He sighed with nostalgia. He fiddled with the cup in his hands as he looked out the window.
Though the News on the televisions was on, it phased pasted him, since it was the London News. The man sitting on a couch next to his chair was watching the News, until he heard his friend's sigh. The British scratched an itch behind his ear before setting his cup down on the marble end table in fount of them. Loud enough to make his friend snap his head back.
"Carriedo, what seems to be your problem?" Arthur asked. He eyed one of the scones on the table, fighting back the wanting to eat it.
Antonio laughed before replying, "Nothing! I have no problems!"
"by your actions a few moments ago, obviously something is wrong," Arthur leaned back into his comfortable couch.
"You can do magic, right Arthur?" Antonio asked bluntly.
Arthur choked on nothing and paged at his friend. "A-Antonio! Why would you assumed something so outrageous?"
"You know why Arthur," he said rolling his eyes. "Now, can you do magic?"
"And why would you like to know?" Arthur reached over his tea, and self-consciously took one of his scones.
"Because if you can I would like to make a request!"
"Does it have to do with your problem?"
Antonio sighed heavily, finally giving up on trying to hide it. "Si, I keep remembering back in the day when Lovino was still small…"
"And," Arthur sat up to set this scone down next to his cup and sighed. "You would like me to time travel you back when Lovino was still a child?"
"No!" the Spaniard laughed shaking his hands, "time travel is impossible! Just make my Lovino small again! For just a few hours or so."
Arthur let out a quiet laugh. "And how would he feel about it?"
Antonio shrugged. He didn't think about it. He assumed it wasn't too big of a deal. Either Lovi would remember or not. Not a huge deal. The Spaniard smiled sweetly at his friend.
"I know we were vast enemies back a century, but," Arthur folded his legs and placed his hands on top of his knees, taking his sweet time and it was nearly killing Antonio. "Remember British magic can be a handful, so I guess I could."
Antonio stood up abruptly and grasped Arthur's hands. "Really Arthur? You've made me the happiest Spanish man around!"
"You're the only Spanish man around. Let go of me please."
"I'll give you some churros as a thank you—no! How about some Tomatoes?" he laughed aloud and smiled right into Arthur's eyes, his crow's feet showing the bliss. "Even better! A crate of the finest tomatoes around!"
"I don't need any… Could you let go of me now?"
"I'm so happy right now!"
"Carriedo! Let go of my hand as of now!" He yelled, letting out short pants out as if excess steam was coming out.
Shocked, Antonio let so. He had forgotten, in the spaz of joy, that his friend hated all the touchy-feely stuff.
"So the deal is, I'll do it but there are other stuff with it."
"I don't care Arthur! I'm way to excited!" His smile was great and started to the door.
"But Antonio, it's important!" the British stood up and reached out to his friend. But all his friend did was laugh.
"Your accent is prefect! Such silly sounds, you're really the silly one!"
"M-my accent?" he was confused for a moment, but snapped out of it and ran to the door, seeing Antonio run home. "He has to kiss you before midnight or he'll be stuck forever!"
"Your accent!" Antonio cracked up not hearing what Arthur just said. "Bye!"
"Oh, you stupid git."
The door slammed open, eyes shut the Spaniard shouted in a sing-songy voice, "Lovine! I'm home, come to Boss!"
He waited a moment, expecting the small hands of Lovino to grab at him and be adorable. But instead there was a huge crash of metal from the kitchen. His eyes snapped open and there, in fount of him was his home, dark and a huge mess. For a were moment Antonio forgot the crash and freaked out.
"Mi casa!" he screamed. He ran to the couch, the cushions were ripped and chewed; the book case had toppled over the couch and book was thrown everywhere with papers fallen around. Water was spilled everywhere. "Ay! What the hell happened here?"
Out of the dark, he heard a small squeak from the kitchen. He slowly walked to the kitchen and stood in the door way. There was a pile of metal pans and pots, and once again a squeak came out of it, but it came out more of a 'bastardo.'
Antonio sighed yet he was smiling. Just like him. "My little Roma, are you lost within a pile of metal?"
"Si, o bastardo! Aiutomi!" The small childish voice begged.
"now, now, why would I do such a thing?" he smiled as he stride over.
"Just help damnit!" Lovino shouted shaking a few pots.
Antonio laughed warmly and reached into the pile. He felt the child and picked him up. He just stood there for a moment staring at the small Lovino.
"What 'cha looking at?" The Italian child snapped and wiggled to get out of the hold of his boss. But was too weak.
The Spaniard stared at the child's round and plumbed face. Red like a tomato from embarrassment he just suffered. His light green eyes were sullen as if he was crying and hip was all chewed up. "Lovino, were you scared?"
"Damnit! No!" the child punched the Spaniard in the chin, fairly harder than both expected. Withering in pain Antonio dropped Lovino. When both regained their balance, the child had ran off. Antonio went afterwards and searched for him. After a few minutes of searching, he decided to look outside.
The moment he walked out, he felt the warm, ate spring breeze. The backyard looked normal, like any other Spanish citizen's yard, but behind there were vines after vines of tomatoes. Antonio already knew Lovino wasn't in the front, since it was so open, so he went straight to the tomatoes. "Lovinoo," He shouted with his hands cupped around his mouth. "Oh Lovino~ come out, come out my sweet little Lovi." Of course he never got a reply. Antonio was already feeling the hot Spanish sun on his face and arms so he guessed Lovino would have already given up on sitting in the sun and gone to the closest shade.
When he reached the tool shed he had already felt the sweat beat down the side of his head and his neck. He remembered how his morning he had locked the shed, before he gone to Arthur's; but as he assumed, when he pushed on the doors, they slid wide open.
"Lovino, you could have at least tried to lock the door behind you, or made it hard to," he said emphasizing the you.
Silent.
For once Lovino was actually quiet. It was odd, but Antonio thought of it as a silly game. He looked around the shed, tools laying around, hanging up or sitting against something. The only light was from the doors behind him and the small window on the west side of the shed. Something had caught his eye, he looked down and saw freshly made stains. His eyes followed the trail to under a table crowded with old boxes. He sauntered over and knocked on the top of the table.
The Spaniard heard soft whimpers so he bent over and grinned, saying "boo!" Lovino sat there with an angered pout, embarrassed blush and watery olive eyes. Antonio blinked a few times before kneeling down to the Italian's height. "Lovino?"
"Get the fuck away you stupid!" he cried out.
Antonio made a fixed face and patted Lovino's cheek. "Come on, let's clean up the spilled tomato on the floor and head back in."
"You're a jerk!" he informed Antonio.
"I know," he smiled and patted the child's head before setting him off to fetch the broom to clean up his mess.
"You can remember that ripe tomatoes are extremely juicy! They well make a mess everywhere!" Antonio laughed as he and Lovino walked back to the house.
"I know! So shut up about it already!" Lovino pouted. But the child looked around with a dreamy expression, as if he still wanted to play more games, but sighed, worn out from the hot sun.
Antonio glanced at him then gently rubbed this kid's head. "After cleaning up the mess you made in my home, we can make some dinner?"
"I want to eat something spicy today. Or tomatoes."
"And of course you already knew what you wanted for dinner," Antonio laughed quietly.
As they cleaned, Antonio had forgotten how much he had missed this young Lovino. Out though the child was needy and selfish, his cuteness and childishness stood out and shined over his flaws. Antonio had enjoyed taking care the kid like a father where he could bond just as easy as when Lovino was older.
He sat on the restored couch watching Lovino sweep with his elegant smile.
Antonio set down a warm plate in front of Lovino.
"This isn't what I asked for!" he whined. "I said tomatoes! Not seafood." He complained more pushing a plate of paella from himself.
"You had tomatoes during the game, now have paella!" You love it!" Antonio smiled pushing back Lovino's plate.
"I've never had it and never will!" the Italian child stuck out his tongue in disgust.
"What do you mean? You've had it enough times. Though it took you many years—" he stopped himself before he kept going. He had forgotten Lovino was young, not the adult he was used it.
Little Lovino stared at Antonio like he was some mad man. "What?"
"Nothing." Antonio smiled and stood up.
"Where you doing?" Lovino moaned.
Antonio didn't answer and walked into the kitchen. When he came back out a few moments later, Lovino hasn't touched a thing, just sitting there like a bratty kid. Antonio went to the child's plate and placed diced tomatoes on top. "If you had tired it, you would have tasted tomato. You just couldn't see them." He sat back down in his chair, smiled and pushed Lovino's plate back to him.
Lovino reached over to grasp his sliver ware and reluctanly took his bite slowly. He let the taste sink in before swallowing. His face grew red. Quietly Lovino conceded that his boss was right and Antonio had laughed loudly.
A few minutes of eating into it Lovino saw that Antonio hadn't even taken a single bite, didn't even touch his fork. "Why aren't you eating you stupid?" Lovino asked loudly, but quietly added, "You need to eat…"
"I'm not hungry anymore. I'll save is for later," he answered. He knew Lovino was being harsh, always calling him names. But he knew Lovi still worried, out though the child doesn't need to be.
When the child finished as much as he could, the Spaniard took both of their plated to the kitchen. Warped his untouched plate with plastic warm and gradually placing it in the fridge then cleaning the rest of the dishes. As he was doing so, Lovino had come in after him and entertained himself with the cabinets.
After Antonio cleaned up and dried, he picked up small Lovino and walked over the couch. As he sat down he noticed that the child was half asleep. Antonio admired the round, sleepy face of the child. He let the child rest a little longer as he was in deep thought.
Antonio remembered how Lovino was like as an adult. Even though he was still and angry person, he wasn't spoiled or as need as the child was. Lovino helped around the house, he actually knew how to clean without consistent help from Antonio. He helped around the tomato vines. Cooked, gave advice. And the most important factor, that Antonio loved Lovino. He could love a small child the same way he loved the adult Lovino.
He smiled to himself, thinking of all the wonderful times he had with Lovino. Before he knew it, Antonio fell asleep holding onto the young version of the man he loved.
A slap to the face is how the Spaniard woke up two hours later.
"íAy!" he shouted. His hand instinctively went to his cheek to rub the burning sensation.
There in his lap sat an annoyed look, a young Italian child.
"¿Que?" Antonio yawned.
"You fell asleep forgetting about me, you jerk," Lovino whined, "and it's almost midnight. I hate sleeping on the couch."
Antonio held on to Lovino and stood up again. "Alright we can go to`" he stopped in mid-sentence to yawn and then continued, "to bed."
He walked to the bed room and placed Lovino on the bed. They both changed into their pajamas and crawled into bed.
"'Night Lovino," Antonio smiled at him.
"Buona note boss," Lovino whispered.
He cuddled against the Spaniard and kissed his cheek before the both fell fast asleep.
When Antonio woke up the next morning, there in his arm was a fully grown Italian with chestnut hair and a peaceful, sleeping face.
"Roma!" Antonio shouted excitedly as he hugged Lovino tightly.
-Le Fin-