Hello everyone! This is my first story! It's Spamano (my OTP) and will take place over multiple years and have lots of time skips.

Right now it is mostly just childish fluff, but as the story progresses and the characters grow up I might have to change the rating to M (but that won't be for a while).

There will be other pairings, I just haven't decided which ones. So feel free to suggest some!

Chapter 1: Language Barriers

Antonio decided he absolutely hated America. He missed his sunny cottage home along the coast of Spain, and his giant fields of tomatoes that he and his mom grew together. He missed his old dog Vito, who he had been forced to leave behind in the care of his grandparents. He wanted to go back. His new house is fine, pretty actually; just big enough for the family of three. But it's at the base of a hill, enveloped in shadow. The hill itself was covered in tall green trees, and although it was beautiful, it made Antonio feel claustrophobic. He's not used to the shade and closeness of the trees and the long shadows they cast in the evening. They had planted tomato plants in the middle of the yard, hoping there would be just enough sunlight there. There really wasn't. Antonio decided he hated the forest.

Today had been a particularly terrible day. He'd only been in his third grade class a few months, and hated everyone. Everyone spoke so fast that he couldn't understand them. It's not his fault he only knew Spanish! He was trying, really trying to learn English, but he wasn't fast enough. He was falling so far behind the other kids and it made him angry. He was smart, he knew that! In Spain he was praised by the adults for his speech, and he could even read pretty well! But here, everyone thought he was stupid. One time during class, he'd been called on to read out loud in front of the class. He couldn't do it. He was shaking and eventually started crying. The other kids had laughed at him. During recess they would taunt and jeer him. They would push him off the swing and refuse to let him down the slide. The teachers never did anything. How were they supposed to help a kid who didn't even speak English? So one day, Antonio started fighting back. After being denied a swing, he pushed a boy off. The boy burst into tears and ran to the teacher, tattling on Antonio. He got in trouble, but it was worth it; being able to swing on the swing. So Antonio stopped letting the other kids push him around. If he was mean, they would be too scared to pick on him, right?

He pushed kids off the swings, and forced his way down the slide when he was denied access. During indoor recess he would steal other kid's toys, or during lunch steal other kid's food. He got in trouble constantly but it didn't matter. The other kids didn't pick on him as much anymore and that's all that mattered to Antonio. Until one day a kid pushed him off the swing. Furious, Antonio had punched the other boy, and they ended up fighting and hitting and pushing one another. Eventually a teacher had to come and break them up. They were escorted to the nurses and then to the principal's office. Everyone claimed Antonio started it and they were going to call his parents. But his parents were working late that night and could not come. So Antonio was stuck in the nurse's office the whole day, not allowed to go back to class. He knew his parents were going to be furious. He was forced to sit in the front of the bus on the way home from school, and all the kids laughed at him. The front is where you went if you were in trouble and the bus driver needed to keep an eye on you.

Once home, Antonio stormed inside. Looking in the hallway mirror he counted his injuries. A bruised cheek, a bump on his head, a nasty scrape on his knee (now covered with a band aid courtesy of the nurse) and a bunch of other bruises all over. Angrily, Antonio took his backpack and dumped its contents onto the floor. He never wanted to go to school ever again. He stormed into the kitchen and grabbed a tomato from a bowl on the counter. The small tomato garden in his backyard had yet to produce any harvest, so his mom had bought some tomatoes from the farmers market that Saturday. Antonio hated these tomatoes; he wanted his home grown tomatoes from Spain. He threw the tomato on the floor. Antonio still had a few hours until his parents came home. No doubt the school had called them, and when they got home Antonio was going to be in so much trouble. He hated being in trouble with his parents. The looks of disappointment they gave him made his heart hurt, he felt like more of a disappointment than he already was. But he hated being picked on more. So Antonio decided to leave. Not forever, just until his parents weren't mad. He could hide out in the woods (as much as he hated them) for a little while. When he came back, his parents would have had some time to calm down, right? Pleased with his idea, Antonio placed all the remaining tomatoes in the bowl into his now empty backpack. Yes, he hated these tomatoes… But they were at least a reminder of home. And so the young boy slipped on his shoes and headed out the back door, into the woods.

~XXX~

The woods were dark and green and quiet. The only sound was the crunch of leaves and twigs under Antonio's feet as he treaded up the wooded hill. Occasionally he would see a bird, or some animal would rustle some leaves, but that was all. And then, Antonio heard the gurgling of water. Excitedly he followed the sound, and came upon something that took his breath away. An old abandoned stone cottage. It was Crumbling and broken and covered in green ivy. Chunks were missing, there was no roof, and the small stream passed right beside it. It was almost buried in green, and it was beautiful. Eyes sparkling, Antonio ran to the cottage. It was nothing more than rubble, and only a few walls are still standing, but it was breathtaking. He checked out some holes in the walls, debating whether or not he should explore inside when he heard it; crying. Startled, he backed away from the house and stood quietly. He heard soft sobs coming from inside the abandoned cottage. And then without a second thought, he slipped into a crack in the wall and ended up in the house, determined to find the source of the crying. It wasn't a large cottage which made the task rather easy. Once inside, he looked around. The fact that there was no roof means sunlight was cast right into the cottage, which allowed for moss and ferns and even some wildflowers to grow here; and, apparently, a child.

The small child was curled around himself, hugging his knees to his chest and burying his face in his arms, sobbing. He was sitting in a patch of bright green ferns, the sun giving his brown hair a reddish tint, and there was an odd curl atop his head. Antonio was confused, why was a child all alone out here? (Ignoring the fact that he himself was a child)

"Hello?" He called out in English. The child snapped his head up and locked his olive green eyes with Antonio's before bursting into tears again. "I'm sorry!" He reverted back to Spanish, "Please don't cry! I won't hurt you!" He walked cautiously over to the mysterious child in the ferns and sat down next to him. "Are you hurt? Is that why you're crying?"

To his surprise when the child responded, it wasn't in English or Spanish. It sounded similar to Spanish though. But Antonio still had no idea what the child was saying. Or rather, screaming. Had he been speaking English Antonio could have figured it out, maybe. But this new language… he really had no clue. Once the mysterious child had stopped screaming in this foreign language he sat quietly, hiccupping softly.

"Are you hungry?" He tried again. "Would you like a tomato?" The child stared at him blankly as Antonio unzipped his backpack, and pulled out one of the ripe tomatoes. "I used to cry when I was hungry too!" He handed it to the younger boy who looked at it suspiciously. Antonio took out another tomato for himself figuring that if he ate one the other child would know they were edible. He took a big bite of the juicy fruit, grinning at the familiar taste. He forgot he was supposed to despise these particular tomatoes. Then he turned to his companion, watching him turn the tomato over in his small hands, examining it. Gingerly he took a small bite, chewing slowly, his face scrunched up in thought. Then to Antonio's utter relief and joy, the child, eyes wide with wonder as he looked at the tomato, took a few more ravenous bites. He finished the tomato rather quickly before turning to Antonio and extending his small hand.

Antonio realized he was asking for another tomato. Smiling brightly he handed the boy another, watching him munch happily on his new treat. "They're good, right? The ones I grew in Spain were better though," he told the child, even though he knew the younger boy probably didn't understand a word he was saying. Once the child had finished his second tomato, Antonio decided it was time for introductions. "My name is Antonio!" He said, pointing to himself. The child looked confused and cocked his head to the side, red lips pouting. "Antonio." He repeated, pointing to himself.

"Antonio?" The child repeated, and Antonio nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! What about you?" He pointed to the other child.

The other boys olive green eyes lit up with understanding. "L-Lovino," He answered.

"Lovino?" Antonio repeated, and the other boy nodded. "Lovino!" He exclaimed happily, standing up. He really wished he could understand his new friend (because anyone who liked tomatoes must be his friend). Antonio turned to Lovino and extended his hand. The boy glared at him and jutted out his bottom lip before cautiously taking Antonio's hand and allowing himself to be pulled up. Antonio found himself wondering why Lovino had been crying, but was just excited that he had stopped (although his eyes were still rimmed with red and his chubby cheeks had tear stains).

Suddenly, Lovino's eyes widened and he pointed to a couple of wildflowers. Antonio looked too, and was surprised to find a rather large, orange butterfly!

"Farfalla!" Lovino said, and Antonio had no clue what that meant, but he assumed it was butterfly in whatever language his new friend was speaking.

"Mariposa," Antonio said in Spanish, just so he could compare the two words. Lovino just glared at Antonio and pulled his hand away from the older boy before turning and slowly walking over to the butterfly. However, when he got too close the butterfly flapped its papery wings and rose into the sky. Lovino yelled something angrily in his language, and Antonio realized he wanted to catch the butterfly! Quickly, he grabbed Lovino's hand again and pulled him out of the stone cottage, intent on chasing after the butterfly. Lovino caught on, and the two chased the butterfly around the stone cottage, laughing and giggling, and although neither could understand a word the other said they were having fun.

However, when the butterfly flew over the small stream Antonio could not stop in time and tumbled into the water with a splash. He wasn't hurt, just stunned for a second. But then he looked up at Lovino, who was standing at the edge of the stream and laughing. Laughing! Antonio supposed that maybe he should feel offended, seeing how Lovino was laughing at his expense, but instead he just felt giddy. The grumpy and sad child was laughing, and it was one of the best sounds in the world (according to Antonio). Antonio started laughing too, and without thinking cupped his hands with water and splashed Lovino. Lovino stopped laughing and looked shocked and for a moment. Antonio was worried. Had he ruined it? Would Lovino start crying again? But to his utter relief (and surprise) Lovino jumped into the shallow stream too! He cupped his hands and started splashing Antonio back, and soon the two were splashing about in the stream, soaking wet and muddy. But soon their attention was caught on the small fish tickling their legs, and they redirected their efforts into trying to catch one (to no avail).

~XXX~

Antonio wasn't sure how long he and Lovino had been playing, when they suddenly heard a loud "hoot" of an owl, making them jump. Looking around, they could see the sun setting through the trees, casting long eerie shadows. And suddenly the forest didn't seem like such a nice place after all. Antonio realized then that his parents were probably worried about him, but that thought quickly vanished when he remembered that his parents were going to be mad at him… Antonio felt something on his arm and turned, startled, to find Lovino clinging to him, golden eyes wide and scared. Golden? Antonio blinked a few times, before deciding that it was the golden light of the setting sun reflecting in Lovino's eyes. But that was beside the point; Lovino looked scared. He was tugging on Antonio's now sopping red shirt, and Antonio allowed Lovino to pull him up out of the stream.

Lovino pointed up the hill, and Antonio could see some faint light. Was that where Lovino lived? Antonio vaguely remembered seeing the tall Mansion on the hill. There really weren't any other houses nearby, so that must be where Lovino was from! Antonio decided he'd walk Lovino up to his house before walking back through the forest to get to his own house. The thought of walking through the forest frightened him a little bit… Maybe he'd take the road home, even though it would take longer to get back. At least there would be street lights. So Antonio took Lovino's hand once more and the two children make their way to the top of the hill. It got harder as the sun disappeared, and every hoot and rustle of leaves and snap of a branch made the two kids jump, completely terrified. But eventually they came stumbling out of the woods, and Antonio would have been in awe of the giant mansion had it not been so dark that he couldn't even see the top of it. He was just relieved to be out of the woods.

Lovino was still holding tightly to Antonio's hand as he walked up the grand staircase to get to the front door. Once they reached the top, Lovino paused. He looked at his shoes. And then Antonio. And then the door. And then his shoes again. Then he took a step forward, reached for the door handle, and stopped. Turning, he rang the doorbell instead. There was a very loud (yet muffled) ring that seemed to echo through the whole house. Antonio and Lovino stood silently, hands still clasped together as they waited. Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps and the door swing open revealing a frazzled young lady, who took one look at Lovino and started yelling into the house. Soon there were the sounds of more footsteps and the frazzled lady took Lovino's arm, yanking him inside the house and by default, Antonio too (who had been holding Lovino's hand). Soon the two boys were surrounded by people, who Antonio realized were maids and butlers. Everyone was talking in either rapid English or the new language and Antonio had absolutely no clue what was going on.

The one thing he did notice is that they all seemed to be yelling at Lovino and the poor boy looked just about ready to burst into tears. That made Antonio mad. How dare these people upset his new friend after he had worked so hard to get him to smile!? Quickly, he tugged Lovino behind him and glared at all the yelling adults. Only then did they actually realize Antonio was there, and they started yelling at him! Overwhelmed and angry, the Spaniard shouted, "Shut up! I can't understand any of you! Leave us alone!" Everyone was quiet for a second, exchanging confused glances. Who was this child and why was he speaking Spanish?

Suddenly there were more footsteps and a man came rushing down the stairs. He was tall and well-built with a scruffy beard and olive-toned complexion. He was yelling, no… He wasn't yelling he just had a very loud and booming voice that seemed to command the attention of everyone in the room. The only thing Antonio could make out was Lovino's name, being said over and over. The man pushed past all of the servants, and suddenly Lovino was snatched up from behind Antonio. He swung Lovino around and cooed his name and honestly looked like he was about to cry. Antonio stood quietly and watched as the man and Lovino spoke to each other, and suddenly Lovino looked about ready to cry too. The man gave Lovino a tight hug before placing him in the arms of the frazzled looking woman, who quickly carried him off down a hallway. And suddenly all eyes were on Antonio.

The man was saying something to him in English and Antonio looked at him dumbly. Then one of the servants whispered something in the man's ear and he turned back to Antonio with a big grin on his face.

"Who are you and how on earth did you find my little Lovino?" Antonio paused. That was Spanish! He understood it! This man spoke Spanish!

"My, my name is Antonio!" He said quickly. "We… I met him in the woods. You speak Spanish?"

The man laughed loudly, "Yes, Spanish, Italian, English, French and German. My name is Romulus Vargas, I am Lovino's Grandpa." Then Romulus barked something at the servants and they all dispersed. "Now, Antonio, do your parents know where you are?" Antonio shook his head. "What's their phone number? I shall call them to let them know that you are safe." Antonio raddled off his home phone number off the top of his head. Romulus translated it into English for a servant and they disappeared around the corner to call Antonio's parents. Romulus turned back to Antonio. "Let's go sit down shall we?" He lead Antonio into another giant room. It was warm and only then does Antonio realize how cold he is in his wet clothes. And he was getting mud everywhere.

Romulus seemed to sense what he was thinking and smiled at him. "Don't worry about the mud; it can be cleaned up with no problem." Romulus sat on the plush couch and Antonio took the love seat opposite him. Out of nowhere a servant appeared and handed Antonio a blanket. He curled up with it without thinking. "Now, Antonio, Tell me. What were you doing out in the woods in the first place?"

"I got in trouble at school," he admitted. He's not sure why but he didn't feel like lying to Romulus. "I went out into the woods to avoid my parents… I hoped that when I came home they wouldn't be mad, I guess…"

"I see." Romulus muttered. "Why were you in trouble?"

Again, Antonio didn't feel like lying. "I can't really speak any English… I get made fun of at school and I… I just got tired of being picked on. So I started fighting back. I was fighting with a kid over the swing…"

"What do the teachers do about this?" He asked, generally sounding very curious.

"Nothing," Antonio said bitterly. "They don't know what to do with me. It's not a good school and it doesn't have any special classes to help kids who don't speak English…"

Romulus looked outraged. "That is unacceptable! All should be able to accommodate foreign students! We should embrace cultural differences!" He stood up abruptly, took out his phone and said, "I will be right back!" He was dialing a number as he left the room, and Antonio was left on his own in the grand… living room was it? Despite how big it was, it felt warm and inviting and Antonio realized just how tired he was. He let out a yawn and snuggled farther under the blanket.

Antonio was almost about to drift off to sleep when he heard the clacking of heels and looked up to see the frazzled looking lady. She doesn't look quite as frazzled now and even smiles at Antonio. Then she hands him a glass of milk and a plate of gooey warm chocolate chip cookies.

"Thank you." She said in English, and Antonio at least knew what that meant. He's not sure why he's thanked, but the cookies smelled delicious. The young woman left the room and Antonio was back to being alone. He ate all of the cookies and drank all the milk at a rapid speed (he hadn't realized how hungry he was). He was setting the empty glass and plate on the coffee table when Romulus waltz's back in, looking very pleased with himself.

"Antonio my friend, I have a proposition for you!" Antonio cocks his head, curious. "I so happen to be the headmaster of World Academy, have you heard of it?" Antonio shakes his head. "It's a giant school for very gifted children from all over the world! I founded it with the intent that students could come together and learn about different cultures! It has three different school buildings. Elementary, middle and high school! And then there is a college division on the other side of town, but it's all very local! How would you like to attend?"

Antonio was dumbfounded. World Academy? There's no way Antonio's parents would be able to afford that! "I-I'm sorry sir, but I don't think my family can afford that…"

Romulus laughed. "That's why I'm offering a scholarship! I see really great potential in you, Antonio. Anyone that my grandson gets so attached to must be a very good person. It has one of the best language courses in the world; you can learn English in no time!"

Antonio was shocked. He may be young, but he knew what an offer like this meant.

"Of course, I would need you to do a few things for me." Romulus continued. "No more getting in fights. We don't have any tolerance for violence at World Academy. But that shouldn't be too hard; I don't really see you as a violent person, Antonio."

Antonio can't believe this person has that much faith in him. "I… I have to ask my parents."

"Of course! I'll tell them all about it! I do believe that they said they were coming to pick you up, so it won't be long. We can chat until they arrive!"

"Okay," Antonio agreed. "Why was Lovino in the forest?"

Romulus looked startled, before letting out a laugh. "Ah, we had a very rough day… I'll tell you about it some other time. But we were so worried about him! I can't thank you enough for bringing him back!"

"It's not like he ran away…" Antonio mumbled, "He just needed to be on his own."

Romulus smiled. "Of course. But I'm glad he wasn't alone. He is a very shy child, doesn't open up to others easily… But he's already become very attached to you!" Just then the grand doorbell rang and a servant rushed to go answer it.

A few seconds later Antonio's mom and dad are led into the living room. They looked like fish out of water, being in such a large and expensive home. Their eyes darted around the room, probably adding up the cost of everything, until their eyes fell on Antonio. Antonio's mom rushed over to him and plucked him up off the couch swinging him around.

"Antonio, do you know how worried we were! We almost called the police! Don't ever do that again, do you hear me!?" His mom scolds, holding him close. "You're so cold!" She gasped, "And your clothes are wet!"

"I know mamma, I'm sorry… I'm sorry papa… I was in the woods and I fell in a stream." Antonio's mom set him down and his father stepped up, ruffling his hair.

"I know kiddo, we were just so worried… And your teacher called and said you were in a fight on the playground and got hurt, and we didn't know how hurt and we just…! We were so worried." He kneeled down and pulled Antonio into a tight hug. When he let go, both Antonio's mom and dad turned to Romulus, and Antonio returned to his spot on the couch.

"Thank you so much Mr…?" Antonio's mom asks.

"Romulus Vargas! Just call me Romulus! I don't believe I know your names either."

"Maria and Daniel Fernandez Carriedo," Antonio's mom introduced them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Romulus said, flashing them a smile. "You have a wonderful son. My grandson was lost in the forest and Antonio brought him back!" Antonio noted that that really wasn't true, but kept his mouth shut. So instead he just grinned at his parents. "Truly, he is a very smart young man! And I would like him to attend World Academy!" Antonio's parents were speechless. Romulus started walking, beckoning for Antonio's parents to follow. They did so, open mouthed and looking life fish. "I already have all the papers and everything, come with me to my study and I shall explain all of it!" And Antonio was left alone again.

Antonio must have drifted off because suddenly his father was shaking his shoulder. "C'mon Toni, let's go home and get you to bed." Groggily, Antonio got off the couch and followed his mother and father to the front door. They were saying their goodbye's to Romulus when Antonio saw Lovino walk into the room. He'd been bathed and changed into a white nightgown and was carrying something. He walked forward, looking at the ground, and pushed what he was holding into Antonio's arms. Antonio just looked at Lovino, and decided that under this lighting his eyes are a pretty hazel, with flecks of green and gold. Then he looked down at what Lovino gave him, and was surprised to find it was a small turtle plushy. When he looked back up at Lovino, he found him scurrying away to stand behind his grandfather, blushing a bright red. Antonio thought he looked just like one of the tomatoes they ate earlier. Smiling, he clutched the gift to his chest and allowed his parents to lead him out to the car. He fell asleep on the drive back home.

Tah-dah! That is the first chapter! Reviews and constructive criticism are encouraged and welcome. I don't have a beta or anyone to proofread for me, so there are bound to be a lot of grammatical errors. (I accidentally switch from past to present tense all the time.) Thank you so much for reading!