Convince Me

Chapter 5: Definite

   Romano woke up to the house still being as dark as it had been when he fell asleep. But looking over, he saw his brother's shoes over by the front door. Thank God he was home. Squinting his eyes, he checked the time. 4am. Feliciano would definitely be in bed. And Romano would have to get up for work in three hours. Honestly, he didn't trust himself not to sleep through the alarm so he decided to watch something on TV to pass the time.
  Two and a half hours later, Romano was a sobbing mess, having just finished Marley and Me. What the fuck, man? What kind of ending is that? It's not fair. Dogs should get to live forever. The floorboards creaked and a sleepy Feliciano made his way downstairs.
   "Lovi? You're up early," he yawned, his eyes not fully open yet. Romano hurriedly wiped his eyes.
  "Yeah, I woke up about thirty minutes ago and figured I might as well stay up," he replied.
  "I would have woken you up, just like always," Feliciano pouted, eyes wide and alert. Romano rolled his eyes, but only half-heartedly.
  "I'm gonna make breakfast. Take your shower," Feliciano said, rolling up his pajama sleeves.
  "Okay, mom," Romano teased, kissing his hair before going upstairs to shower. That morning, he spent even longer than he usually did in the bathroom, getting himself prepared. Just in case. He put on his favorite purple shirt and black work pants. For some reason, he felt overly positive. It was almost disgusting. Feliciano already had breakfast ready and coffee made.
  "Mmm, paella," Romano hummed. He took a bite. "Delicious!" Feliciano looked pleased. Nothing was better than seeing his brother so happy. They ate in comfortable silence, only occasionally broken by Feliciano occasionally reading out the newspaper headlines. Soon, too soon, Romano had to leave for work.
  "I love you, Feli. Be safe. I love you," he said, like he always did. Just in case something happened to him. He wanted his last words to his brother to remind him that he loved him. The walk to work seemed shorter today. In fact, everything seemed much brighter. Romano happily put his apron on when he arrived at work, tucking hair behind his ears. The customers found Romano in a pleasant mood and business was even busier.
  Soon, it was almost 1. The time that Antonio usually came. Romano bit the inside of his cheek, absolutely nervous.
  "I'm surprised to see you here, Romano," a voice said. He looked up and his heart fluttered. Antonio was gorgeous. Was he always this breathtaking? He had to have been and Romano kicked himself for being so blind.
  "I work here," he said, the same words he always said, but with something different added. Something... flirty. Antonio looked surprised, looking him over.
  "Dios mío," he whispered. Romano blushed, not looking away. The Spaniard's eyes were intense, like he was reading his mind at this very second. Would Antonio like what he read?
  "I-I'm glad you came. Feli said he'd tell you to come but to be honest, I didn't think you would after how I treated you," Romano said softly, hopping up onto the counter.
  "I would have come back eventually. I couldn't stay away from you," Antonio admitted, looking quite shy. Romano thought it was kind of cute.
  "So, I wanted to say sorry for being rude to you and calling you names," he whispered. Then that smile lit up Antonio's face.
  "I actually don't mind the names. I find it quite... endearing." Romano smiled back, he couldn't help it, it was contagious. He didn't know what to say after that. Well, he did, but he didn't know how to say it. Before he could open his mouth, Antonio started talking instead.
  "I just want to say some things. First off, I think you look muy bonito, today and every day. Second, my heart just... does this butterfly thing whenever you call me a bastard. Kind of weird, but there it is. Third, I am pretty sure I've been in love with you since the moment I stepped into this shop. I don't think I should hide it from you anymore. Because... because even if you don't feel the same, I have to tell you. It's a weight off my shoulders honestly. I'm not going to force you to love me back or anything, but you deserve to know when people love you," he said, biting his lip. Romano was absolutely floored. He had suspicions that Antonio had a crush on him... but love him? That was insane. Antonio was obviously expecting an answer, though he didn't force one out of him, which made him grateful.
  "Listen, bastardo. I am not an expert in love. Hell, I've never been in love before. I hardly know anything about you and vice versa, but I would like to. Y-You're very beautiful, like some kind of vision of heaven or some shit. And despite everything, you're nice as hell to me, even though I don't deserve it. These past few weeks have driven me mad and I thought that maybe I'm not worthy of love, let alone a god's, such as yourself. I had trouble sorting out my feelings, denying myself what I knew I really wanted. And that's you, Antonio. I wanted to go on that date with you. And I wanted you to hold my hand, but my dumbass kept pushing you away. So, please, don't be pushed away anymore," Romano said softly. Antonio took a deep, shaking breath and then grabbed his hand, looking at the Italian to see if it was okay. It was more than okay. It was wonderful. Who knew handholding could be so thrilling in itself?
  "I think I'm in love with you too," Romano murmured, looking at the Spanish man. Antonio's whole face shone with inexplicable joy. He couldn't help but be smug at the fact that it was him that did that. Antonio was speaking in rapid, excited Spanish. Romano only caught his name and the words "Te quiero." Overcome with courage and desire, he grabbed Antonio by the front of his shirt and kissed him. Antonio made an excited noise, kissing back. Things soon got heated and would have continued down a naughty path if Romano didn't suddenly pull away, remembering he was at work.
  "You're a distraction, idiota," he whispered, slightly breathless.
  "Am I a good distraction?" Antonio asked, resting his forehead against Romano's.
  "The best," Romano murmured. "Come by my house for dinner tonight?" Antonio kissed him again, his way of saying yes. Romano felt blessed, arms snugly around Antonio's neck.
  "Get out of here, tomato bastard," he breathed against the other man's lips.
  "Put your number in my phone," Antonio said softly, giving his phone to Romano, pressing kisses to his jaw as he waited. Romano eagerly put his number in, only slightly distracted by the kisses. He handed Antonio his phone back, pressing their lips together one more time. Antonio broke away after a few moments.
  "I'll see you later, mi corazón," he smiled. "Te quiero."
  "Ti amo," Romano said, heart lighter than it had been in years. Antonio waved as he left the shop and Romano sighed like a teenage schoolgirl.
  "Until tonight....

                   The End

A/N: I've been pushing out chapters so quickly because I'm leaving for a trip and I can't bring my phone with me. So I'm very sorry this seemed rushed. I was aching to finish it. I hope you enjoyed, at least!