::Spain::
*SPLAT!*
"Haha! Yesssss! First shot: bull's-eye!" You pumped your fist, a wide grin of triumph spread across your face. Ducking back down, you hid, creeping around like a spy with your "fake gun" loaded. Loaded with a piece of pizza at the moment, in fact. That "fake gun" saved your life! How many times had you nailed people in the face moments before they would have done the same to you? Too many!
Okay… So the fake gun was just your hand… but it counted!
"TIME OUT!" the 'referee' called, making a whistle noise with his mouth since a whistle was nowhere to be found. "TEN MINUTE BREAK!"
"Aw… Just when I was getting even better at my aim, too…" you pouted, sighing. "That's okay, though. I did woop some butt just now…!" You squeezed your eyes shut in heroic laughter, only moments before a slimy object was thrown at your face.
"AH!" you gasped, wiping your face off with a brush of your arm and blinking the pinkish goo away from your eyes. A taste of overripe nastiness was floating around in your mouth, making you gag and spit it out in a hurry.
"WHO DID THAT? IT'S A TIME OUT!" you hollered, your head whipping around, sending particles of the goo flying.
"Ah… Lo siento!" a voice called from a short distance away. Though "sorry" was spoken, you could hear the amused tone in the voice, since you knew it all too well.
"Antonio," you stated, your eye twitching with irritation and your voice flat.
"Hola, _~!" he cheerfully greeted you, walking up and looking down to where you were still sitting, his jade eyes shining. "Need help up?" he asked innocently.
You glared at him, unamused, and slowly held out your hand.
He smiled widely and held out a hand as you checked to make sure your shoes had nothing on them to make you slip when you stood up. You took his hand, checking your other shoe and not looking at him.
*squishhh…*
Antonio couldn't contain his laughter. It all came out in one burst followed by good, hearty laughing from the belly. He laughed until small streaks of tears began to make their way down the sides of his face. He laughed until he was clutching his stomach and had to sit down. He laughed until his breathing came in short little gasps of air. He laughed until his cheeks and entire face ached.
Why?
Well, one look at your hand gave you the answer. There, splattered across your entire palm and in between your fingers, was the remnants of a tomato. A big, fat, juicy, sticky tomato.
"You did not just…" you quietly said in heated disbelief, going back and forth between shooting daggers at Antonio and deciding how to get the grossness off.
"I… I did!" he gasped back, still laughing.
"Then it was you that threw the other tomato at me earlier and hit me in the face!" You were fuming, but at the same time, you were trying your best to be sneaky. You wanted revenge.
All he could seem to do was nod, rocking back and forth in his seat with a huge smile.
"You even got it in my hair, Antonio! That is so not cool!"
He didn't seem to care.
"Ugh… Fine, whatever." It wasn't worth the energy to yell at him when it really didn't matter anyway. You'd get your revenge. Soon enough.
"FIVE MINUTES!" the ref called, relaxing in the only chair in the cafeteria that didn't seem to be covered in bits of food.
"Could you at least show me where I can wash it off?" you asked the Spaniard with your clean hand on your hip.
"Ahh…hahahaaah~… Of course I can," he said with a my-laughing-fit-is-over-now-and-I-won't-do-anythin g-else grin, standing up.
"Good." You followed him to the bathrooms, where he waited outside and you promptly cleaned up.
Looking at your now clean self in the mirror, you smirked and chuckled demonically to yourself. "It's almost time…~"
Back out you came. "Ready for more of this fight?" Antonio asked, grabbing your hand and guiding you back to the cafeteria, where the other players had started to come back for the second half.
"Yeah…" you said quietly, hiding the chuckle under your breath.
"I really am sorry about hitting you in your lindo little face, though, _. That wasn't intentional at all," Antonio apologized like he really did mean it. "I actually mistook you for that blonde guy that was taking out everybody else like…a machine gun… The guy that kept throwing the potatoes…y'know?"
He looked at you as your eyes widened in disbelief. "What…? I don't even look like-" You stopped yourself and sighed, again thinking your actions to be futile. "Well… It's okay. I forgive you, since it was an accident."
"Yay~! Hug?" he offered, smiling like a happy-go-lucky child and holding his arms out.
"Sure," you said with a gentle grin, sneakily pulling something out of your hoodie pocket as he pulled you into a hug. 3… 2… 1… Now!
*squiiiiiish!*
You smiled in evil contentment, your revenge finally complete. You rubbed your hand around, making sure the banana would stay in his dark curly locks for a good while.
His wide eyes amused you so. "I… I wasn't…" he started, staring at you incredulously.
"Expecting that~?" you said with a satisfied smirk, removing your hand and bringing your arm back down.
"Not at a-"
"EVERYONE TO THEIR PLACES! THE SECOND HALF OF THIS FOOD FIGHT SHALL COMMENCE NOW! READYYYY…? GOOOOO!" the referee called out, making his whistle noise again and stepping out of the way.
Food was thrown every which way again as kids ducked, hid, and attacked. Winning was of every importance.
You quickly glanced at Antonio and smeared the remaining banana on your hand onto his face, laughing and running away fearlessly into the battle. A quick glance back gave you a few vital seconds to get your face out of the way of a flying tomato, but, in doing so, you tripped.
Well…that could have ended better.
Your team didn't even win.
In all totality, the injuries added up to a broken leg, four fractures, bountiful bruises, bumps, and toe-stubs, two idiots running smack into each other because they were looking opposite directions, an eye infection, a blueberry up a nose, three rushes to the Emergency Room, a newly crooked nose, aches, a concussion, and food poisoning.
"Why did that moron EAT the food that was being thrown?" you asked aloud, speaking to Antonio and yourself. "He knew it was gross!"
Antonio merely smiled and shrugged as the two of you took a walk back to your place. "I even told him that it wasn't pesto on the pasta, but he insisted…"
It was about six o'clock, but, after the food fight and that dumb Italian guy that ate the slimy pasta and ended up throwing it back up, neither of you had much of an appetite. The sun was just beginning to set, slowly making its way down to the horizon and painting the sky a peachy-magenta color with wisps of creamy-white where the clouds sat, outlined in a rim of bright light. There was a slight, warm breeze coming from behind you, and it ruffled your hair into your face when it blew a little too strongly.
You inhaled the summery-scented air, exhaling with a wide grin. It was just like old times- you and Antonio strolling down the road to your house during summer vacation. He always used to come over when the two of you were children. You still had the tree house in your backyard, and he still kept all of the birthday presents you made for him, each one sloppier than the last. He insisted that homemade gifts were better than store-bought ones any day, and you were the only amigo/amiga of his that ever took that to heart.
"Do you remember the nights we used to spend in your tree house, _?" Antonio asked, breaking the comfortable silence with a quiet chuckle. He glanced at you with a grin, continuing. "We'd open up the roof when your parents had gone to sleep and fall asleep staring at the stars through the tree branches. You remember that, right?"
You looked at him with a warm smile. "Of course I do." You let your head fall back in light laughter. "How could I not?" you asked your Spanish friend with a partial look of disbelief.
He grabbed your hand in his, the warmth that radiated off of his skin making your hand feel all tingly. "I… I dunno." He shrugged. "I guess I thought you might have forgotten and… that'd make me really… triste…"
He looked away with a tinge of pink on his cheeks, not wanting to see your reaction. "It'd make me sad, too, though…!" you said, trying to look at the face he kept hiding from you. "It really would. Those kinds of memories are really important to me, too, Antonio…"
He finally brought his eyes up to meet yours, streaks of the retreating sun visible in them. "Okay…"
You stopped, taking your hand out of his and grabbing his cheeks. Talking like you would to a new puppy, you simultaneously pouted and cooed, "Now shuuush… Stop that or I will have to use my secret weapon…"
His sparkling eyes searched yours with curious amusement.
"No…? Okay, then." You shrugged, opening your arms wide and chanting, "Fusososososososo~! Fusososososososo~!"
He instantly burst into laughter, the sound making you grin. "That was…" he paused here for a quick breath, "perfecto, _."
"Thank you, thank you," you said dramatically with a small bow, the two of you reaching your house. "Hey," you said as your fingers touched the doorknob, "you wanna relive some memories and sleep in the tree house? I know my parents won't care."
"Si! I think that would be muy divertido!"
"Cool." Out to the back yard you went, taking Antonio with you. The sun had just sunken behind the mountains, allowing the stars to begin peeking out from behind the blanket of light and into the darkening sky.
"Summer is the best," Antonio said with a grin and a contented sigh as you two sat down on the mats in the tree house.
"Yep," you agreed, unlatching the lock on the roof and pushing the sides away. "There…"
You and Antonio laid down simultaneously, your heads almost knocking together.
"As relaxing as this may be, I'm still wired…" you complained to yourself, twiddling your fingers to give yourself something to do.
"Would you like me to help?" Antonio offered, tilting his head to look at you.
"Well…"
"Ah, come on! I want to, _!" He looked at you pleadingly, his big puppy eyes irresistible.
"Fine…"
"Hm… Oh, I have a good idea! How does counting sheep sound?"
You looked blankly at him. "Really…?"
"Don't let it fool ya! It works!"
"Sure, sure. That's fine by me." Anything sounded good at this point.
"Have you ever done it?"
You looked back at him, a light breeze ruffling his dark hair. "N…Not really, no."
"Hm. Well, this'll be fun, then! Ready?"
You found your comfy spot on the mat, laying your arms behind your head. "Yep."
"Okay! Una oveja! Dos ovejas! Tres ovejas! Cuatro ovejas! Cinco ovejas! Seis ovejas! Siete ovejas! Ocho ovejas! Nueve ovejas! Diez ovejas! How's that? Sleeping ye-" He glanced over at you to find you glancing at him.
"… Yes?"
His smile faltered only for a second before answering, "I guess diez wasn't enough! Don't worry. We'll have you asleep in no time."
"Okay," you replied, trusting him and sighing deeply, the warm air rushing in and out of your lungs.
"Once ovejas. Doce ovejas. Trese ovejas. Catorce ovejas. Quince ovejas. Dieciséis ovejas. Diecisiete ovejas. Dieciocho ovejas. Diecinueve ovejas. Viente ovejas."
You yawned, the sky continually growing darker and darker, the temperature starting to drop and stars dotting the sky like a peg board.
"Heyhey! You wanna help me count?" Antonio joked, looking at you with a childish grin.
"Not…really." You watched him laugh and scoot backwards so that his back was up against the side of the tree house, his legs making a loose A shape and his arms sitting nicely on his bare knees. "Unless you're wanting to fall asleep, too."
He waved your offer away. "Nah. I was just playin'. Want me to keep going?"
You gave him a shrug, so he took that and kept on counting those sheep, a bit quieter and softer this time, but the Rs still rolling off his tongue.
"Vientiún ovejas. Vientidós ovejas. Veintitrés ovejas. Veinticuatro ovejas. Veinticinco ovejas. Veintiséis ovejas. Veintisiete ovejas. Veintiocho ovejas. Veintinueve ovejas. Treinta ovejas."
He paused, looked at you, then looked back away.
"What…?" you inquired, noting his unusual behavior. "Is this too boring and/or are you feeling awkward counting for me like this…?" You sat up so that you could at least be kind of eye level with him.
"Eh?" His eyes widened. "Que? No, no, no, mi amigo/amiga! I am simply… don't laugh… Tengo hambre…" He averted his eyes bashfully, putting a hand on his stomach.
"…You…" All you could do was stare at him before bursting out laughing. "You're just hungry? Why so serious, Antonio?"
"Well… Eating is a serious matter, _. Do you… Do you possibly have some churros? Man, I could go for some churros right now…" His eyes shut in imaginable bliss as the thoughts of the sweet treats overwhelmed him.
"I don't think so… Sorry. We can make some tomorrow or you can just bring some over the next time you come," you suggested, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Si… You're right, though. The ones from my house…" he trailed off, looking at you and then cracking up. "They're so much better."
"Yeah, yeah," you grumbled, lightly punching him in the arm.
"Oh, lo siento! I didn't mean to get so off-track! Back to counting the ovejas, si?" A quick nod from you and he was off again, his calm voice relaxing your entire body and mind.
"Triente y una ovejas… Triente y dos ovejas… Triente y tres ovejas… Triente y cuatro ovejas… Triente y cinco ovejas…" This time, however, he didn't count like he had been. He counted as if he were speaking a lullaby, with you being the wee babe. It was slow and gentle, his words plying into a gentle hypnotic rhythm that soon had your eyelids drooping. As he began to come up to forty sheep, his voiced dropped to a whisper.
"Triente y seis ovejas... Triente y siete ovejas… Triente y ocho ovejas… Triente y nueve ovejas…Cuarentaaaaa ovejas…"
"Snnnkk…"
Antonio glanced down at you with raised brows, and with a hand-muffled chuckle, he whispered, "Nn? Hehe… You fell asleep… Eso me hace feliz…~" He grinned toothily and moseyed himself down beside you, lifting your head so that it was soon resting on his stomach. In all honesty, it was a wonder the two of you even fit in that tree house any more, but that wasn't important.
"Sweet dreams, _. Buenos noches…~"
And with that, he too was fast asleep, his fluffy-haired head resting lightly on yours.