Antonio
He honestly couldn't believe it. Lovino actually agreed to come to his house. Antonio would make sure that he had a great time. It was only 6pm, so they had five whole hours to do whatever they wanted in his home, unsupervised.
Lovino was walking. His hair wooshed slightly with every step, and glimmered in the evening light. His long eyelashes gently flowed down with every blink, and his angelic face sparkled softly.
Antonio almost tripped on a rock in the middle of the sidewalk.
Lovino
They were at Antonio's front door. Just from the outside, his house looked cute and comfy. He gently twisted the doorknob and the door creaked open. The house was dark, but he could see that it was very small, and very colorful. Flowers were nearly everywhere, and there were many different colored tablecloths and linens adorning the house. Even the picture frames were colorful.
Antonio turned on the light, and even more color filled the room. Lovino could see multiple baby pictures of Antonio, and he almost chuckled to himself. He was a cute, fat little baby, and still held those amazing green eyes. Except, they seemed even happier in this picture. More genuine. When he looked at them now, they lacked that sparkle and joyfulness. What happened that made his eyes turn sad?
"What do you think?" Antonio asked, gesturing to his home. "It's not much, but, it's a house."
Lovino pondered for a moment. "I think it's very colorful."
"Yes, well, my mother loves everything bold and bright. I think it adds excitement to her otherwise grey life."
He nodded in reply. Antonio walked him farther into the home, so they were standing in the living room. "What movie do you wanna watch?"
"Something with action. Or comedy."
"Captain America?"
"Too...American."
"But you live in America. Might as well embrace it."
"...all right. Your house, your movies."
Antonio smiled. "Do you want food?"
"I just ate."
"So? There's always room for snacks!"
"...what do you have?" Lovino cringed as he realized he was continuously agreeing with everything Antonio said, only because of his cute little face and huge pleading smile.
"Come on," Antonio pulled him into the kitchen.
The kitchen was even more vibrant than the rest of the house. Even all the utensils and pots held beautiful colors, all attracting to the eye.
"I think popcorn is more fitting for our movie night, don't you think?" He asked, opening the cupboards and rummaging through them. Lovino nodded.
While the popcorn was being made, Lovino observed the yellow lilies on the kitchen counter. They smelled sweet and fresh, but appeared almost dull against the colors of the kitchen.
When everything was all ready, and Antonio grabbed some sodas, they sat down on the sofa opposite of each other to watch the movie.
The opening began to play, and Antonio turned to Lovino. "So tell me, what's it like in Italy?"
"I thought we were watching the movie." He retorted sternly.
"We are, but..." Antonio slightly turned down the volume on the TV. "I'm more interested in you than any movie."
Lovino flushed red, and turned away to hide his face. "Well, you're wrong, because there's nothing more interesting about me than a big Hollywood movie."
"Oh really? Well, tell me a bit about yourself and we'll find out."
"Fine. Just fucking fine." Why did Lovino keep agreeing to that irresistible little face? "I was born in southern Italy, and I was the firstborn. Shortly after I was born, we moved to Naples and my brother was born there. We lived there for a while, we had a little wine farm, everything was good. Then it kinda just...fell apart. I don't know."
Lovino finally looked up. He was almost surprised to see that Antonio was staring at him intently, just waiting for him to go on.
"What else do you want to know?"
Antonio didn't reply for a minute. Then he took a deep breath. "Lovino, you are a very hurt person, yes?"
He diverted his eyes to his lap. They were getting too deep and too personal way too quickly. Could Lovino even trust him? No. They just met. 24 hours ago, neither person knew of each other's existence. Now, they were getting on a whole other level of friendship.
Whether or not Lovino nodded, he did not know, all he knew was that at one moment, Antonio wrapped his arms around his small figure.
It was the most comforting hug he had ever received.
And damn it, he started crying.
Antonio
He was warm and soft and small and the most precious and fragile thing he had ever felt in his entire life.
They most likely sat there for a while, but eventually, Lovino began to tug away, unplugging the cord that temporarily connected them. Antonio no longer felt the sparking sensation of his touch.
Nevertheless, they were still very close to each other. But they did not say a word.
Finally, Lovino looked up at him, eyes watering, and he asked, "If you can recognize a person who has been injured, surely, you must be very hurt yourself."
Lovino eyed him down. Antonio could feel a heavy weight being set on his shoulders. He couldn't breathe.
He didn't want to talk about his past. Not in the least.
But, Lovino had shared a part of himself. That's not always easy. But everyone had always trusted Antonio so easily. And no one gave a second thought to his own feelings and emotions, his past, or anything about him.
He was the listener. And everyone else was the talker. And now, he met someone who was both. How pleasantly confusing.
"Well?" Lovino raised an eyebrow.
Antonio gulped. "My grandfather was a tomato farmer in Spain."
"And...?"
"His son, my father, is named Jesus. Typical name for a Spanish man, I know. Jesus Fernandez. He grew up there, on the farm, and one day, he got really sick of it. A claustrophobia, per say. After he felt he had helped my grandfather enough, he left. He traveled to the sea side of Spain, thinking he might be able to find a better life there..
"What he found was a beautiful young woman with a thirst for adventure. And so he met my mother, Teresa Carriedo. Six years older than her, and they fell in love. She was only eighteen. So, they got married, bought a little plant farm, and he helped her run her flower shop."
"That sounds like a dramatic love story, except less drama." Lovino half smirked.
"Oh the drama is coming, don't worry. After getting married, they had a son. That son wasn't me, mind you. He...he wasn't the best child. We'll leave it at that. Another eleven years later, they had a second child. That child was yours truly.
"She had me in Spain, and I lived there until o was ten. When I was around eight, bad things started happening. So, they decided to move the family to America. They thought they would have a better life there, and of course, better for the children. But, they hit rough times. It wasn't pretty. They didn't realize that the American Dream was so invisible, so difficult to achieve. Now, you never see my dad around. He's always at work. My mother is still sweet, loving, and caring, but she isn't as happy. Other things happened in between but...that's just history."
"I think people underestimate life." Lovino whispered thoughtfully.
"I agree."
Lovino
If there was one word to describe the bizarre mess Lovino was at the moment, it would be confused.
He wanted to like Antonio. He really did. He was so easy to talk to, to get close to. His personality was everything but boring. Everything about him brought a new light into his world.
But his other half screamed a red alarm. Getting too close was downright dangerous, for a variety of reasons.
Lovino was just...so conflicted. He just needed to figure things out for himself. As much as the Spaniard annoyed him, he really wanted to be his friend. That was something he hoped he'd never lose.
"Lovino?" Antonio sounded concerned. Damn him. Damn him and that stupid smile and that stupid laugh and his green eyes and his deep voice and his impressive strength… Lovino could go on all day. "Are you alright?"
No.
And how could he be, Antonio didn't make his situation any easier. Maybe if Lovino left now he'd be able to make it back home quick so he can cry himself to sleep.
However, Lovino realized he was as pale as the moon and had been aimlessly staring at Antonio.
The Spaniard inched closer to his face. "I'll just put on the movie again so we can finish it." he suggested. Then he picked up the remote and pressed a couple buttons.
Antonio
Had he gone too far? Was he moving too quickly? Did he make Lovino uncomfortable? Would he even talk to him again after this? Paranoia flooded through the boy's mind.
He really wanted to be friends with Lovino. Even more than friends, if possible. But he would have to pace himself. But God when Antonio stared into his golden eyes and saw the tinge of red on his cheeks, he just wanted to….never mind.
The movie went on and they both remained silently watching. Every once in a while, Antonio would look next to him and find Lovino's eyes focused directly on the movie, but he was struggling to keep them open. How cute. When the movie ended, they put on another one. It was the latest Iron Man, and though Lovi was reluctant to watch it, he let Antonio put it on anyway.
At one unexpected moment, Lovino fell into a soft sleep and his head flew down onto Antonio. But because of their height difference, Lovino did not reach his shoulder. Instead, he was uncomfortably arranged on his bicep.
Antonio didn't know what to do at first. He just awkwardly stiffened up. But, after getting accustomed to the situation, he was able to twist his body so that Lovi's head was on his chest. Antonio threw his legs up onto the couch and laid down, dragging Lovino with him so he could sleep more comfortably on his body.
Lovino shifted at first, unsure of both the situation and his sleeping position, but soon sleepily snuggled up against the other boy's warm figure.
Though Antonio tried to be modest about his body, the fact remains still: Antonio has some amazing muscles. It's not that he worked out often. Or even from sports. He grew into this body from taking jobs that required hard labour, in order to financially aid his mother. He also did plenty of work around the house, such as fixing a leaky faucet, carrying in the new bed set his mother so desperately needed, repairing the broken glass on the window that a robber had attempted to get in through.
They were so close. Antonio could feel the other's heartbeat against his own chest, the rhythmic feel of the rise and fall of their breaths. He felt a connection between them. Almost as if their souls were mingling with each other, tangling and merging together to form a bond.
Maybe that's how soulmates work. A specific event happens in which their souls correlate with each other, sealing a tear that was born with them. Maybe sometimes, the brain is not aware that they share this bond, but rather, they are blinded by lies and distractions. The best thing about soulmates is that they are not necessarily a person of romantic interest. They could be any person on the face of the planet. Your parent, your sibling, your best friend, anyone has the possibility of sharing that emotional connection. Love is a strange thing.
But Antonio did not have too much time to ponder about it any longer, because he soon lulled off to sleep with Lovino in his grasp.
Lovino
His eyes shifted open. It took a moment to adjust to the surroundings. But then he realized that he had been sleeping on top of Antonio.
In all honesty, Lovino was particularly comfortable. Antonio's body was firm, strong, and capable. He could feel his muscles tense and relax with every breath, the bulges of strength in his abdomen through his shirt. If this kid was fit now, Lovino could only imagine the body he'd have by the end of high school.
It struck Lovino that he was still young. Was it okay to be thinking about relationships? To want a relationship? Why was he thinking romantically about Antonio? It didn't make any sense.
Lovino decided right then and there that he would try his hardest to remain just friends. Even if they did like each other, it could wait, right? Well, if Antonio doesn't become impatient and abandon him as both friend and lover.
The thought made him shiver. If there was one thing Lovino hated more than being in love was being in love and getting rejected. Knowing that the person who you spend hours thinking about, wouldn't even give you a second thought. It was just...terrifying.
He sat up now, and looked at the time. Thirty minutes until he had to be back home. Thirty minutes, and this strange night would be over.
A small groan came from Antonio, obviously disturbed that Lovino, his temporary blanket, had moved all of a sudden.
With a shove from the Italian, Antonio's eyes fluttered open.
"Hola," he saluted cheerfully. Was this guy ever grumpy? "What time is it?"
"Time for me to leave," Lovino replied. "It's ten-thirty."
"But you don't have to be back until eleven." He argued in reply.
"I'm tired. I'll...I'll see you at the bus stop tomorrow. Have a nice night, Antonio." Lovino slowly stood up and headed for the door.
"Wait!" Antonio rushed to his feet. Lovino whipped around. "Don't I get a hug?"
A sigh escaped from Lovino's mouth. "I - I um... It's a friendly hug, yes?"
"The friendliest of all." His smile grew.
Lovino stepped towards him and spread his arms open, without looking at Antonio.
Antonio jumped into the hug, squeezing the boy under him and resting his cheek against his forehead. "Good night, Lovi."
"Good night, idiot." Though it was meant to be an insult, it came out as a quite endearing remark. The Italian sighed, but gladly embraced the hug.
AN: was this chapter too gooey? XD blah I don't care if it is. I love my Toni and my Lovi and I need a lil bit of fluff from them because they're just too cute. Hope you enjoyed :3