Two weeks had passed, and today, it was finally time to announce which two boys would become Astraea Hill's new Etoile pair.
Around thirty pairs of boys had put their names in, most of them couples, but everyone knew that there were only four whom were really in with a chance of becoming the new Etoile pair. Alfred and Yao, from St Lulim's, Ludwig and Feliciano, from St Spica's, Gilbert and Roderich, from St Miator's...
And Lovino and Antonio.
Antonio had only agreed to become Lovino's Etoile partner in the hopes that maybe, the excitement around the election would get his mind off of Arthur, but to no avail. Somehow, even though he was in with a chance of being half of the Etoile pair, the most adored students in all of Astraea Hill's three schools, he found himself unable to think about anything except Arthur.
But why? It was over with him, wasn't it? Arthur's heart would forever belong to Kiku. To the boy whom he'd loved and lost...
Antonio had really tried his best to move on. He'd deleted Arthur's number, thrown away the tea that Arthur had given him, and at the end of the school day, he took a different route to his dorm, so that he wouldn't bump into him. He'd even let Lovino kiss him one time. Antonio should've been happy; he'd gotten a kiss from someone who loved him with all his heart, but...It just wasn't the same as kissing Arthur. When Lovino kissed him, Antonio's mind couldn't help but to wander to thoughts of Arthur.
Arthur. Arthur, Arthur, Arthur, Arthur, Arthur.
Antonio could not keep denying it to himself; he still loved Arthur.
He squeezed his eyes shut as he listened to Sister Bernadette's speech, taking his place beside Lovino.
"And this year's Etoile pair will be..."
Arthur lay still on his dorm bed, gazing up at the ceiling with dead eyes. For the past two weeks, he'd had some strange feelings, starting from the day that he'd let go of his title, and those pendants.
The weight on his chest, the crushing grief from losing Kiku was all gone. But it still felt like something was there. Something big. Something that was waiting to fill up the new space in his heart.
In spite of all that had happened, Antonio's face would not leave his head. And neither would the memories that Arthur had shared with him. How vivid they were, as they flashed past Arthur's eyes; the day that they'd met, all the meetings in the greenhouse, the day at the beach...
And then it hit him. Something filled Arthur's chest right up, threatening to make it explode.
The taste of Antonio's lips. His smile. The way that he sipped his tea, in a kind of anxious fashion. His beautiful green eyes. How could he have been so blind?!
Arthur was certain now what it was that he wanted, and he knew that he wasn't wrong...
"This year's Etoile will be..."
The doors crashed as they suddenly opened, and someone ran down the aisle, stopping halfway. Before Sister Bernadette could open her mouth to reprimand the someone, he opened his mouth, and cried out:
"Antonio!"
Antonio locked eyes with...Arthur. His green eyes were wide, and he was panting as he extended his hand. Had he been running all the way here?
"Antonio, I love you!"
The attending students erupted into chatter, along with the all of the Etoile candidates...Except Antonio. His cheeks were aflame as he looked at Arthur, but he turned away, cursing to himself...
"But...You..." he stuttered.
Arthur shook his head. "Antonio, I'm sorry about everything! But, I've realised now that I really do love you," he explained, "With all of my heart, Antonio, I love you!"
Antonio felt Lovino's hands brush against his back before he even had a chance to react.
"There's...Nothing I can do anymore, is there?" the Italian whispered, his voice breaking.
"Lovino..."
Lovino took a sharp breath in. "Go, Antonio," he urged, "You love him, don't you? So, go with Arthur!"
And he yanked Antonio's tie off, pushing him into the aisle.
Antonio loved Arthur. He wasn't sure if going with him was the wisest decision, but he couldn't help but cry out in delight as Arthur ran to him, picked him up, and swung him bridal-style around in his arms.
"Let's get away from here," Arthur suggested.
Antonio nodded, and soon, he found himself being carried down the aisle, and then down the path, away from Astraea Hill.
As the remaining attendants and Etoile candidates cried out in shock, Lovino blinked back tears, gripping the insides of his pockets.
"Congratulations, Antonio," he whimpered, "Congratulations."
About halfway away from St Miator's, Antonio just had to question where it was that Arthur planned to take him, after their big romantic escape.
"I know just the place," Arthur replied, "You'll see when we get there."
Sister Bernadette hushed everyone quickly, as she resumed announcing the results. "This year's Etoile pair will be from St Spica Boys' Institute, Ludwig Beilschmidt, and Feliciano Vargas!"
Lovino just had to look up, wiping his eyes quickly with his sleeve as he saw his brother receive his Etoile pendant. Sister Bernadette gave him the blue one, which used to belong to Arthur, and his eyes lit up when Ludwig received the matching red one.
"Congratulations to you as well, brother," he muttered.
It was long into the night when Arthur finally set Antonio down, by a lake in the middle of the forest. The moon's reflection wobbled on the water's surface, as cicadas chirped around the pair.
"Beautiful out here, isn't it?"
"It is," Antonio agreed.
Arthur smiled and drew him close. "Is it ok if I tell you now?" he enquired, whispering the question softly into Antonio's ear.
"Tell me what?" the Spaniard returned.
"How I feel," Arthur said bravely, "Is it ok I tell you, truly and honestly how I feel about you?"
Antonio shifted even closer. "No need. You wouldn't have gone to the effort of snatching me away if you didn't love me, would you?" he remarked, "But...Tell me anyway."
Arthur pressed his lips to Antonio's forehead. "Alright then, I'll tell you," and he played with one of Antonio's curls, "You've made me truly happy for the first time since Kiku died. Every time I'm with you, I can't help but want to smile. I love you. I love every last thing about you."
Antonio could only reply with one thing. "I love you too, Arthur."
