Well, here's the final chapter! This one includes a lot of references to the actual song that gave me the inspiration for this fic, so you should give it a listen if you're confused at all. Enjoy!
I do not own; Hetalia, Pizza Angel, or The Legend of Zelda
Dressed in khaki pants and a red, long-sleeve polo, Lovino was ready to deliver the last order of the night. Shifting the two pizzas to his left hand, he used his right to pull a tan cap over his head, pocket his keys, and take the slip of paper with the delivery address out of his pocket. "Apartment sixteen..." he mumbled, leaving his car and heading towards the complex.
Antonio glanced at the clock on the wall.
7:26
It's almost been half an hour.. He'll be here any minute, he thought. He looked in the mirror, fidgeting with his shirt collar and smoothing down his hair. A little over twenty minutes ago, while his friends were calling in their pizza order, Antonio was busy making himself, and their apartment, look presentable. He'd tidied up the livingroom and dining room and he'd even gone outside and plucked a single red rose from the bushes. When he came back inside, he placed it in an elegant vase at the center of the table, setting two candlesticks on either side along with a pair of matching plates and chairs. He then left two paper plates on the coffee table in the living room for Francis and Gilbert and picked out a pair of dress pants and a nice shirt to wear. After brushing his teeth and flossing as well, he was satisfied with his work. His hope was that when Lovino arrived, he would agree to stay and dine with him.
Lovino's stomach grumbled loudly. He had ignored his grandfather's advice to eat before he left, thinking it wouldn't take but a few minutes to find the right address. Now, he wasn't so sure. Dammit, stupid bastard. Why didn't you make me eat something? Lovino cursed his grandfather in his head, because it was clearly his fault and not Lovino's. "Sixteen... Come on... Sixteen..." he mumbled, starting to get annoyed at how difficult it was to find the place. Dejectedly, he turned down another corridor and continued his search.
Again, Antonio looked at the clock.
8:42
It's been over an hour.. Where is he? Antonio stood up from his chair and walked into the livingroom where Francis and Gilbert were taking turns, rotating between playing The Legend of Zelda and giving Gilbird makeovers. The little chick's feathers ruffled uncomfortably as Francis tried fitting a tiny beret on his head.
"Oi, Francis get that girly thing off of Gilbird! He's too awesome for that!" said Gilbert looking away from his game briefly. Unfortunately for him, it was just long enough for a gang of bokoblins to surround the character dressed in green and kill him. Gilbert let out an agonized cry as he watched the hero fall and the Game Over screen appear. Francis just chuckled and began snapping photos of the bird in front of him, now that the hat was secured on his head.
"Hey, guys," said Antonio with a worried look on his face. "That pizza had a thirty minute guarantee, right?" Seeing that Gilbert wasn't going to risk dying again by turning and answering, Francis spoke.
"Oui, it did, didn't it? Thirty minutes or less or it's free." He glanced briefly at his stylish watch. "Oh, it's been over an hour! Hey, Gilbert! We don't have to pay for the pizza!"
Gilbert let out a loud whoop and pumped his fist in the air, only to have his character fall into an abyss. "How does that even happen!?" he shouted at the screen. Francis laughed out loud at him, saying it was his turn to play now anyway. Antonio walked back into the dining room and glared at the table. Suddenly he realized something was missing. "Oh no! I forgot drinks!" he exclaimed to himself, heading for the fridge. He pulled out two sodas and placed them on the table. Good thing I remembered! It would be terrible if my little Lovi got thirsty and didn't have anything to drink! He thought, proud of himself for being so considerate. Only the best for my little pizza angel! He chuckled, as images of Lovino shyly thanking him clouded his mind.
"Dammit! Where the hell is apartment sixteen!?" Lovino cried out angrily. He clutched his stomach as it continued to growl, getting louder every time. Lovino's eyes welled up with tears as the discomfort rose in his belly yet again. I'm so hungry..
He looked at the pizzas in his hand. He could sense the teasing aroma of that tomato sauce he adored and he could smell the layers of pepperoni and melted cheese clinging to the perfectly baked crust underneath. He could practically hear the pizzas calling his name as he looked at his watch.
9:38
He groaned, realizing it had been hours since the pizza had been ordered. Defeated, he sat down on the hallway floor. It's not like they'd pay me anyway.. He told himself, opening up the first pizza. Feeling more hungry than guilty, he picked out a slice and began to eat.
Antonio was pacing the floor. By now, the sodas were room temperature and his tomate poquito was still nowhere to be seen. Bored with their charades, Gilbert and Francis now sat on the couch in the livingroom. Francis had his eyes closed, trying to keep hungry tears from falling down his face. Dramatically, he held tightly to a pink handkerchief, keeping one of its corners between his teeth to stifle the rumbling in his stomach. Gilbert's eyes twitched every now and then and he gnawed on his paper plate, desperate for some form of sustenance.
"¿Dónde estás, mi ángel?" Antonio wondered aloud. Concern was drawn all over his face and he hoped nothing bad had happened to his little Lovi.
Replacing his previous hunger, guilt washed over Lovino when he realized what he'd done. Mio Dio, I just ate two whole pizzas.. He thought, starting to feel sick. He leaned his head back against the wall, looking up at the door next to him. He shifted a little, and then suddenly jumped back when he felt something sharp poke his rear. Looking down, he found the culprit to be a small screw lying on the hard floor at the foot of the door. That's when he noticed the apartment's address. The numbers formed a 19, but something didn't seem right. He stood up slowly, inspecting the crooked iron number 9 and noticed a hole drilled purposefully above it.
Antonio felt his heart skip a beat when the sound of a faint knock hit his eardrums. He looked towards Gilbert and Francis, and then at the door. He's finally here.. he thought, freezing in place for a moment or two. Get the door, idiota! his mind screamed. Shaking himself out of the trance, he fumbled with his collar again and straightened out the slightly wilted rose at the center of the table before rushing to the door. He looked to Francis and Gilbert one last time, and they eagerly nodded their heads, encouraging him from the comfort of the couch. After timidly nodding back, Antonio faced the door and took a deep breath. Heart beating rapidly, he slowly turned the handle and opened the door.
What he saw was almost too cute for his heart to bear and he swore he could feel nosebleed coming on. There stood his little pizza angel at the entrance, looking at the ground with tears of shame welling in his eyes. His face was bright and he tried to scowl, but it came out as an embarrassed pout.
"Dammit.. You idiot.." the boy mumbled cutely, still avoiding the man's face in fear. "Your stupid house number was broken!" He said, referring to the number on the door. Antonio looked at it and saw what he meant. The room number should have said sixteen, but a screw must have fallen out from the top of the metal 6 because it was swiveled over, forming a 9.
That's what took him so long! Antonio thought to himself before the boy continued.
"How was I supposed to find you with a broken house number!?" Lovino's lower lip stuck out as he held the pizza boxes to his chest defensively. "I was searching for hours.. And I hadn't eaten since lunch so I... I..." his bottom lip began to quiver, "I ate your pizzas, dammit!" He finally got out, forcefully opening and holding out the empty boxes for Antonio to see. From the livingroom, Gilbert and Francis groaned and began to openly weep. Even Gilbird looked a little bit sad, but Antonio payed them no mind. He stared at the Italian who was still shamefully looking at the floor. Suddenly, he pulled the smaller man into an embrace.
"What the hell!?" Lovino screamed, startled by the man's behavior. He had expected the customer to be furious and was fully prepared to beg for mercy if they tried to beat him up, but he definitely wasn't prepared for this!
"Oh, Lovi! You're so cute! You look just like a little tomate!" Said a strangely familiar voice.
A tomato!? Lovino thought, finally looking at the man who was holding him. His eyes grew wide when he realized exactly whose arms were wrapped around his small form. "A-Antonio..?" He squeaked into the man's shoulder, breathing in the scent of magnolias and fresh soil that lingered in his soft brown hair. Memories of their one, brief meeting flooded his mind and he remembered Antonio's vivid green eyes and charming smile.
Hearing his name, Antonio pulled back so he could face Lovino. Their eyes locked and Antonio smiled warmly, melting the smaller man's normally cold heart. Though it seemed impossible, Lovino's eyes grew wider, and his still surprised face turned an even brighter shade of red. Antonio's loving smile never left his face as he rested his forehead on Lovino's.
For a while, they stayed this way. As their foreheads touched and they dreamily looked into each others eyes, they both felt that they could remain just like this for a beautiful eternity.
Then Lovino's cell phone rang.
Loudly.
"Crap," Lovino said, crashing back into reality. He quickly pushed a disappointed Antonio away, causing the man to lose balance and fall to his knees. He looked up at Lovino curiously from the floor, watching as the Italian fished his phone out if his pocket. Lovino read the caller ID.
Nonno Roma
C-crapola! I forgot I'm supposed to lock up tonight! Lovino mentally scolded himself, letting out a noise that sounded like, "Chigi!" Antonio smiled, thinking it was adorable. "Dammit.. I have to go.." Lovino said sounding more disappointed than he had intended. Quickly, he redeemed himself. "N-not that I care..! I'm leaving!" He hastily turned to leave.
"No! don't go!" Said Antonio, desperately wrapping himself around the confused delivery boy's ankle.
"CHIGI!" Lovino wailed, swiftly kicking Antonio in the face and sending the man reeling backwards onto the floor. "Crazy tomato bastard," he grumbled, finally walking out the door and down the corridor. Antonio crawled to the entrance and poked his head outside, watching his little tomato continue down the hallway.
"Espera! Mi amor!" He cried passionately.
"SHUT UP!" Lovino screamed back, throwing a shoe at him before disappearing into the dark.
After locking up the restaurant, Lovino drove back home. Feliciano and Grandpa Rome were already asleep when he arrived, so he quietly went up the stairs to his room, where he changed into his favorite pajamas. He ran his hands along their tomato pattern and thought about Antonio. He wondered why he had been so kind to him; Why he wasn't angry when he ate all the pizza and why he didn't push him away when their foreheads had touched. Remembering that moment, his face heated up and he cursed himself for being so emotional; But secretly, he was grateful. As he crawled under the covers and turned out the light, he made himself a promise. One day, no matter what, he would repay Antonio for being so loving despite how badly he had treated him. Silently swearing this to himself, he whispered, though Antonio couldn't hear, "Thank you.." before drifting off to sleep.
After Lovino had left, Antonio stayed sitting where he was for a while. He held onto the shoe that Lovino had thrown at him, deciding to treasure it always. Realizing that Lovino wasn't going to come back, he got up and went inside. Gilbert and Francis had gone to bed hungry when they'd learned there was no pizza left to eat, so Antonio quietly went into his room and changed into his favorite pajamas. Pulling back his tomato-patterned sheets, Antonio thought about Lovino. He remembered how unhappy he had been when his girlfriend had left him, and how Lovino, his little tomato, had pulled him out of his depression. Truthfully, he was so grateful to have met the young pizza boy, and he made himself a promise. One day, no matter what, he would make Lovino as happy as he had made him. Pulling the covers over himself and turning out his bedside lamp, he whispered, though Lovino couldn't hear, "I'll never forget you, Pizza Angel.." before drifting off to sleep.
Well that's the end! Don't forget to review with any comments or feedback you may have for me! This was my very first fic so I could use your advice to help me become a better author in the future=) Also if you spot any mistakes, lemme know so I can fix them!=) Thanks everyone who's been reading and supporting! I love you guys!=)
