note, 2014: this has been sitting on my laptop for a good few months. I decided to finish it up with a few hundred words, today. This should be the last you see of kids, as they'll be grown up soon enough. I feel iffy about this chapter.

four - See you soon, maybe later

"Have you ever thought about what you wanted to be when you grow up?" Lovino was caught off guard by Antonio's question, and furrowed his eyebrows together. He took a peek at Antonio, who looked down at the sidewalk as they strolled down the street.

"Uh... I dunno." Lovino said, and shrugged. His backpack slipped a bit off his shoulder. "I don't really want to do anything." A pause. "Maybe I could be a food critic. Don't they get paid to eat things?"

"Woooow, really?" Antonio asked, grinning madly. "My Mama asks me to taste-test all of her stuff - maybe I could do that, too?"

Lovino snorted, and brushed back his bangs. "Yeah. Maybe - but that's my job! Don't be a copycat!"

"But it would be so, so fun if I did it with you!" The Spanish boy turned to Lovino and hugged him, and tilted his body back as if he were trying to pick up Lovino - which he did, much to the boy's displeasure.

"Leeeeet meeee gooooo!" Lovino screeched out as he was lifted high enough that his feet couldn't touch the floor anymore. He slapped Antonio's shoulders a few times to get the giggling boy's attention. "Don't drop me!"

Antonio took a break in his giggling to let out a loud laugh, and he clumsily tried to spin around with Lovino in his shaky arms, which ended up with the two falling down to the sidewalk. Funny, it usually seemed to work in the shows that his Mama always watched...

"O-oof!" Luckily for Lovino, Antonio was there to cushion their fall. The bangs he had brushed back earlier were in his face again, and his hazel eyes were wide as he found himself face-to-face with the Spanish boy.

"I told you we would fall!" Lovino cried out, slapping his hand weakly on Antonio's shoulder. He scrambled off of Antonio, and ended up rolling off him and onto the cement. Antonio rubbed his chest, but was still smiling, despite having the wind knocked out of him. Upset that Antonio seemed to be okay with this, the Italian rolled away from Antonio, and huffed, cheeks red. "If... if you fell on me, then... I wouldn't be your friend anymore!"

Lovino was pleased from the audible gasp, smirking as he planned to get up - or not, because Antonio had latched onto him again. "Don't say such mean things, Lovino!" Lovino squirmed, and tried to worm his way out of the other boy's grasp. His cheeks felt uncomfortably red, and tried to switch the topic when he found he couldn't escape.

"Why did you ask about what I wanted to be?"

Always happy to answer Lovino, Antonio chirped, "My mama was asking me about it this morning! She's always talking about... erm..." His pudgy features scrunched up as he tried to recall what his mama always said. "...to always plan for the future. Because that way, you don't have to worry about money, and stuff." He let of Lovino to scratch his wavy hair with a thoughtful look on his face. "She's always reminding me now."

Finding his chance, Lovino shrugged and scrambled to his feet. He contemplated giving a hand to Antonio, but by the time he had made a decision, Antonio had already stood up. He dusted his shorts off, and picked up his backpack, which had fallen onto the sidewalk in their scuffle. They started to walk down the sidewalk again.

Lovino looked to the side at Antonio. "What did you want to be?" The boy looked confused, and Lovino rolled his eyes. "When you grow up, dumdum."

"Oh, I don't know..." Antonio laughed, and tried to do the same thinking pose Alfred had done before, his tongue poked out in concentration. After a moment of deep thinking, he gave an almost cheeky look at Lovino. "I just wanna do stuff with you."

"Ugh! You're so... so..." Lovino, ruffled up by how earnest Antonio's reply was, couldn't find the words in his fourth-grade-mind to describe how dumb Antonio was. He rubbed at his pink cheeks. He walked ahead faster, leaving Antonio a few feet behind him. Antonio trotted forward, and fell into step with Lovino.

x

School continued normally - Alfred and Arthur bickered, Antonio was stuck like glue to Lovino, and Lovino was happy with that. Though, he wouldn't admit it, even if he was threatened by those bullies from the beginning of the year. He propped his chin on a small fist, bored as the last few weeks of school started. The days seemed to get heavier as the Summer heat warmed up the afternoons, and the teacher began to let them slack off a bit as school neared its end. They were currently finishing the book they had started in the beginning of the year.

Lovino turned his head as Alfred yapped about "being in fifth grade next year!" and "getting to be a big kid!" - Arthur had nodded along, even though he didn't seem into it. Antonio, who was sitting beside Lovino, as always, was busy napping on his book. Other students were doing the same, or talking to friends about Summer vacation, and ultimately, fifth grade.

The thought made him queasy - he knew there were three fifth grade teachers, each with separate classes, and the thought of not having a class with the other three boys made him feel uncomfortable and nervous, much like the introduction game in the beginning of the year. Lovino bit his lip, He shifted in his seat, too tired to engage in any sort of conversation with Alfred and unsure of whether or not to talk to Arthur, who seemed uninterested. Lovino turned to Antonio, poking his head.

"Hey," Lovino said, poking the other boy again. "Hey, wake up."

"Mmmmuh?" Antonio didn't open his eyes, and kept his head down on the book cover. "WhasitLovi?"

"I'm bored." The Italian groaned, and pushed his book away. "Do something."

"Uhm..." The other boy looked up, his left cheek red from being pressed against the book for so long. "I can't think of anything."

"Ugh."

Antonio let his head back down on the books, but turned his head so it faced Lovino. Lovino felt his lips quirk at Antonio's face, especially when the red side of his face was all squished up. Antonio returned his smile with a grin of his own.

"M... maybe you can go over to my house later?"

Lovino 'humphed', and crossed his arms over the plastic table top. "Why would I want to go to your house?"

"Cause it'd be so much fun, right?" Antonio replied easily, and his fingers came up to drum on the table. He felt a little bad that he didn't invite Alfred or Arthur. The two hadn't heard him, though, as Alfred was caught up in his plans for fifth grade and Arthur was just boredly nodding along to whatever Alfred was saying, still busy reading his book.

"Wh- well, your house is probably stupid," Lovino muttered, and though the corners of his lips were down, the blush on his cheeks said an entirely different thing. "Ugh, fine." It was then Lovino's turn to bury his face in his arms and on the book as Antonio shot up, surprised. He was sure Lovino was going to say no!

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"No, really?" Antonio's eyes glimmered, and Lovino wanted to slap his shoulder.

"Y-yes, yes! If you ask again I won't go!" Lovino stammered, and though he tried to make it seem like it, he didn't really regret his decision. He was grateful when the teacher told them to quiet down, because then he had a reason to bury his face in the boring old book and hide his smile.

x

The two boys had, after parting with Alfred and Arthur at the school gates, headed over to Antonio's. Nonno was attending one of Feliciano's art class's parent night, so Lovino could easily stay until five, or even six at night, without having to bother about Nonno missing him.

For some reason, being at Antonio's house made being with Antonio, alone, ten times more awkward - but, perhaps the awkwardness was all on Lovino's part; he had never been comfortable in unfamiliar surroundings. Lovino coughed, and Antonio greeted his mom before leading them to his room. With a dull thump, and a quiet jingling from his little tomato key chain, Lovino dropped his backpack on the beige carpet floor.

"Your room is kinda small," Lovino blurted, since neither had said anything. Antonio looked at him, and scratched his cheek.

"Is it?"

"Yeah."

"Is your room a lot bigger?"

"I share it with my little brother." Lovino took a seat on the other boy's bed, sinking into the soft mattress. He took a look at the covers - just red, with white pillows, nothing terribly out there or odd. A small part of Lovino had thought that Antonio would have had tomato print sheets, or even plushes with the likeness of the fruit.

"Oh."

Again, an awkward silence followed, and Lovino uncomfortably shifted on his bed. "Why're you being so quiet, huh?" He patted the spot on the bed, signalling Antonio to jump on.

The boy didn't get the hint, but only gave Lovino one of his sheepish smiles, endearing in its own awkward way. "I just don't have anything to say." He began to walk over to his closet, which was a bit small. Lovino could hear the rustling of boxes, and a few jingling noises, and leaned over the foot of the bed to get a glimpse of what Antonio was doing.

"Found it!" Antonio sang, pulling out a dusty, flat-ish box from the closet. Lovino jumped off his bed, feet hitting the floor noisily.

"What is it?"

"A game!"

"Like, a video game?" Lovino asked, eyes narrowing - the box seemed a little too big to be a cd case, well much too big, but the only games Lovino really played where the ones that you put into consoles and played on the TV. So far, Lovino had only counted one TV in Antonio's house, and it large and boxy and located in the living room.

The Spanish boy giggled, and Lovino frowned. "No, it's a board game." He opened the box, revealing a faded board, and a few playing pieces. Lovino looked at the cover of the box.

"'The Game of Life'." He said, reading the title. "Life?" He asked, confused. "What kind of game is about living?"

"This one!" Antonio spread it out, and handed a little playing piece to Lovino. "I lost the instructions a long time ago, but I used to play this game with my brother a lot, so I sort've remember how to play! Now, this car is you, Lovino, and then you spin this little thing over here..."

Lovino rolled his eyes at Antonio's enthusiasm, but still paid attention with a raptness he refused to let Antonio see.

x

Summer was going to be uneventful for Lovino - Feliciano was going to some summer art classes everyday, and Nonno wasn't that fun to spend time with - so when Antonio had asked him to visit again, Lovino was excited. Even if he scowled and pouted and complained that going to Antonio's place was too much work, he, and maybe even Antonio, knew that he was secretly thrilled.

They had just finished walking to the little convenience store on the corner of a road down Antonio's house - they were often in stock with their favorite ice cream bar - double-stick strawberry popsicles. After buying two, much to Lovino's secret delight, they began the short walk back to Antonio's.

They came in through the backdoor of the house, passing by the kitchen to go grab another snack. At the oven, Antonio's mom was busy chopping away at some vegetables. It was odd, Lovino thought for a moment, that he never saw Antonio's dad around. Sometimes, when he stayed a bit later at the Spanish boy's house, he could hear a deep male voice talking to Antonio's mom, but never got a glimpse of him.

"We can play that board game, again." Antonio said, cutting into Lovino's thoughts as he sat on the floor. Lovino followed after, already done and finished with his popsicle stick - he had thrown it away right before they left the kitchen.

"But we always play that game," Lovino whined, as he folded his legs underneath him.

"Exactly!" The other boy grinned. "Doesn't that make it even better - like a tradition, or something? Right?"

"I guess," The Italian said, albeit with some frustration. "Are you sure you don't have any other games?"

"Not really," Antonio said, laying back, arms spread. "Most of my stuff is at my grandparents' place."

Again, with the mentioning of moving. Lovino felt a bit embarrassed, even when he asked a question that shouldn't have been embarrassing at all. "...You aren't... moving, are you?"

The Spanish boy looked up at him brightly, and sat up from his place on the ground. "Why would you think that?"

"W- well, your stuff is disappearing." Lovino replied moodily, upset that Antonio had laughed, even if he knew the laughter wasn't directed at him.

"It's just because I'm just spending lots of time at my grandparents', Lovino!" Another happy laugh from the other boy. "I've been spending a lot of time over there, so it's normal to have my stuff there, right?"

"Yeah." But Lovino still didn't feel like he understood - whenever he visited relatives, they just took a luggage of stuff and left for the week - it was nowhere near Antonio's case, and the little Italian didn't know what to think. "Okay."

Instead of playing their usual board game for the rest of the afternoon, they had instead decided to sit out on the back porch of the house, where it overlooked a small, but neatly tended to garden. Lovino, who always brought his backpack with him when he visited Antonio's, dropped the bag beneath the porch, the little tomato key chain shining in the afternoon light.

"Give me the other half of your popsicle." Lovino said, shameless. Antonio, who had eaten his popsicle slowly, was barely through a half of the popsicle.

"But you already had yours." The boy replied cheekily, taking a cold bite out of his own popsicle.

"But it's hot today," Lovino countered, leaning as far back into the little bench as he could. He made a face.

Antonio chuckled, always playing the good sport, and swiftly broke his popsicle in half; he barely had any time to give it to Lovino, especially when Lovino practically snatched it from him, sticking his tongue out. Antonio just took it as his little token of thanks.

"...What do you even do at your grandparents' place, anyways?" Lovino asked, already halfway done with the popsicle. "Aren't they boring? My grandpa is boring."

"They live far away," Antonio said at first. "When we go we drive for a long time, all the way where there's only fields, and stuff. And cows! They live on a farm, and grow stuff and sell that stuff to a small grocery store. Sometimes I help with picking the fruit, but not all the time. The sun's really hot there."

"It's really hot here, too." Lovino pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's like really hot!" Antonio said, his arms out as some sort of testament to his statement. "Especially when you're out in the fields and stuff."

Lovino laughed, and was going to say something about that being dumb, there was no way anywhere could be hotter than here, but Antonio's mom had made her way to the back, a small smile on her lips that was reminiscent of Antonio's own.

"Lovino, your father is out there to pick you up." She said, wiping her hands on her colorful summer dress. Antonio let out a whine. Lovino was surprised - Nonno usually didn't pick him up early - often, it was the other way around, where Lovino would stay an hour or so later than scheduled because Nonno didn't have enough time to get him at the correct time.

"He's not my dad," Lovino said in a high voice. "He's my grandpa." Antonio's mom looked a little surprised, but still laid a hand on his back, gently but firmly steering him to the front door. Antonio jumped off from the bench, almost finished popsicle stick in hand as he followed the two.

"But, mama, Lovino's only been here for a few hours!"

The woman patted Antonio's head. "He can't stay if his grandpa wants him home."

Antonio had actually looked upset - often, he feigned a sort of pretend upset around Lovino, but this, Lovino noted, was for real. He rolled his eyes, his small mouth in a smirk. "I'll be here again soon." He said, waving his hand. Antonio pouted, and let out a little, "Oh!", before running somewhere in the back of his house.

Lovino was taken aback - it was often him who ran to the car, not leaving any time for Antonio to give a big hug and a happy, 'Come back soon, okay?'. It peeved him, and left a bad taste in his mouth to see Antonio run off like that, however hypocritical it was of him to think so, and suddenly he didn't feel as good as he had. He let his hands slide into his pockets as he made his way to Nonno's car, where the old man was grinning and waving at him like a child.

"I'm coming, Nonno!" Lovino yelled, trotting over. He gave a little wave to Antonnio's mom, and opened the car door, slipping into the passenger's seat, even if he wasn't old enough to legally do so.

Nonno pressed on the gas, heading off to their little home, easily going ten miles over the speed limit of the neighborhood. He braked abruptly, when a young voice had yelled, "Lovino!" Lovino unbuckled his seat belt so he could lean out the window.

"What are you doing, Antonio?" He yelled back, watching the young boy run towards the car, a large something in his hand. Lovino gasped when he saw it was his backpack, which he had forgotten.

"I," An intake of air. Lovino took his backpack through the open window, face warm. "I got your backpack." Antonio smiled, red-faced from running all the way, and even though it was a small act on Antonio's part, Lovino couldn't ignore the happiness bubbling in his stomach, because he had a friend who was willing to run after him to give him something he had forgotten.

"I-Idiot." Was all Lovino could say for a moment. "You could've just gotten your mom to drive it to my house."

"But," Antonio laughed, still trying to breathe in more air from running so far. "Then you'd get it later, instead of now."

"Whatever," Lovino said, without malice, a grin breaking out on his face. "Just get in the back - Nonno will drive you back home."

x

He found himself at Antonio's doorstep a few days later. He knocked a good few times, and even rang the doorbell more than what would have been appropriate.

"Antoniooo!" He yelled. "Antonio's mom?"

No one opened the door. Lovino frowned, crossing his arms in the way Nonno sometimes did, when he was disappointed. "Come on! I know you're there!" He yelled, trying to get someone in the house to notice him. Antonio had to be home - he hadn't said anything about a trip or anything, so he had to be home, right?

"I'm not even here to spend a long time over!" He crowed, and although it wasn't a lie, it wasn't exactly the truth, either - Antonio's house had become his place to visit over the summer, and he enjoyed it. Not that he'd let the other boy know. "I just lost my tomato key chain, and Nonno said to ask if it was here!"

Still, no answer.

"C'mon Antonio!" He yelled, voice high pitched and adolescent. "You didn't even say you were going!"

He knocked a few times, rang the door bell again. He waited, and kicked the door when no one had opened it for him.

x

When Lovino entered Antonio's room again, a few weeks later, a desk and one of the clothes drawers were missing. Antonio noticed him noticing the change, and cheerfully answered his unspoken question. "I've been visiting my grandparents a lot, lately... my Mama sent some of my stuff there cause I was visiting so much." Despite his somewhat cheery tone, Lovino couldn't help but feel uneasy by the look in Antonio's eyes. Like he was uncertain - of what, Lovino couldn't tell, but what bothered him the most was that it reminded him too much of the boy who had slammed the classroom door at the beginning of the year and not the boy Lovino knows now.

"Okay." Was all Lovino could say. His throat felt a little dry when he said, "I don't really remember where it was at."

"Ah," Antonio turned, looking through some of the toys on the floor. "Maybe it might be hidden here?"

"Maybe."

Lovino half-heartedly shrugged, not really interested in finding the tomato key chain. He immediately went over to Antonio's tomato print bed, looking through some of the pillows and covers. He was looking forward to spending time at Antonio's house though, but the missing furniture and the Spanish boy's tone had really made everything feel a bit drab. Lovino almost didn't want to stay anymore, but that's what precisely made him want to stay - that odd feeling, almost a sort of foreshadowing to something. So, he didn't say anything about wanting to go. Just in case.

"'Just in case what?" Antonio said, and Lovino's head whipped in Antonio's direction.

"W-what?"

"You were mumbling stuff," The other replied, head tilted to the side.

"O-oh. It was nothing." Lovino muttered, and though Antonio opened his mouth to say more, he seemed to decide against it, because he closed it shut.

"Maybe it could be on the porch - that's where you forgot your bag last time you were here." Antonio scratched the back of his head.

The last, last time I was here, Lovino wanted to correct - Antonio wasn't here the last time he came over, and Lovino hadn't been able to visit him again until a few weeks after, when he had visited and Antonio's mom let him in.

"Yeah, probably." Lovino said. "I don't think we would be able to find it in your messy room, anyways." Antonio laughed.

They walked over to the porch, and Antonio knelt on the wooden boards, looking under the the bench, while Lovino watched him. "You should too, you know." Antonio said, looking up at the Italian boy for a moment. "It's not down here, either."

"Well, where could it be at?" Lovino asked, frowning. He wasn't very attached to the dumb trinket, but it had always been hooked onto his backpack, and he liked having it on, especially since Antonio always said how nice it was.

"I dunno." Antonio said.

"Well, don't stop looking!"

"But you're not even looking!" Antonio said, and Lovino huffed.

"It's your house. You should look."

"But it's your tomato."

"But, but," Lovino faltered, mouth down-turned. "Fine, I'll go get a new one!"

"No, don't do that! I really liked the one you had!"

Lovino's frown broke for a moment, a small smile threatening to break out."Then go find it."

Antonio, loyal as ever, grabbed his hand, and said, "only if you help me."

Lovino rolled his eyes, but got on his knees with Antonio, looking for that dumb key chain.

x

The last time he visited Antonio's house is the week before fifth grade - the queasy churning in his stomach was still there, because he knew there was a chance he wouldn't have the same teacher as Antonio.

He didn't come to Antonio's house to look for the little tomato trinket he lost - the two had given up on trying to find it after the first hour of searching - but rather, because Nonno wanted to take Antonio out to go shopping for school supplies. Lovino had rolled his eyes when Nonno had told him, as the supplies were ridiculously cheap - but Nonno had a knowing look about him when Lovino brought up Antonio and his family, and had insisted that they take Antonio with them anyways, no matter how cheap the supplies would be.

Lovino was at Antonio's door, and knocked twice. He looked behind him to see Nonno turning around to say something to little Feliciano in the backseat.

There are hurried footsteps coming towards the door, and Lovino brushes some of his bangs back as Antonio's mom opens the door. She looks a little tired, but smiles at the little boy. She's about to say something when Lovino cuts her off.

"I wanna bring Antonio to go shopping for school stuff." He says simply.

Antonio's mom's smile grows a little bit smaller.

"Antonio's not here," she says hesitantly, voice gentle as ever. "He's at his grandparents'."

"But," Lovino says, eyebrows pressed together. "It's only a week from school! Doesn't he have to be at home, to get ready?"

Antonio's mom ruffles his hair, and gives him that same small smile, green eyes looking a little watery. "He's not going to school here, anymore."