feet. Lovino leaned against Antonio, eyes closed. Absentmindedly ran his fingers through her sandy fur.
"Francis," Alice started.
A swig from his can of Pepsi. Francis hummed.
"Your birthday's next week, what would you like to do?"
Both Antonio and Gilbert muttered something. Lovino snorted. Knocked over his can of Dr. Pepper. Startled Ellie. Antonio liked how his face crinkled. Had a silly grin on his lips. Francis fell off the log he shared with Gilbert. Spilled Pepsi on himself.
The four of them still laughed, brilliant in the light of the fire. They ignored the looks they were given.
Francis settled for sitting on the sand like Lovino was. "Something simple," he requested after a moment. "like we did for Emmie and Maddie. I'll think of something and tell you."
They cleaned up and got a bucket of water to help put out the fire. The adults called for the children to come over. They went up the trail for the wooden plank paths and took the ones that would lead them home.
Antonio woke up.
Checking his phone revealed that it was six in the morning.
Lovino was throwing rocks at his window at six in the morning.
He stood from bed and stepped carefully around his room in the dark. The sky was bruised. It would storm that day.
Antonio got to the locked balcony doors.
Ping!
The lock cackled.
"What are you doing? It's six in the morning and I'm trying to sleep."
Lovino stood two stories down. He was wearing a big T-shirt that slipped over one shoulder. Hid his short-shorts. He wore black socks and the little light there was igniting his toxic eyes. He let the small rocks fall from his hand. His smile was soft.
"Okay, despite that... Do you wanna take the boat out to the mainland for chocolate with me?"
Lovino was curled up on the sand, Antonio finally saw.
He let the waves rush up and wash over him. Stain his legs and his arms. Just missed masking his tears. Filled his mouth and destroyed his lungs. Lovino threw up bloody water and organs and let the foamy waters take him away.
The three of them were eleven and they still had the right to exaggerate.
"Today's one of his bad days. He just wants to be alone, okay?" Grandpa had said.
The family houses had been empty. The tennis court. The areas of the beach they hung around. The docks. They searched off of the wooden-plank paths and decided on parts of the beach they didn't frequent.
Lovino was ten-years-old and he was upset.
He was so upset.
So scared.
Francis, Antonio, and Gilbert stomped on the sand, racing and weaving to close the distance between them.
He was encased in branches of prickly thorns, but Antonio allowed his hands to be ripped apart as he grabbed him. The waves came in and bit through their skin and their bones. Lovino shrieked.
Antonio picked him up with a twirl, letting Lovino rest against him. Francis hugged them. Gilbert too.
The trio wiped his red cheeks and dabbed at his tears.
They said nothing.
The three of them already knew
even when
the adults thought they didn't.
"I'm adopted." Francis spoke up. He was petting Lovino's dark hair. "Alice adopted me, and she's thinking about adopting these two little newborns soon. She says my mom and dad wanted to take care of me, but they just couldn't, y'know?"
Lovino sniffed. He coughed. Hid his face from them.
"Ben says my parents are travelling, but without me? I… don't really understand it, haha…" Gilbert confessed. He looked awkward talking about it.
"And Tomas looks after me because dad left and mom… well…" Antonio shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "She, kind of, um... died… giving birth to me?"
His voice cracked. He was unsure.
It felt weird finally saying it aloud.
They stared at Antonio.
Silence.
The robbery flashed before Lovino's eyes. They hugged again.
More silence.
So loud.
Lovino stared past Antonio's shoulder.
The waves were angry. The sun was hidden.
"We're all just… tragedies…" he whispered. They pretended to not hear.