ive got ninety nine problems and half are them are because i decided to finish this fic at 2 am

less humour and more mushy soft stuff bc toni my poor baby (im really distraught bc i was actually rooting for spain. at least we'll always have south africa 2010)

does it bother anyone that i use human names? i only use them bc nicknames

contains a hastily made chile oc

All's Fair in Love and Football

by luckylucyheartfilia

[ Sunrise ]

"Come on, Antonio..."

Lovino clenched his fists, eyes darting back and forth across the pitch anxiously. His brother was giving him nervous glances, gripping the macho potato's arm with a terrifying hidden reservoir of strength, but this was absolutely not the time to get angry about stupid things like that. No matter where the ball ended up, no matter who was desperately trying to score, Lovino's sight always fell back on Antonio, who was doing a terrible job of masking his fears as he paled visibly more and more with each passing second. They'd been going strong for so long, and after their victory at the last World Cup this was the absolute worst way for Spain's team to go out.

"It's over," Matthew muttered softly on Lovino's left, a hand already reaching out to rest on his shoulder to show sympathy. The brunet felt the eyes of dozens of nations trained on him, breaths held as they waited to see what he'd do. Matthew's hand caught air as Lovino stood, roughly striding past Feliciano and Ludwig.

His descent onto the pitch was without much fanfare, each step slow and deliberate as he made his way over to Antonio. Vicente stood awkwardly before their former caretaker, shuffling nervously as he held his hand out to the older nation for him to shake. Antonio was staring at it blankly when Lovino approached, only looking up when Vicente's breath hitched as he unconsciously took a step back from the Italian. Lovino knew that if he looked back to where he left all the other nations, he'd see them literally on the edge of their seats, ready to find out if this was how a new war might break out.

"Go," Lovino said gruffly. The Chilean fled at the same time that Lovino crushed Antonio into a tight hug. There was a resounding chorus of 'aww' and 'eww' from behind them, but that was number one on a list of things he couldn't give a flying fuck about as he pressed a soft kiss to Antonio's hair. His boyfriend remained stiff in his arms, not reacting at all to his touch. That was more than enough to set off warning bells in Lovino's head, but he hid his panic well and took Antonio's hand, leading him far away from a title lost too quickly and a stadium full of crushed dreams.

'El imperio en el que nunca se pone el sol.' The empire on which the sun never sets.

It had been many years since the time that title belonged to Spain. The sun had to set eventually, that was simply the way things were. But it lived on in Antonio's smiles, his melodic laugh, the way his face lit up with pure happiness, and how the mere thought of him was enough to fill Lovino with warmth and comfort.

It wasn't always like that, though. Once upon a time, neither could stand to be a room together for too long. Then somewhere along the line, things changed for the better. There was something about Antonio that made people naturally gravitate towards him, and Lovino somehow found himself as one of those people. Antonio brought love and sunshine and companionship into his life, things the Italian had been desperately craving for after so many years of loneliness and bitterness, and Lovino gladly soaked up the attention like a sponge as long as Antonio was willing to keep providing it.

And Antonio was more than willing, with a surprising amount of passion. The traces of an inferiority complex that rivalled Jupiter in size still hung around Lovino after centuries and centuries. Sometimes they'd whisper doubts into his ear to try and break him, but Antonio was always there to fix his scrapes, kiss them better, and chase his insecurities away. For that, Lovino couldn't thank him enough. Antonio was the one to chase the storm clouds away and bring sunlight into Lovino's life. It was about time he returned the favour.

He didn't seem like the same person, muffling his cries of frustration and regret into a pillow. There was an empty shell of the man he loved lying on their bed, cursing and angrily scolding himself in Spanish through his own tears.

"Antonio, stop."

And he did, long enough to look at Lovino. Those bright green eyes that the Italian had come to love so fiercely were unfocused and glazed, yet they still managed to pierce straight through him. It was like Lovino wasn't even there, and the idea was something that scared him more than anything. Even so, he strengthened his resolve and found the courage to sit down next to his distressed boyfriend and wrap him in a hug.

He loved Antonio much more than he feared disappearing.

For a long time the two just stayed there together, Lovino talking about whatever came to mind. He was determined to divert Antonio's focus far away from his defeat, and whenever it seemed like Antonio might turn around again, Lovino was there to distract him with kisses, promise of dates, and talks about their future together. Slowly, Antonio began to look more and more like his normal self. The next time they accidentally stumbled on the topic of the football match, they knew things were going to turn out alright.

"There's always next time," Lovino promised, pressing a kiss to his Spaniard's forehead. Antonio sighed, relaxing in the warmth of Lovino's arms. The sky was starting to brighten outside, a sure sign they had been awake for far too long. Moving his head slightly to watch Antonio shift himself into a more comfortable position, the Italian was struck by a burst of inspiration. His own personal opinion was that it was a stupid idea, but it was pretty obvious already he'd do just about anything to keep Antonio happy.

I can't believe I'm about to do this. Pushing all embarrassment and hesitation away, Lovino braced himself for Antonio's reaction, whatever that may be. "F... fu..."

The Spaniard's eyes were far from the glassy, dull greens they were earlier. Now, as Lovino continued to stumble over whatever he was trying to say, his eyes were brightened by curiosity and apparent fascination with the interesting array of crimsons his boyfriend's face was turning.

"...Lovi?"

"Fu... f... fusososososo!"

Antonio had shot up in the middle of the 'cheer-up charm' and was staring at the shorter brunet in disbelief. Stunned silence was all that was heard for a few minutes, but if you asked Lovino he'd say that his heart slamming against his ribcage and his sudden desire to be engulfed by the bed and lost for all eternity were pretty damn loud too.

"Dios mío," Antonio finally managed to croak, voice thick and the faintest hint of tears starting to brim in his eyes again. Oh, no no no no no. Was he starting to cry again? Shit, he was, wasn't he? Damnit Lovino, you fucked up, you fucked up, you fucked up. Why did everything have to be so difficult?

"You weren't supposed to start cryi—" Lovino was stopped mid-panicked sentence by a sun-kissed hand, one that seemed to glow in the light that was slowly floating in through the window.

"No, it's not like that." As dawn broke over the Brazilian skyline, starting off a brand new day filled with possibilities, Antonio's grin was just as beautiful as ever as he wiped away his tears with the back of his free hand. "It's just... Te amo, Lovi. Te amo mucho."

Lovino stared, bewildered. Antonio laughed, clear and loud in the morning light as he leaned forward to kiss the shorter brunet, his smile growing when Lovino responded eagerly.

"Anch'io ti amo," Lovino murmured when they pulled apart and he rested his forehead against Antonio's. "Don't worry me like that ever again."

The Spaniard just chuckled again, changing the subject quickly. "When's your next match?"

"We're facing Costa Rica on..." It was only then did he completely register that they actually stayed up all night. "Tomorrow."

"You'll do great." There wasn't a single shred of doubt in Antonio's voice or eyes. "You're the brightest star out there, mi sol."

Not bothering to hide his stupid grin, Lovino closed the distance between them again.

They were going to be just fine.

mmm i hope this doesnt seem like im implying that their lives revolve around each other completely, bc thats dumb. they have other people in their lives than just each other, but their relationship here is sorta like, mutually inspiring each other to live and do their best.

you know how you have characters you would sell your soul for so they could be happy forever and never ever ever be sad ever again. yeah, guess who mine are. (toni and lovi toni and lovi toni and lovi im going to throw myself into the sun)

i cant write anything else for this fanfic i physically cannot i will burst into tears immediately. its over im breakin up w/ it. its not the fic, its me.

i was wondering why people were putting this on story alert bc i marked it as complete but you were all expecting this werent you you monsters