Chapter 1: En Tus Ojos

The orange afternoon sunlight shone brightly through the school windows as a lively melody echoed it's way through the empty halls of World W. Academy. The elegant and upbeat tune flowed out of the Dance club room, where two students were moving in unison...Or at least, trying to.

"Fuck," Lovino growled out after tripping over his own feet and falling on his ass for the umpteenth time that afternoon. The music stopped abruptly and the Italian began to dread the moment he ever set foot in this room, just like he had ever other time he fell. He personally thought he'd never get the hang of this whole dancing thing, but one person begged to differ. And that said person was just about to scold the other on the floor.

"Lovino, how many times do I have to tell you. You have to focus!" Antonio said while trying to suppress his frustration. The Spaniard was starting to think Lovino was messing up on purpose, and it was starting to irritate him.

"You think I'm not! I'm trying my best here! You're not exactly helping bastard," he said mumbling the last sentence. He helped himself back up to his feet and walked over to where the Spanish teen was standing. Antonio started up the music again and held his hands out for the other. With a scowl, Lovino places his hand over Antonio's and the got into position for their first dance: Salsa.

Antonio counts them in at their cue and Lovino starts getting nervous. As soon as they start to dance, his eyes go straight to his feet to make sure he doesn't step on the toes of his partner. He begins to count his steps in his head:

One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three...

As trumpets blare in the background, the pair started into a back-step.

One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two three. One, two, three...

The Spaniard twirled the Italian a few times before wrapping his arms around the smaller teen's waist, leading him back to the basic salsa. Lovino swiftly followed suit by locking his arms around Antonio's neck, stepping in time with his partner.

One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three...

They had gone through this routine several times during that evening, but each time they did Lovino felt something...odd. Like how whenever Antonio's hands gripped his hips, the way they'd squeeze his sides as they moved faster, gave Lovino a fluttering feeling in his chest. Or how every breath the Spaniard took sent a chill down his spine. Everything the larger teen was subliminally doing to him during their practice sessions was getting the Italian quite exci- He gave his head a quick shake and Antonio's words popped back into his head: You need to FOCUS.

His eyes shot back to his feet [unaware that he'd been staring at Antonio the whole time] and attempted to keep track of his steps, but was caught off guard when Antonio span him once again.

Losing his balance from the the unanticipated twirl, Lovino fell once again, thus breaking the last of Antonio's patience.

"Why must you continue to be so stubborn!" the Spaniard yelled as he stopped the music once more, his voice echoing through the room and probably through the rest of the school. The Italian just stared at other, mirroring his expression.

Lovino didn't even attempt to stop the flow of words the were about to come

out of his foul mouth.

"I-I'm being stubborn! Your the one insisting that I do this stupid dance, even though I keep telling that I can't fucking do it!" Lovino spat out.

"...Stupid..."

Lovino winced, regretting the moment he open his mouth to say those offending words.

"Is that what this is to you? Stupid?"

He kept his mouth shut, preventing himself from saying anything that would further upset the Spanish teen in front of him.

"How can you say that? How can be so rude and disrespectful towards such a large part of my culture? No , my LIFE!" he paused momentarily, disregarding Lovino's guilt covered face. "I don't like everything about your culture, but at least I still respect it. I don't say that your traditions are lame, nor do I say that I can't stand them, and I most definitely do not call them stupid. So why can't you do the same for me?"

Lovino just looked at the floor, feeling like a child being yelled at by a parent. He bit his lip trying to stop from trembling.

"Dance... It gives me such an amazing feeling; it makes my worries fly away every time I step onto a dance floor. It's exhilarating!" Antonio said, taking a deep breath before continuing, "I brought you to the dance club so you could experience that same feeling too, but you obviously don't care at all."

A stray tear dropped from Lovino face. Then another. And another.

Soon tears were just streaming down his cheeks, onto his chin, and dripping down to slowly pool on the floor. He stood there, silently crying, while Antonio, who was too blinded by anger and frustration to see that, continued to yell at him.

"It's tiring and frustrating having deal with your foul mouth and bad attitude. I don't know why I even bother with you in the fir-" He was suddenly cut off by the now audible sobs of the younger teen across from him. His hands were rubbing at eyes in a poor attempt to stop the liquid from pouring out from his closed eyelids. His some-what restrained sobs were echoing through the room and, even more so inside Antonio's head. The Spaniard stood there, wide eyed, as he slowly realized what he'd done.

Lovino is... Crying...

The Italian dropped to his knees, still trying to stop the tears from flowing down his face.

My Lovino...My Lovi is crying...

Lovino covered his face with his palms and sank down to floor; no longer holding back his sobs and now letting his tears run freely down the sides of his face.

did this... I made my Lovi... Cry...

He inched closer to the crying Italian, thinking that the teen would retreat but hoping he didn't. He stopped right in front of him, causing Lovino to look up at the Spaniard.

Antonio crouched down and, before Lovino had a chance to try and run, he hugged him. Lovino tried flailing out of his grasp, but each time hid did, Antonio's hold on him grew stronger. He eventually stopped struggling and just waited for some sort of explanation from his companion. But Antonio stayed quiet. He just rested his head at the base of the others neck.

He listened as the Italian's sobs died down. He listened as his hiccups became a bit louder.

He felt Lovino lean into his embrace. He felt the last of his tears soak his shirt. He felt the expanding and collapsing of his chest as he took deep breaths to calm himself down.

He kept quiet for a while long before finally speaking.

"I'm..." his words were mumbled into Lovino neck.

Lovino made a questioning noise.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean any of those things... I just... I didn't... I'm sorry."

He took a few more deeps breaths before replying, "It' s... it's alright..."

The two separated and got up from the floor. They stood there in an awkward silence, until Lovino inhaled deeply and opened is mouth to speak.

"I-I'm... s-sorry too," he mumbled, "I don't... really think that this is... I like dance, dammit. I really do, but... I'm not fucking good at it," he admitted, stuttering quiet a bit due to his hiccups.

"Don't be silly, you're doing fine," Antonio said with his signature smile on, reassuring him, "You just need some practice."

Lovino blushed at his words and looked away from his partner. He scratched the back of his neck, mumbling something that sound like 'thank you' to the teen standing in front of him. After that things got quiet again, both waiting for the other to say something but also wanting to speak as well. In the end, it was Antonio who broke the silence.

"Well, um... It's get kinda late, yeah," He said, "I think that's enough dance for today. We should head home now." He had just turned around to collect his things when Lovino called after him.

"Wait!" Antonio looked back immediately.

"Uh... I-I, um..." he stuttered, embarrassed from his little outburst, "What about our salsa? I-I still need to work on it, don't I?" Lovino suggested, hoping that [for some unexplainable reason] the Spaniard would stay with him a little while longer.

Antonio walked back to his partner and brushed the back of his hand against Lovino's cheek.

"I'm glad that you're not giving up on this and that you want to keep trying, but..." he paused looking into the Italian's eyes, "I think we've covered enough today, we can practice some more tomorro-"

"No! We are not leaving this fucking building until we get this salsa right, dammit!" he demanded, complete determined now to do this dance.

Antonio let out a sigh and agreed to staying a bit longer. He wouldn't admit it to Lovino, but he too wanted to spend a little more time with his friend before leaving.

"Let's just work on the basic step for now,"the Spanish teen said, in which the other just nodded in agreement.

The Spaniard picked a song; a fast paced one, went over to Lovino and got in position. The music started a moment afterwards and the older teen counted them in. The Italian looked straight to floor, just like every other time, and Antonio frowned at that.

" Don't look at your feet," he prompted.

"I have to, ass-hole. I'm gonna mess up if I don't," he said, not looking up at his partner once.

Antonio stopped dancing, with Lovino following suit, and moved a finger under his companions chin and forced him to look him in the eyes.

"Look here and here only," he said while pointing to his face, making Lovino's face turn a bright crimson.

Antonio, then guided the both of them back into their dance, correcting his friend each time his eyes wandered else-where.

"I keep telling you, I need to look down," he said, getting frustrated by being constantly corrected.

"No, you don't need to see," he tried to assure him.

"but-"

"You need to feel it~" he practically purred while saying it [or at least that's what Lovino heard], making the Italian's heart start beating out of his chest .

They continued they're basic step, Lovino actually attempting to keep is head up; trying to feel it, but he felt like he was utterly failing at it, until his partner told him otherwise.

"Lovi, you doing fine..."

"There's a 'but', isn't there?" he grumbled, dreading whatever Antonio was going to say next.

".. But, you're a little stiff..."

Fucking Hell, he thought, we are never leaving this building.

Just after he thought that, Antonio moved Lovino's hands to his shoulders and slid his own onto his partner's hips. He gently guided his hips, swaying them as they danced. Lovino widen his eyes and looked to where the Spaniard had placed his hands.

"Don't look down. Look here. Look right into my eyes," he corrected him once more, with something fiery in his tone.

"Move with me,"he prompted as he removed the both of their hands from where he had placed them previously. The Italian did what he was told with out saying anything.

Lovino repeated the words of his partner in his head and couldn't help staring into in eyes after.

He saw something flicker in them, almost like a fire but much more brilliant. The sight had affected Lovino, causing him to feel an odd sensation rising in his chest. A weird tingling, fluttering inside him that he couldn't explain. The heat from it spread out from his centre until it engulfed him whole, taking control of his entire being.

Lovino stepped closer, starring into Antonio's eyes and mirroring the intensity in them within his own. Antonio looked at Lovino and smiled subconsciously. Something inside the younger teen had awaken. Antonio didn't know what it was or why, but he did know one thing; He liked it.

As if there was some sort of unseen signal given, the two started in to their routine. Both of them fully devoting their beings to this moment. Lovino kept looking were he was told to; straight into his partners eyes.

They never left that spot.

Not even when the two separated was his eyes taken off of him. And the same went for Antonio, whose olive orbs stalked his partner, watching every curve, ridge, and plain of his body.

The two continued for the entire length of the the song, stepping to the beat with perfection but alas the music began to end, as did their salsa routine.

He spun out his partner once more, holding him there for but a moment before pulling him back, his arm wrapping around the smaller teen just as the song ended.

It was as if time had frozen for them right. They were so close. Starring into each other eyes. Faces so close to one another. Antonio leaned closer, his eyes slid closed, his lips hovering over the others. Lovino could feel them, how close they were, ghosted over his lips. He too slid his eyes closed and waited.

He waited for it, but it never came. He felt Antonio remove his arm from where it was previously placed and opened his eyes to see him retreating to the benches where his belongings were.

"Oh wow, look at the time!" he said nervously, as he checked the clock, "I better get going! Wouldn't want my parents worrying about me~"

Lovino didn't say anything, he just stood there.

"Y-you did good today, keep up the great work," he continued to speaking, while packing away his stuff, "ummm, I'll, uh, see you tomorrow then," he said, not sparing a glance a Lovino even once.

Without so much as a wave good-bye, the Spaniard left.

Lovino was left alone in the large room, starring blankly at the door way.

He soon moved from that spot, collected his things and heading out the door of the room and out of the building. He headed straight for his house, eyes wide and barely blinking. When he got there, He ran to his room ignoring the outside world as he slammed his bedroom door and curled up onto bed.

Laying there he thought of the last moment of their dance. He thought of how close their faces, no, their lips were. He raised a hand to brush over his lips.

He was so close, he thought, so close.

So...

He pressed a thumb against them and kissed it.

Close...

AN: Another idea that's been in my head for a while that I finally finished writing. It was originally supposed to be a oneshot, but I decided against it for a number of reasons, one of them being that It'd be waaaaay to long for me to write, meaning I'd never be able to finish it.

But anyways, I'll work on another chapter and update as soon as possible. Until then, hope you like it.

Please Review; tell me what you think of it so far. Critiques are welcome, but no Flames please.