Smiling because of his best friend was natural, Antonio had decided. It was just smiling. Feeling the happiest when around his best friend was definitely natural. Being protective of him and feeling sad when he was sad, happy when he was too, were all things perfectly natural between two best friends who'd known each other for years. Heck, he'd already decided thinking about kissing Lovino was alright, so why was smiling suddenly such a weird thing?

He'd already been in California for four days when he'd decided he was obsessing.

It had taken a lot less for Francis to say he was. And Antonio hadn't even told him what he was obsessing about.

"Please, mon ami. Let me help. Whatever it is, tell dear Francis and he will give you all the answers to make it better. I am an expert at love, after all."

Antonio's head had snapped straight up after hearing Francis mention that word. Love? No. Nope. Not going there.

"What?" Antonio had exclaimed, not at all trained in the art of concealing his emotions. "Why do you say that?"

Francis smiled knowingly. "Antonio. I know these things." Francis shifted to lean closer, attention turned into 'advice-giving' mode. "Tell me, is something going on with Emma?"

Antonio knew he must have looked puzzled at the question. It took a second too late to realize asking about his girlfriend would have been the initial reaction of anyone when concerning 'love problems'. He quickly morphed his expression into something… well, anything else. He wasn't sure what it looked like now, but it was too late. Francis was observing him with an inquiring look, lips pursed and holding out a horrible pause in their conversation.

Antonio was holding his breath when a sudden beat sounded from his phone. The chorus of "F**k Tha Police" by N.W.A. started playing, one of Gilbert's favorite songs. It was always dangerous when Gilbert called. Antonio never knew who would be around.

But it had been this or Yaz and, while Antonio probably would have picked Yaz, Gilbert didn't want people to know he was into that.

Gilbert had the widest musical taste Antonio knew. Most knew of his obsessions with classic rock and heavy German metal, but only his closest friends were aware of his love for Nicki Minaj. Antonio would have preferred his ringtone be Nicki too, or even the scary sounding heavy metal, but Gilbert had just had to pick the one that would scare little kids and their parents when Antonio was looking over tomatoes in the supermarket.

This had to have been the one and only time Antonio was relieved, joyous even, at hearing this ringtone. He immediately scrambled for his phone, pounding the green answer button without even looking at the screen and pressing it to his ear.

"Hey, Gilbert!" He greeted, his voice sounding a bit too happy.

"Toni! Long time no see, buddy!" Gilbert welcomed the enthusiasm, probably not even realizing how overly eager Antonio seemed to be speaking to him.

"How's your grandfather's?" Antonio asked, glancing toward Francis to see the other giving him a disappointed look. Uh oh. A disappointed Francis is definitely something no one wants to see. "Here, Francis is here too." Antonio switched him to speaker.

"Oh, hey, Franny!" Gilbert exclaimed. "It's awesome over here. You wouldn't believe what Ludwig and I have been up to." He sounded slightly sarcastic.

Antonio smiled. Peeking over at Francis again, he saw his attention was now on the phone. Whew.

"Let's see…" Gilbert continued, "We went to a laundromat… we did some shopping…" Gilbert sounded as if he was ticking things off of a list. "Oh, and guess what?"

Antonio exchanged a glance with Francis. Francis didn't seem to know what Gilbert was talking about either. They both asked, in chorus, "What?"

"So my granddad owns this shop with another old guy, one of his old friends or something, and he expects Ludwig and I to help out there. I'm actually here right now. Boring, right? Yeah, I thought so until I found out this other guy had grandsons who would be helping out around here too. And you would never guess who the fuck it is."

"Um…" Antonio spoke through the speaker, unsure as to if he was expected to actually guess or not, "Who?"

Then they heard a shuffling on the other end of the line and a shout from someone in the background. "Dude, say something!" They heard Gilbert say. Then came the voice - a voice Antonio would recognize anywhere.

"What the fuck? No! Get away from me, you bastard!"

"Lovino?" Antonio called, unable to quite believe what he was hearing. But it was Lovino alright. He'd know that voice anywhere.

"Here, you're on speaker now." Gilbert was practically cackling. Antonio repeated himself and there was a pause on the other end.

"Wow, it sure didn't take you long." Lovino said. Antonio had a feeling he wasn't talking to him.

"We end up in the same place in a state neither of us live in and you expect me not to tell my friends this immediately. Wow, you're more than just an angry face, aren't you?" Came Gilbert's slightly sarcastic, mostly teasing voice. It sounded like they hadn't been together for very long, but Antonio knew Gilbert must have been grating on Lovino's nerves already. He wished he could tell him that Gilbert would get tired of it sooner or later, but his message would have to come later.

"So, wait, you guys are both working in some shop that your grandfathers own together?" Antonio asked, astounded. What sort of odds had to have been aligned for something like this? What barrier had they broken? Some sort of fourth wall in the fabric of the universe?

Gilbert answered. "Yeah, isn't it crazy?"

"Kill me." He didn't need to elaborate who that was.

Antonio laughed. How were the two going to get along if they were supposed to be working together? One thing was for sure: Antonio wanted to hear all of the stories. He listened to them bicker for a little longer before interrupting.

"So, how's Oregon?" Antonio asked.

"Hell."

"Awesome."

"What are you two doing? Gilbert, aren't you supposed to be sorting?" A deeper, stricter sounding voice asked. Antonio recognized him too.

"Hi, Ludwig!"

Bad idea, apparently.

"Is that Antonio? Gilbert, you should not be on your phone while you are working."

"Awww, West! But I had to tell them I found Lovino! Hey, wait!" The line became muffled for a second. "Give that-" In the background he could hear Lovino laughing.

"That's what you get, jerk!"

"Lovi! Is that anyway to treat someone you've just met?" A higher-pitched voice asked. Feliciano.

"Just met? I wish-"

"West! Give me my phone."

Ludwig sighed, loud and clear. Antonio didn't know why, but somehow he knew Ludwig was holding the device above his head, out of Gilbert's reach.

"You have to sort the shelves, Gilbert."

"Um, should we say bye?" Antonio wondered.

"Toni, don't you dare hang up!" Gilbert shouted, still jumping for the phone.

"Toni? Like Antonio?" Feliciano asked.

"Yes, like Antonio, idiota!"

"Oh, hi, Toni!"

"No. A goodbye should be in order." Ludwig said.

"Oh, goodbye, Toni!" He had a feeling the younger Vargas was waving energetically at the phone.

"Ugh. I guess." Gilbert conceded. "Bye Toni. Bye Francis."

"Okay, I am hanging up-" Ludwig started, only to be interrupted by a hyperactive Italian.

"Wait! Lovi has to say bye!"

"What? No, I don't!"

"That's not very nice to Toni, Lovi." Feliciano pouted. "Pleeeasee, Lovino?"

Antonio joined in, pleased for an excuse to tease his friend. "Pleeeasee!"

"Ugh!" Lovino shouted. Antonio had the image of him throwing down his hands playing in his head, just like he always did when his little brother got his way. "Fine."

Pause.

"Bye, bastard."

Antonio smiled softly. He missed Lovino, even if it had only been a few days since he had last seen him. "Bye, Lovi."

"I am hanging up now because we are all neglecting our duties for the sake of this one phone call. Is there anything else?" Ludwig spoke up again.

"Oh, Luddy! Can you help me at the register?" Feliciano asked sweetly. Luddy? Antonio chuckled. Feliciano would have Ludwig around his finger in two days flat.

Ludwig cleared his throat. Antonio smirked. Make that one day. "Of course. Anything else?" Only Gilbert protested, which went unheard. "Okay. Goodbye Antonio and Francis. Gilbert will call you at a later time." Then the line went dead.

Antonio watched the phone for a few seconds longer than necessary afterwards. He still found Feli and Ludwig amusing, but quickly his thoughts had turned back to the quiet goodbye Lovino had given him. How he missed his voice. How was it that he missed Lovino so much now when back in December and every holiday since they'd met their time apart had been a piece of cake?

Antonio looked up finally and found Francis' gaze, wondering if he found the whole thing as amusing as Antonio had. He was met with a skeptical look though, and Antonio knew immediately that he was not off the hook.

After giving his friend a somewhat uneasy smile, he pocketed his phone and stood up. "You hungry?"

And that was the end of that conversation. For now.

-/-

Those days in California were sweltering. Walking along the boardwalks and shopping centers and on the hot hot sand of the beach itself proved more work than it was cut out for. Antonio really wanted to enjoy his time in his home state, but the heat was seriously making it difficult.

Air conditioning was a great thing and so was Francis' mother for keeping it on twenty-four seven. But they couldn't stay in the house forever. That was why, at the moment, the two were sitting under the umbrella at one of the outdoor tables of a cafe. It had been just their luck that every single one inside had been taken.

Francis, being the diva he was, protested any notion that said he was able to sweat. He had his hair tied back and a large pair of sunglasses on his face, leaning back in his chair in a way that blatantly showed how the sun was sapping away his very will to live. Francis only had enough energy to not look like a complete slob out in public, unlike the friend sitting across from him.

Antonio had never cared as to his impression on other people. A considerable part of the reason why he seemed so dead to the world at the moment. He was lying facedown on the table in front of him, sprawled, as to locate each body part as far as possible from the others, hoping that would somehow counteract the heat. His Coke remained unopened so he could press the perspiring can against the back of his neck and he had ditched his normal short sleeves shirt long ago in favor of walking around in one of those tank tops with the huge gaps for arm holes. If there wasn't a "No shirt, no shoes, no service" policy at the cafe they were at, he wouldn't have worn the shirt at all.

California was a lot hotter than Antonio remembered in the summer. Even if Gilbert had been there with the two, Antonio doubted the three of them would have gotten up to much. Instead, Gilbert was in Oregon, living it up in some air conditioned shop and working beside Lovino Vargas. They got calls every now and again from them, usually from Gilbert's phone where he'd force Lovino to say hi, but mostly it was Gilbert talking about how unawesome being in Oregon was and how irritating Lovino was. From the texts Antonio got from Lovino, he was saying the same things about Gilbert.

But texts from Lovino weren't the only ones going through his phone during those weeks.

Emma: Miss you xoxo

Antonio looked at it but didn't reply. He could do that tonight when the sun wasn't sucking him dry. When he looked up though, he noticed Francis was watching.

He didn't say anything, but, then again, he didn't have to.

"It's just Emma." Antonio explained. He'd felt like he was walking on thin ice around Francis these past weeks with how things were going. Not that he had any clue as to what was really going on himself.

Nothing. He repeatedly thought. Nothing is going on.

So nothing it was. He wasn't thinking about Emma and if she really made him happy. He wasn't thinking about how far away Lovino was and that he and Gilbert were probably having fun together even if all the while they hated each other. He most definitely was not thinking about how Lovino smiled or how he still wondered what it would be like to kiss him.

Ugh. This is useless. I just need to stop thinking altogether. Shouldn't be too hard. Most people say I don't anyway.

"Antonio." Francis spoke, sounding drained for more than one reason. Antonio wanted to attribute it all to the sun, but some of the exhaustion in his voice was probably from putting up with the tension between them since he'd gotten there. Francis was more than astute when it came to reading other people and he had known from the start that something was up with Antonio.

"Yes?" Antonio answered, looking up and placing his Coke on the table.

Francis sighed. Did he always do that a lot or had it just been more frequent because of recent events? "This cannot go on any longer."

Antonio decided to play dumb. Oh, it really could go on longer. "What can't go on longer?"

Francis gave him his 'do not test me' look. When one got that look from Francis, they knew it was serious. Antonio gulped.

"I am your friend, Toni and, though I do respect your privacy, I cannot help but intrude after this has been upsetting you for so long." Francis was putting his foot down. "You do not even have to tell me it all. Just let me help."

Antonio felt guilty. This vacation was supposed to have been about having fun. Now Antonio had ruined it because of his reluctance to speak to one of his bestest friends about a problem he was having. A silly problem that shouldn't have even existed. Something Antonio should have been able to shove out of his thoughts as soon as it had taken root there, plucked it out like a weed and not let it have grown into this frightening flower he couldn't control.

"Do not give me that guilty look." Francis said. "Whatever it is does not warrant such a look. Your problems are completely valid and it is your right to keep them from me. I am simply demanding them from you now because I am tired of waiting. So, give them up." Francis waved with his fingers, motioning as if he should come forth and present each of his problems in a little gift box for him. It made Antonio snort.

"Alright." Antonio gave in. He was smiling though and, though he still felt apprehensive and a tad guilty, he held his head up. "You know I can't keep things from you for too long, Francis."

Francis laughed shortly. "I was surprised you held out so long this time, mon ami."

But Antonio wasn't quite convinced himself that he was ready to completely concede.

"You see," Antonio started, scratching his neck, "I've been thinking…" What could he possibly say? I can't stop thinking of Lovino. I know I should be more interested in Emma, but I can't help wondering what he's doing and thinking of his smile and dreaming of kissing him. He's my bestfriend, but sometimes- sometimes-

No. Antonio shook his head. No. He couldn't even bring himself to think everything, much less say it.

"I don't know if Emma makes me happy."

Francis' eyebrows leaped. "Oh?"

Antonio averted his gaze. "Um… yeah." He twiddled his thumbs in his lap, ready for the conversation to be over already, but there was also something nice about it. This was what best friends were for. You had someone to lean on and someone who will hear out your problems and do their best to help you with them. And the best part was, you would do the same in return without a second thought. It had been forever since he'd talked to Francis like this. Actually, it had been too long since he'd talked to anyone about a problem. He turned to Lovino constantly about school work and parent troubles, but emotions never really entered the picture.

"I mean, we're boyfriend and girlfriend, so I should be happy with her, right? And I'm not unhappy. I don't know, I guess I expected a relationship to be a bit different?"

Francis shook his head. "Not at all, Antonio. A relationship is what you define it to be." Antonio blinked and Francis elaborated. "You should be with someone because it's what you want, not because it is expected or it seems like an okay thing. Romantic relationships are special - a bond that is rare to share."

"Aren't all relationships like that though?" Antonio asked and it was Francis' turn to look puzzled. "Every relationship is unique, right?"

A strange look passed across Francis' features. "I always forget truly how smart you are under that absent face of yours."

After a beat, he spoke again. "So, is there anything else you wanted to talk about?" Francis asked, a suspicion nestled in his voice. Antonio knew he was only trying to help, and, really, he had, but this was as far as he could go today. Francis knew there was something else, but he would have to wait a bit longer.

Antonio faced down on the table again, placing the can back into place. "Nope."

He heard Francis sit back. Antonio looked up.

"Hey, Francis." Francis looked back up. Antonio smiled. "Thanks."

-/-

Whenever he was in California, it was normal for Antonio to visit his father. Sometimes it was once during the whole stay. Sometimes the whole time. It mostly depended on his father's availability. Antonio loved his father, don't get him wrong. He also knew his father was a good man, though perhaps with his priorities a bit wonky. There was no denying Mr Fernandez was a bit of a workaholic. That was one similarity Antonio and Lovino had in regards to their dads, but Antonio was happy to say that his own father was a bit more dependable, more caring, more fatherly, than the Vargas' dad.

It made Antonio feel a bit guilty at times to have both a mother and father that cared for him in such a way. And even more guiltier that he was secretly relieved. He wished Lovino and Feliciano could have what he did, but he would never trade the love of his family for the world.

So he did the next best thing. He shared the love he had from his family with the Vargas brothers.

They had met his dad maybe once or twice when he'd come to visit California in the past, so it wasn't quite the same as the relationship the two had with Ms Carriedo, but Antonio thought that at least there was some adult that cared for the two. And, if Mr Fernandez had been around to see Lovino and Feliciano more often, he knew his father would have taken an immediate liking to them both; even if all the while Lovino was loathe to give up his abrasive attitude.

His father was great and Antonio was excited to see him, if not from the fact that he hadn't seen him since Christmas, then just to be able to get away from Francis for a while. It really had become awkward to avoid conversations with Francis about Antonio's "relationship problems" since he was with him all the time. He was his host, his friend, the matchmaker he certainly had not asked for. Francis was a good guy, but Antonio wished he wasn't for a few days.

His dad was in a great mood when Antonio arrived and, though Antonio was excited to see him too, he thought that it may have been just a bit too much. It wasn't like he was faking it or anything. He was just really really happy to see him.

It was kind of nice, he thought, in a weird please-stopping-bouncing-a-mile-a-minute kind of way.

When he was younger, people often said he got his energy from his dad's side.

Antonio was just happy that he hadn't been referred to the key under the potted plant on the porch for once upon arrival in the case that his dad hadn't made it home from work just yet. That happened more than Antonio would like to admit, but, while annoyed, he always forgave his dad in the end. He was a forgiving kind of guy when it came to the people he loved.

He'd been known as quite the opposite to others though.

Antonio took joy in the fact that his dad was there to greet him at the door and he wouldn't be heating up a frozen pizza from the back of the freezer alone for his dinner that night. He was accustomed to looking after himself because his mom worked a lot too - though, at a job that paid quite a lot less than the one his father obsessed with - but it was different with his dad. It wasn't like Antonio was in California every other weekend like other divorced families. One would think his dad would want to spend time with him before he went home, back to New York all the way across the country.

And, yeah, his dad loved spending time with him and took time off of work to do so, but a workaholic was still a workaholic and the constant checks on papers from his office or stepping out to take a phone call really took a lot of time from the limited supply they had.

Other than the constant bounciness and broad smile, another reason Antonio was clued into his father's good mood was for the fact that he had that glint in his eye. The one he had gotten so much more often back when Antonio was little. The same glint Antonio had seen when he'd taught him to ride a bike or when Antonio had opened the present of his first soccer ball or when he'd steal Antonio a cookie from the jar when his mom wasn't looking.

It was so rare nowadays that Antonio had done a double take, then triple take, just to make sure it was there. And indeed it was. Antonio didn't want to get his hopes up, but it was already too late. He was even more excited to see his dad now and was eager to find whatever it was that had given his father the Glint.

Thus was how Antonio went from a good mood at coming to see his father to a great mood. He knew it was silly, but it was as if he was living for a different purpose now. Just in those limited moments, standing at the front door to his father's house, under the joyous, mischievous, glint in his eye. Antonio could do anything and he would do anything to keep his father happy like that.

It sounded pathetic. It sounded weak. It sounded a bit extreme. But parental approval affected the best and the worst alike and Antonio was victim to it like any teenager would be.

He wouldn't do anything for that approval, but, damn, if it didn't feel like it. He was a teenager, not a mindless drone.

So, instead of hiding out in his room - yeah, he had a room at his father's house. Antonio was never there, but his father could afford it and so kept it. It was those little things that showed how his father cared- Antonio ditched his bag there and went to the living room, where he found his father setting up music on his sound system.

"Hey." His dad waved, scanning the collection of CDs on the shelf. It was a bit old-fashioned, but Antonio's father had always done things a little slower than the rest of the world. He was the type of guy who would keep all of their files on paper copies, neatly sorted in a filing cabinet. Antonio wondered how he was such a successful businessman.

"Hey." Antonio replied, collapsing on the sofa. It was cloth and slightly worn, like it had been used softly over a long period of time. That made sense. Most days of the year his father lived alone. Antonio imagined him sitting here at nights, maybe eating the small dinner for one he'd made and watching the baseball game on TV. It was kind of sad.

"Any requests?"

Antonio shook his head and his father made a selection, popping it into the player and moving over to the couch himself. He lounged with one arm slung behind it, a classic dad move in Antonio's opinion.

"So, how are things?" He asked, an easy smile on his face. For someone who worked all the time, when his father was home, he really was home.

Antonio shrugged. He had no problem talking to his dad. It was easy to find things to talk about. But when it was about things actually happening in his life, Antonio could never think of anything of interest. "Alright. I have an A in English."

"That's great; you're a smart kid, Antonio." He grabbed the remote, turning the music down just a little. "So high school is treating you alright?"

Antonio nodded. Their conversation continued on, back and forth as his father asked him questions or commented on a story or swapped some high school or college memory of his own. Antonio also asked questions - how his father was, how was the company, if that Chinese restaurant was still open on 50th. Antonio told him how Francis was doing, how crazy it was Gilbert's and Lovino's grandfathers knew each other, how mom was. Antonio's parents never minded when he talked about them to one another. They were quite mature for a pair of divorcees. They knew it was unfair to expect Antonio to shy away from talking about them because they strived to encourage him to speak of anything with them.

Antonio and his dad talked late and even moved the conversation to the kitchen where his dad prepared dinner. Antonio offered, as he always did, to help, but, like he always did, his dad refused, saying Antonio's company was enough help as it was. "It keeps me from getting bored and burning the vegetables." He joked.

Antonio did set the table though and his dad brought over dinner, placing it and sitting down while Antonio exclaimed that he'd forgotten to get drinks. He'd come back with two glasses of water and, over dinner, they'd chatted more. If the two Fernandezes had anything in common, it was their ability to talk for hours. Extroversion was hereditary in this family.

When it got late the two decided it was time to retire and they both disappeared in their rooms, Antonio's father promising omelettes in the morning. Antonio stayed up late - unintentional, he swears! - texting Lovino who told him about all the crazy happenings in his grandfather's store and how "stupid" Gilbert was all the time and how fascinated Feliciano seemed with Gilbert's brother. Antonio was sure it was the early hours of the morning when, staring at the bright screen of his phone in the complete darkness of his room, Lovino finally ended their many hour long conversation.

Lovi: Idiot, I have work tomorrow and you kept me up! Stop making my phone buzz constantly and go to sleep!

Antonio just smiled. Years ago a text like that might have caught him off guard, but he knew Lovino too well now. Antonio might have been keeping him up, but he sure wasn't angry about it. And, if he really wanted to, Antonio knew he could silence his phone or even sleep through the buzzing, depending on how tired the boy was.

Antonio yawned. Well, even so, they might as well go to bed. He was spending the day with his father tomorrow and Antonio doubted Lovino was lying about going to his granddad's store. He'd probably need all the rest he could if he had to deal with Gilbert. Or restraint to not throttle Ludwig if he and Feli had the same shift again.

Me: alright lovi~ im sleepy too so i will text you tomorrow. good night!

Antonio sent it and plugged in his phone, placing it on his bedside table. He let his eyes wander around the shadows of the room until his phone rung again. He practically dove for it, forgetting about the exhaustion that had been gradually creeping over him.

Lovi: Night

A single word but Antonio was smiling like a complete idiot and holding his phone to his chest. He fell asleep with that warm feeling in his chest that he seemed to be getting a lot lately.

He slept pleasantly for a few hours. It felt like years with how deeply his slumber went. He was only stirred when his father shook him.

"Toni. Toniii."

Antonio cracked open his eyes against the dim light of day peaking through the thick curtains of his room. His dad had a hand on his shoulder, gently rousing him. Antonio mumbled a bit and his father chuckled.

"Toni, I just have to go into work for a few hours, okay?" He whispered. Antonio was slow to process this, but when his brain caught up he frowned. "You sleep in and we'll do something when I get home."

Antonio nodded silently, feeling like a little kid again. He didn't want to face this. He wanted to burrow his head back into his pillow and forget the world.

So that's what he did.

He probably should have known something like this would happen.

-/-

Antonio was jostled awake by the sound of a car horn.

Now, Antonio is a pretty deep sleeper so he doubted he really heard the first beep. He was fairly sure he'd heard the second, but that was only a slight memory he could recall. The third made him throw his pillow over his head like only the people in movies did. It did not muffle the noise as well as he'd hoped.

The fourth honk, that was what prompted Antonio to drag himself out of bed and haul his butt to the window. Antonio could be a morning person. He could. Today was not one of those days.

So Antonio ripped the curtains aside at his window, not exactly sure what he planned to do if he found the source of that horrible noise, but dead set on this search. What he found took the shape of a red beat up car in their driveway. Someone was sitting inside it but Antonio's eyes were still too bleary to focus. When they at last adjusted to the bright rays of the late morning, Antonio saw that it was in fact his father down there.

Antonio was more confused than ever. "Is he already back from work?" He inquired aloud. His dad waved enthusiastically, not paying mind to the commotion he was causing nor the attention he was receiving from disgruntled neighbors. It was the weekend and Antonio could bet that most of them had probably been sleeping in. "Sorry neighbors." Antonio said as he sprinted to his bedroom door, down the stairs, and out to his dad's front yard. His father was already waving at him wildly to come over.

He finally stepped out of the car where he'd had one door open already as he was honking the horn. He then brandished his arms out, motioning to the car as if to show it off.

"Uh, hey, dad." Antonio said, not at all understanding what was going on. He was standing in the middle of the lawn, barefoot and pajamaed and woken from a rather nice slumber.

"Hey, dad?" His dad repeated. He sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes for effect. "That's all?"

"Ummm…" Antonio blinked, as if that could be his answer. Perhaps it would clue his father into how clueless he truly was.

Another eye roll from his father. Antonio couldn't get over how young he was acting. Sure, his dad was usually pretty lax in the parenting stuff, but this was hyperactive. A lot like how he'd been acting last night when he'd first welcomed him in.

Another flourish from his father and a "Tada!" He was waiting for his reaction.

"Nice… car?" Antonio responded.

This didn't deter his father in the slightest. He smiled and shook his head. "You get that from your mother." He then walked forward, looked Antonio straight in the eyes, even grabbed his shoulders, and said plainly. "Antonio, this is your car."

It took approximately three seconds for this to cut through the layer of Antonio's mind wrapped completely in obliviousness. "Really?"

His dad nodded, an uncontrollable grin plastered across his face.

"Really?"

More nodding, getting more enthusiastic by the second.

"My car?"

"Your car."

Antonio was going to freeze from shock soon if his father hadn't waved in his face. "Wanna try her out?"

Antonio needed no other prompt to sprint to the driver's seat. If he had been wearing shoes, he would be bouncing right out of them.

While he got a feel for the driver's seat, playing with the wheel and toggling buttons and adjusting the mirror and seat, his dad circled around and took his spot in the passenger seat. He watched his son in amusement while Antonio continued his fascinated search throughout the car. His car.

"So, what do you think?" He asked after giving him time to explore a bit. Antonio's head jolted up, an astounded look on his face.

"You got me a car?" He sounded as if he still couldn't believe it. His dad laughed.

"Yes, Toni. I got you a car."

Antonio looked back out the windshield in front of him, then down at the wheel. Then a thought occurred to him. He snapped his head back up to where his father's gaze was already waiting. "But I don't have a license."

His dad shrugged. "You have a permit."

"But… do I just drive it in California?" Antonio asked, wondering if this was the right time to ask. His dad had just gotten him a car, for Christ's sake!

"For now," his dad replied, "Yes. I mean, you can't really drive it across country."

Antonio nodded. He was looking over the dashboard again. He turned on the radio and heard an old song come on. That's right; he'd almost forgotten. There was a good classic rock station with a pretty strong signal around here. He hadn't known it was still airing.

"I thought you went to work this morning." Antonio said.

"I wanted to make it a surprise." Was the response. Antonio's heart lifted. His dad hadn't left him on one of the only days in the year he ever saw him.

"Wanna take her for a spin?"

Antonio's eyes widened, a hope purer than straight sugar cane filling them. Could he take her for a test ride? Did his dad have the keys on him? Antonio didn't even mind how hot the inside of the car had gotten, even with both of their doors still ajar on either side. He wanted to start her - to hear the engine rumble softly and be the one to drive her along the beach fronts and along the streets of urban and suburban California alike.

"Go put on some clothes." His father ordered. When Antonio started to protest he stuck out a finger. "Nope. You need shoes to drive and, really, it's way too hot to be out with pajamas."

Antonio sighed but nodded all the same. He was swinging himself out of the car, launching himself to the front door again so he could be back as soon as possible. Behind him he could hear his father yelling, "Don't forget your permit!"

-/-

"This simply cannot be real." Francis said from beside Antonio. He was looking at his driveway, or, to be more specific, the car parked there.

"It is. Isn't she beautiful?" Antonio asked, pride puffing out his chest. Francis grimaced slightly and Antonio couldn't help the twinge of disappointment that slivered into his heart.

"I would not say that, but, really, it is phenomenal. You do not even have your license yet. You've only had your permit for two months."

"That's what I said!" Antonio replied. "But he said since I've been driving a while even before that then it'd be alright if I took her out on my own sometimes. Mostly it's so he can teach me to drive though. Apparently that's one of those things parents like to do with their kids even though I'm pretty sure my mom looks like she wants to pass out everytime I drive."

Francis shook his head. "Unbelievable."

"No kidding." Antonio laughed.

"And I thought my news would be the topic of the day."

Antonio turned to him, a question in his eyes. Naturally, he asked, "What news?"

"I have found the address where Gilbert is staying." Francis waved a small slip of paper he had extracted from his pocket.

"What? How did you do that? Did Gilbert tell you?"

Francis shook his head. "If I had asked him, how would it have been a surprise when we went to see him?"

"Wait." Antonio said. "Really? You want to go there?"

Francis nodded now. "Oui. We planned this summer for him to be with us and it simply is not fair without him here. If he cannot be here then we must go there."

"How far away is it?"

"A couple of hours. I planned to take a bus, but with this new development…" Francis glanced back over at Antonio's car. Suddenly Antonio felt uneasy.

"Um, won't someone notice if we're gone?" He asked. He wasn't accustomed to Francis being the reckless one of them three. That was usually Gilbert.

"See, I have it all planned already, mon ami. There is no need to worry."

Antonio worried, but it also wasn't in his nature to hold onto it. So, in short time, Antonio was really looking forward to it. They could hang with Gilbert like they'd planned to. He could see Lovino too and have all of his best friends in the same place for once. He could see what exactly it was that was going on between Ludwig and Feliciano. He could meet their grandfathers and see their store.

For the rest of the day Francis filled Antonio in on his plans. The next day, they would be driving out.

CV: Hey, guys! It's been almost a month. Sorry for the wait; time flew and I was writing something else and blah blah blah. Since I left you hanging for so long I'm hopefully planning on getting the next chapter out sooner than usual. But, be warned, my pre-written material is dwindling... so wish me luck on that. I know where it's going for another few chapters though, so it's just a matter of me Actually Writing For Once.

Thank you all for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing! See you in the next one!