A huge thanks to everyone who's taken the time to review so far! It really warms my heart! ^^ Here's a new chapter for you all, I hope you'll enjoy it!

oOo

"Antonio, are you all right in there...?"

The knock on the door disturbed Antonio from his victory dance across the apartment living room. Coming to a halt, he found it somewhat hard to stand still. Of course he was all right, more than all right as a matter of fact. He couldn't quite explain it, but his heart was thundering like a herd of runaway cattle. And as his heart rate was quicker than normal, his body desperately wanted to keep up; thus he'd spontaneously started leaping around the floor. Whether it actually looked like a dance or not was a different matter, but this was unimportant at the moment.

When the lithe-built Italian with those stunning golden eyes had appeared in the small flower store he worked at – rain water making his auburn hair curl in the most adorable way – he had hardly believed it to be true. He hadn't expected to run into the man again after coming across him that day by the sea. Of course, now that he thought about it, the chance of running into the man again sooner or later had definitely been there, as the town wasn't all that big. The thought just hadn't crossed his mind, and he'd begun thinking he wouldn't ever get the chance to talk to the guy.

It was a very pleasant surprise, and Antonio wasn't the type to let a chance like that slip away from under his grip. He had wondered what to say, and just let the first words that popped up in his head slip out. Of course, he hadn't meant to startle the guy, and after the guy had calmed down slightly, sending him a vicious glare, he hadn't quite known what to say. Instead, he had tried to ignore the way the stranger's hair dripped with water for a while. When the rain made no sign of stopping, however, he hadn't wanted the guy to catch a cold just because he had to stand around, wet and shivering...

Again, he hadn't meant to scare the guy, the towel was just an attempt at being considerate. Man, did he fail at that... As a result, the poor guy managed to crash that flower bin. Antonio still remembered the expression in his eyes when he bent down to clean it up, and it had sent a shiver down his spine. It was like he was beating himself up over it, at the same time as he looked afraid. Afraid of what, Antonio didn't know, but something told him the fear went deeper than the common 'shit, I wonder how much this'll cost me'-fear.

When he'd cut himself, his face had paled to such a frightening shade of white so rapidly, that Antonio had thought for a horrifying moment that the other was dying or something. The next moment, he'd collapsed sideward, out cold. Antonio had panicked at first, but after calming down, he could see that the other wasn't bleeding out like he first thought. Sure, it had been a pretty deep cut, but not at all threatening, neither to his life nor his health. He'd wondered for a moment if the guy was anaemic or something – considering that he was awfully pale even before he cut himself, but at least it had looked like he grew steadily better. Thus, he'd concluded that an ambulance wouldn't be necessary, and had instead carried him into the back room where he put him down on the couch.

He had looked so fragile when he was unconscious, and it almost made the worried Spaniard think that he'd imagined the glares he'd received earlier. Fetching the towel, he'd dried off the man's hair before leaving for a moment to clean up the broken vase, in case a customer came into the store.

Actually, the short period of time that the guy was out cold on the couch had given Antonio plenty of time to think of a plan, though he felt a bit guilty for thinking of it as a partially good thing that the other had passed out. But the cards on the coffee table was just so damn tempting, and in the end he'd taken the opportunity to write down his number and a message on one of them, reading it over at least a hundred times and wondering if he was crossing the line.

It was just a stroke of luck that he managed to convince the man to buy a flower when he woke up – which turned out to be a rose, though highly unintentionally, judging by his reaction. Not letting the opportunity go, he anxiously snuck the card into the wrapping.

He honestly hadn't even been sure that the guy would even find the little card, and had even bigger doubts that he would bother to call him. Even so, Antonio had kept the phone with him at all times, carrying it in his pocket wherever he went; even to the bathroom – not that he would mention that particular part to anyone.

And then, as if faith really had meant for them to meet, after several days of worrying about whether or not he'd ever see the man again, he had called. Nothing short of a miracle in Antonio's mind.

As horribly nervous as he had been at the time, he'd blabbered on non-stop, and was a bit concerned that he'd scare the other away. It wasn't that he was as goofy and stupid as he sounded. Well, okay, just a little... But whenever he got nervous or excited, his mouth tended to work ten times quicker than his brain. Of course this made his brain seem a bit slow in comparison, and he knew he sometimes came across as stupid because of this particular trait. Not that he cared very much about that.

Still, no matter how strange the conversation had been, and no matter how many times the other had uttered some sort of offending statement or grumbled profanities under his breath, something or the other must have gone right.

After all; They were going out.

Dios Mio, they were going out!

"Antonio?"

"I'm great, Francis! Just great!" he called, pretty much skipping over to the door and swinging it open while grinning at his neighbour. The blonde Frenchman blinked in surprise, before smiling knowingly.

"Ooh, I know that expression. He finally called you, didn't he?"

"Is it that obvious?" Antonio grinned. Francis simply chuckled at this, as Antonio stepped aside to let the other inside. Even though he hadn't lived there for long, the eccentric Frenchman and he had become friends just about immediately after meeting quite randomly in the hallway and quickly elapsing into a conversation, as if they'd known each other for years. Despite the fact that the man was incredibly perverted and at times overly dramatic, he was generally a good person who cared about his friends. That much was obvious to anyone who bothered getting to know him, even if those who didn't know him might take him for a weirdo and an uncaring idiot. He was Antonio's first close friend since moving to America, and he was very grateful for their friendship. Moving to a new place was always difficult, but having someone to talk to helped a lot.

"So, what did he say?" Francis asked as they sat down in the living room. "Are you going for a date? Or perhaps you rented a hotel room already?" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, making Antonio blush ever so slightly before shaking his head.

"No, it's not like that. We're just going out for a movie," he smiled. It wasn't officially a date, was it? No, Lovino probably didn't think of it like that. He'd sounded rather reluctant to the whole thing, after all. Well, he'd sounded like he had wanted nothing more than to yell at Antonio to leave him alone, and then hanging up, actually... Oh well, he had agreed to it, and that was what counted.

Francis motioned curiously for more details. "So? Did you guys get it on?"

"Well... he was pretty much swearing at me most of the time, and when he wasn't, he was grumbling something or the other... or coming with a sarcastic remark." Antonio was still grinning like a fool.

"I... see..." Francis had one eyebrow raised in question, and Antonio couldn't say he blamed him for being sceptical.

"Don't look at me like that. I just know he's a good guy!"

"Underneath that thick layer of foul language and bad attitude?"

"Sí!"

Francis sighed, giving a smile that suggested he could somewhat understand what Antonio was going through."Well, I guess I know the type," he murmured. "I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into. Those kinds of people aren't the easiest to get close to."

"I don't care."

"I know you don't. I can see it in your love-struck expression. You have fallen badly for this little Italian, mon ami." He laughed as Antonio blushed harder, looking sheepishly at his feet.

Who was he to deny it? It was true. Despite all logic, he had fallen badly for this stranger named Lovino Vargas. Very badly indeed.

oOo

Antonio wasn't normally a vain guy. As a matter of fact, he hardly ever considered the way he looked, and didn't much care for appearances. He just couldn't understand all those who spent hours and hours trying to look good. Yet, today he had been the one to worry about how he looked, checking himself in the mirror at least a hundred times before leaving his apartment.

It wasn't like he had dressed particularly fancily, but he didn't wear his most sloppy clothes either. He'd shaved, and had even taken the time to brush his unruly masses of thick curls. Not that it helped much, it was still looking quite a lot like a bird's nest, but at least it put his mind a little at ease.

And now here he was; sitting on a bench close to the cinema and enjoying the warming rays of the sun. The area was strangely quiet and peaceful, as if taken out of a romantic movie or something. Suiting the mood perfectly, pigeons strolled across the pavement next to him, possibly hoping for him to toss them some bread or something. Their gentle cooing calmed him down slightly, although he still glanced at his watch every tenth second or so. He'd arrived too early, in fear of being too late.

The waiting was unsettling, though. Despite the fact that he knew he was early, he couldn't shake the annoying voice in the far back of his head, which tried to convince him that Lovino might not show up at all. This fear only grew stronger as the clock ticked ever so slowly towards seven...

And then suddenly he was there, standing a bit ahead and looking around. As on cue, Antonio's feet turned into jelly or something equally unstable, and he practically had to force himself off the bench into standing position, hoping his legs would carry him at all. Their eyes met, and he lifted a hand, waving. The Italian quickly looked down, but came over, hands buried deep in the pockets of his jeans. He stopped a bit away, and Antonio's concern that he might have some kind of illness grew larger as he now could see the pale shade of his face, and the dark circles resting under his eyes. Deciding that no one would enjoy being told that they looked downright sick, he didn't comment on it, however. The other was obviously self-conscious enough as it was.

"Hey!" he smiled instead.

"Hello," came the quiet, murmured reply.

"I'm really happy you wanted to come!" And he truly was happy, it wasn't just something he said. Why it gave him such joy to be out here with this man he'd barely met, he couldn't be sure, nor did he particularly care about analyzing his own emotions to find out. Lovino glanced at him, before shyly looking away again, a strange expression touching his face for a moment before being covered up by the usual scowl.

"Whatever..."

Antonio only smiled at this response. "What kind of movie do you want to see?" he questioned as they headed for the cinema building, which had definitely seen better days, looking quite old and worn. It seemed a bit misplaced in between the surrounding buildings, just as a worn and tattered arm chair would look if placed in the middle of a modernistic living room.

"I don't really care."

Antonio was about to state that he must have some preferences as to what movie he wanted to see, but as it turned out, they didn't have much of a choice. The doors were closed, the windows dark, and a sign that had been hung up clearly stated that the cinema was 'closed'. The two stopped in front of it, blinking at the sign as a tense silence fell over them. It lasted only a moment before the Spaniard felt like hitting himself.

"Oh no! I'm such an idiot, I should have checked that it would be open!" he groaned, and his mood was only worsened when he realized that Lovino wasn't entirely pleased with this outcome. Here he'd thought he had planned everything, but the thought that it might be closed hadn't occurred to him at all!

"It's always open. You couldn't have known," Lovino grumbled, burying his hands even further down the pockets as he glared at the sign. Another awkward silence fell between them as they stood there, until Antonio broke it, grinning brightly in an attempt to lighten the mood. There wasn't much use in standing around here, being all gloomy. He wanted their first official meeting to be something good, after all.

"Let's just walk around a bit? It's a really nice day, and I'm sure there's something else to do around this place!" Afraid Lovino might protest, he took hold of his hand before he could open his mouth to speak, and led him down the street.

"H-hey...!" the other gasped, but didn't pull his hand out of Antonio's grip. Antonio wasn't sure if he should take that as a sign of trust, or not, but he glanced back and smiled a bit more calmly. Lovino's cheeks had a red tint now, and combined with the pout on his face, it made him look really cute. Somehow, the Spaniard felt an urge to give him a hug. He had a feeling a move like that would earn him nothing but a knee to the balls, though. Besides, he didn't want to scare the other already five minutes into their meeting.

They soon fell into step beside each other, and Antonio reluctantly let go of the other's hand, as he could tell that it was making the shorter man uncomfortable. Their walk down the street was silent and tense. Antonio was feeling guilty and in serious need for something that could make up for his blunder, while Lovino looked like he'd rather just go home and forget about the whole thing.

It might be because of this that he grabbed the first chance he got to change the cards. Grinning as an opportunity appeared, he once again grabbed Lovino's hand, startling the other a bit as he pulled him over to a park.

"W-what are you–?"

"Let's go over there, Lovino!" The Italian fell silent, following the finger Antonio used to point with. As soon as he spotted the target, his eyes widened ever so slightly.

"You have got to be kidding me..."

But no, Antonio was completely serious, as he led them over to the spot, where lots of children were seated on the grass, giggling and laughing at the puppet show being held at a stand. Putting a finger to his lip, he hushed the other, sitting down in the grass behind the children, who glanced at them curiously for a moment before turning back to the show. Pulling Lovino down beside him, he chuckled nervously at the glare directed at him.

"It might be fun, Lovi!" he whispered pleadingly, the new nickname floating over his lips easily, and clearly stunning the other out of his attempt to complain. Instead, Lovino settled with an annoyed huff, before crossing his arms and turning his attention to the puppet theatre.

Having arrived in the middle of the show, neither of the two could really tell what kind of play it was supposed to be. A strange mix of "the little red riding hood" and some oriental fairy tale, perhaps? One thing was for sure, though...

It was fucking hilarious!

Honestly, Antonio had troubles stopping himself from laughing louder than the children in front of them, but was failing miserably. At this, some of the children turned to look at them in wonder, before giggling even louder due to his contagious fits of bubbling chuckles.

Not only did he have a great time; he had also taken notice of the fact that, to his great joy, he wasn't the only one enjoying himself. At times, small giggles would escape Lovino's lips, no matter how hard he tried to stop them from emerging. It was the most beautiful sound Antonio had heard from the other man – except for his singing.

Perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing that the cinema had happened to be close after all. Who would have thought that going to a children's puppet theatre show would have made for such a magical experience? Antonio sure as hell wouldn't have thought it to be this much of a success. The fact that it had been a success made him incredibly happy.

Of course, all good things would eventually come to an end. Much too soon, the show was over, and the children left with their parents to go home. Some of them pointed eagerly at Antonio and Lovino, and they heard some of them talk about "that weird man who laughed harder than everyone". He might have been slightly embarrassed at this, had he not found it extremely funny. They remained sitting for a while longer while the children left, watching as the puppeteers began gathering their stuff and eventually left the area.

The late summer evening air was slightly chilly, but still pleasant, a breath of air washing across the park. Antonio suddenly found himself lost in the way the wind ruffled his companion's hair, and the way those eyes looked more unguarded than he'd seen them so far, even if the Italian was clearly trying to keep his facial expression neutral. Abruptly, Antonio felt nervous again, ears and cheeks growing warmer as he cleared his throat, looking away.

"See, I told you it might be fun," he said quietly, giving a slightly shy grin.

"Tch, it wasn't... too bad."

A new silence fell upon them where they sat on the cool grass, and while it wasn't entirely uncomfortable or awkward, there was still a hint of something that Antonio couldn't quite put his finger on. After a while, he opened his mouth to say something; anything to break the silence, but Lovino beat him to it.

"Say... Why were you so insistent on seeing me again?"

His voice was quiet, barely a whisper, and he had his head turned away, so that Antonio couldn't see his expression from behind the curtain of auburn hair. The question was simple, yet the Spaniard couldn't for the life of him come up with a simple answer. Why had he wanted to see Lovino again? They had barely talked, and it wasn't like the other seemed to return his feelings at any rate...

Eventually, he gave a soft smile. "Why wouldn't I be?" he settled with, noticing how the other's body posture had tensed, knees raised to his chest in a sudden moment of insecurity.

"Don't evade the question."

"I'm not! Lovino, it's just... I don't know," he admitted, chewing on his bottom lip as he considered it. Leaning back on his hands, he looked up at the darkening evening sky, slightly illuminated by the city lights. "I just felt that I..." wanted to make you happy... the last part, added in his own mind surprised even himself. Was that the reason? Did he invite him out just because he'd seen the lonely, sorrowful expression in his eyes back that time by the sea?

"Don't bother. Sorry for bombarding you with questions all of the sudden..." Lovino stood, and turned towards him. His expression was unreadable, set in the usual bored, neutral half-frown. His eyes told a different story, though.

Antonio followed suit, noticing for the first time that he was about a head taller than the other, and more broad-shouldered. Perhaps he only noticed it now due to the fact that Lovino suddenly seemed very fragile and breakable where he stood. Almost like the flower bin from the store – wobbling and unsteady...

"Do you regret coming with me?" Antonio asked quietly, a smile on his face, even if his voice sounded uncharacteristically serious. Lovino's cheeks turned slightly red as he looked away abruptly.

"I guess not..."

"Then, would you want to go out again sometime?"

This time, their eyes met, Lovino's golden ones widening with surprise as his mask fell off momentarily. Somehow, his expression when he wasn't on-guard made him look both older and younger at the same time, if that was even possible.

"G-go out... you make it sound like..."

"A date," Antonio confirmed, ignoring the tiny voice in his head screaming that it was too soon, damn it, he was going to scare the other away! "Would you?"

Lovino looked somewhat like a fish caught on land, lips parting and closing, and parting again as he apparently tried to come up with a reply. For a moment, he looked like he was going to agree, but suddenly the spell was broken, and a haunted expression crossed his eyes and the shock turned into anger.

"N-no way! Don't get too full of yourself, bastard! You don't know me, and you better stay away!" With those harsh words, Lovino Vargas turned on his heel, and walked briskly away, leaving Antonio behind.

Logically, he should have felt stumped, offended, or any other emotions that would normally follow being violently pushed away and refused like that. Yet, defying this logic, all he could feel was the deep pain and sorrow emitting from the Italian man, watching as he pulled his arms subconsciously around himself while walking away, almost as if he was cold...

oOo

Please leave a review telling me what you thought of it~!

Dios Mio: My God (Spanish)

Sí: Yes (Spanish)

Mon ami: My friend (French)