One year later

It wasn't really much of a welcome home party for Antonio. The kitchen had a limp 'Welcome back!' banner just about taped to the wall, and an equally pathetic bunch of multicoloured balloons wrapped around the door handle, one of which had deflated entirely – not to mention the cup of glitter that had been thrown (or more likely dropped) all over the kitchen worktop. It was tired, it was cheap, it was plain and yet Antonio was still over-joyed to see the meagre decorations, because it meant that he was home. He could see his under-enthusiastic brother and his over-enthusiastic sister, his mother, who had trouble seeing anything further away than her fingernails even with her glasses on, and his father, who had to deal with his mother, sister and brother on a regular basis.

But this year his Summer Welcome Home 'party' was going to be the best he would ever experience, because Antonio had managed to badger Lovino into coming to visit his family for the first time. It had taken far more wheedling and whining than he had either imagined or ever wanted, but both him and his boyfriend were finally at his home. He had just hoped that Lovino would eventually relax enough to enjoy himself; over a year of dating the closed off young man had taught Antonio that although Lovino acted tough, he became terribly shy when he encountered something he hadn't dealt with before.

But Antonio was in for a pleasant surprise. When his sister opened the door to greet them, Lovino had not whined, groused, or even frowned in any way, instead becoming polite and charming in the way he only usually was with people he was comfortable with being around. Even after only a quick introduction, it seemed likely that Lovino and his sister were well on their way to becoming friends.

"Lovino, this is Maya, my sister. Maya, this is Lovino, my boyfriend! Please, don't scare him off like you did with Ryan..." Antonio stood between the two of them, his smile sunny but wavering. Maya was a lot to take in for anyone who hadn't met her before; her dress was handmade, her combat boots laced up all the way to her knees and her dark hair was braided with a selection of bells and ribbons. But Lovino took it in stride, and held out a hand for Maya to shake, huffing out a quiet laugh as he did so.

"It's lovely to meet you, Maya. Your dress is very beautiful, did you make it yourself?" Maya looked Lovino up and down with a critical eye. Deciding for whatever reason that she accepted him, she shook his offered hand with a flourish and a winning smile that perfectly matched her brother's.

"Sí, Lovino, thank you for your kind words! Now, I'm sure you are fed up to the back teeth with my brother's incessant nattering, so please, come in and have a drink." All three headed inside into the kitchen, where Lovino laughed at the spilled glitter and Antonio slowly fell back into the familiar rhythms that come with being surrounded by family.

They met with Antonio's mother and father in an old-fashioned dining room. It wasn't an enormous space, but it was cold and airy from lack of use. However, it was the only space big enough to fit six people comfortably, so they'd made do. Six hard backed armchairs were arranged in a circle around the room, two of which were occupied by Antonio's parents. They were both sat next to each other and spoke in hushed voices, reserved but relaxed. Maya rapped her knuckles on the door frame to announce their presence, and Antonio's mother stood up from her chair, placing her drink in her husband's hand.

"Antonio! You're here, at last. And, oh, you must be Lovino? I've heard so much about you! Call me Noa." She wrapped Antonio in a hug and he closed his eyes, smiling softly. He missed his family dreadfully during his months away, since he couldn't afford to visit on regular weekends as many of his peers did. When he opened his eyes, he noticed the grey roots of his mother's hair and sighed. He was losing touch with them all and it hurt to think that he might lose them altogether.

Lovino looked down at his feet when they broke apart, and scuffed his shoes on the floor. Despite his shy appearance, Antonio could see the smile turning up his lips.

"I've heard a lot about you too. I'm glad I was invited." he said. Noa smiled, eyes warm, and looked Lovino up and down. Her mind made up, she whisked him into a hug that was just as tight as Antonio's had been, and whispered in his ear when he'd stopped floundering.

"You'll be good for my Toni. I can feel it."

She broke the hug and held Lovino out by his biceps.

Lovino felt the corners of lips turn up, not quite a smile, but nearly.

"I hope so." he murmured, and when he saw the delighted expression on Antonio's face, he knew that whatever it took, he'd do his damn best to keep hold of that smile forever.

It was brighter than the sunshine, and Lovino wanted nothing more than blue skies for the rest of his days.

AN - And this is it. A journey and a half, much! My first (decent) multi-chaptered fic of over two chapters completed, with nearly 4k views at the current standing! I never believed I'd get this far, so THANK YOU. :)