The Hapsburg alliance of Spain and Austria saw a small South-Italian's worst mood swings yet. Stupid Antonio, going off and getting married. Stupid rules. Stupid rulers. Stupid Lovino, letting him go off and get married without telling him... The day of the wedding was the worst day of Lovino's life. He lay in bed, trying not to think of what was occurring. He got up and swept the floor, just to keep himself occupied. Then he washed the windows. Then he did the laundry. He had to stop thinking. Had to stop feeling. Had to keep moving. So he left. He took a small bag with the things he might need and took off. He had no clue where he was going, or even which direction he was heading in. He just walked. Then he ran. He ran and ran, faster and faster, his shoes pounding against the unfamiliar dirt track. He tripped. As he hit the ground, he felt the tears come. He sat up and cried. He couldn't make himself stop crying, couldn't breathe, only sob. When he looked up, the sun was beginning to set. Panic took hold of him. He stood up to set off back home, but found he didn't know which direction he had come from. He began to cry again, just wanting to see a familiar face, someone to help him. Then he heard the footsteps, running, heavy... familiar. Antonio burst through the trees. "Lovino!" As soon as he saw him, he swept him into a tight hug. "I was so worried, mi Tomatito! Never run off again!" Though Lovino automatically muttered rude insults at him, he found himself hugging Antonio back and burying his face in Antonio's chest. When Antonio felt Lovino's warm tears seep through his clothes, he pushed himself away and held Lovino at arm's length. "Lovi. Listen to me," he began, dead serious. "Nothing has changed. Nothing." He pulled Lovino back into his arms and rubbed his back comfortingly. Lovino didn't know why, but he still hadn't stopped crying. He just held Antonio and let Antonio hold him. Eventually, they let go and walked back to the house, hand-in-hand. Antonio radiated warmth and joy and something Lovino couldn't quite put his finger on. It was soft and nice, something like the usual affection Antonio showed him, but somehow different. He didn't understand how someone could make everything so light. He didn't understand why someone like this even wanted him. No one else did. So what had Lovino done to deserve Antonio's warmth. He didn't know, but he was grateful. He was glad Antonio took care of him. He was glad Antonio made happiness appear from thin air. He was glad that even when his world felt like it was falling apart, Antonio was always a part of it. "Thank you," he whispered. He said it too softly for Antonio to hear, but that didn't matter. Antonio knew. He always knew. "You're welcome, Lovi."