Alfred spun the soccer ball on his knee and grinned. The sky was blue, with barely any clouds. A fresh-smelling breeze skimmed the top of his blond hair. He could almost forget all of the drama of the past few days.

And then he looked up.

Standing in front of him, wearing basketball shorts, a t-shirt, and a pair of sneakers, was Antonio Carriedo. Also known as the bastard that made Lovino cry.

Alfred's grin grew sharper. The Spanish boy smiled back. The surrounding students felt shivers go down their backs and didn't know why. "Hola," the brunet started, extending his hand. "We haven't been introduced yet, have we? My name is Antonio Carriedo."

He winced as Alfred crushed his hand. The blond's jaw ached as he forced his smile to remain. "Alfred F. Jones," he replied.

"Right," Antonio nodded, still smiling but subtly shaking his hand out behind his back. "I wanted to declare my intentions."

"Intentions?" Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"Towards Lovi," the green-eyed teen clarified. "I know you two are dating, but I am in love with him and will try my hardest to win him back. I just thought you deserved fair warning."

Alfred's head snapped back. "You stay away from him!" he said hotly. "You've already done enough damage- wait, dating?" The blond blinked, finally losing his hostile aura.

Antonio blinked. "Yes…?"

"We're not dating."

"…What?"

"We're not dating. We're best friends."

"But…everyone said… Wait a minute! If you're not dating, then what's the problem? Just back off, si?."

Alfred's vicious glare returned. "Like hell! He's my best friend and there's no way I'm letting you near him."

Antonio snorted. "If a guy I didn't like was dating one of my best friends, I might complain a little, but I wouldn't try to actively interfere. That's not what 'friends' do. So what's your excuse?"

The blond opened his mouth to retort, only to be unable to find the words. "I…" he started, before trailing off, looking confused. He had truly never questioned the why of it before, all Alfred knew was that he wanted Lovino smiling and happy at any cost. Was that really not normal friend behavior? And if that was true, that still didn't explain his bone-deep aversion of Antonio getting anywhere near Lovino. After all, the Italian could very well be happy with him if he forgave him.

Alfred felt sick at the thought.

Finally, Antonio got tired of waiting. He snorted dismissively and turned on his heel.

Alfred almost just let him go, but then he shook himself. He couldn't let that guy get to him! That's not what heroes do! He can figure out the whys and wherefores later, Lovi needs him now and that's what matters.

"Wait!" the American shouted. The Spanish boy paused, and then slowly turned around. His cheerful smile looked more like a patronizing smirk to Alfred. "Si?" the green eyed boy asked.

Alfred frantically tried to think of something to say. "Er…er…ah…Oh screw it."

He kicked the soccer ball at Antonio's face.

Antonio dodged it like a ninja, and then raised an eyebrow at the blond teen. He laughed. "You want to play soccer?" he asked. "Okay!"

Alfred hesitated, and then went with it. What the hell. It's not like he's a bad player, you know?

He gave a confident grin to the older boy, and then planted his feet firmly in a ready position. "Game on!"

xXx

Anyone want to beta me?

Also, plot? What plot? XD