Read the A/N at the bottom!

Warnings: Language, I think, and failed attempts at humor

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters mentioned.

Thanks to SimplySalted for being my lovely beta reader!

EDIT: Now with cover art by the loveeely gaby (dame-mas-gaby on tumblr)! thanks babe c:!

Antonio sighed in relief as the last customer had finally decided to abandon their seat in the corner of the shop and made their way out into the chilly winter night. Shuffling as fast as he could towards the door, he flipped the sign to closed, before making his way to gather the trash that the customer had left behind at their table.

For most of the night, he had been on his own. Emma had left for a trip with her boyfriend sometime after noon, and since then, he hadn't had a chance to relax as a steady stream of patrons seemed to flow through the door. Balancing the plates and cups in his hands, he made his way quickly back to the sink.

Antonio let his mind wander as he scrubbed the plate clean, dreaming about being able to head home to relax and enjoy the leftover pasta that Lovino had made for him when the chime of the bell above the door shook him from his thoughts. Without even bothering to look up from the stubborn stain he was working on removing, he simply called out "Sorry, we're closed for the night!"

A scoff, followed quickly by a voice that he'd become accustomed with over the two years and the familiar click of the lock on the door being turned, sounded from the other side of the shop, causing Antonio to turn his head so fast he was sure he'd given himself whiplash. "You're going to get robbed one night if you're not careful, idiot."

A grin spread across Antonio's face as he examined the man standing in the middle of the shop, illuminated by the dimmed overhead lights, and wrapped in a thick coat and scarf. "Lovino! You didn't tell me you were going to stop by tonight!"

The Italian scoffed again, face flushed slightly red- from the cold, or embarrassment, Antonio couldn't tell-, reaching a hand up to ruffle his windblown hair back into place as he spoke. "Yeah, I didn't know I was either. I finished my paper earlier than I thought I would, and decided to walk by to see if you were still here."

Antonio laughed, grabbing a towel and drying his hands off as he walked away from the sink and towards the counter. "Well, I wish you would have called me first. If I hadn't been here, you would have walked out of your way for no reason. What if I had been gone already?"

Lovino approached the counter, leaning against it casually, "Well, you were here, and that's all that matters. Now, are you going to make me something to drink, or are you just going to stand there gawking at me?"

"But I said we're closed, Lovinito, why should I give you special treatment?" Antonio teased, laughing at he grabbed a cup from the bottom shelf to make Lovino a hot drink anyways. "The usual, I presume?"

Lovino was silent for a few seconds, clicking his nails against the counter absentmindedly, before sighing. "A hot chocolate would be fine, actually. It's too late for caffeine." Antonio hummed in agreement, before silently putting together the drink, making sure to add a special shot of liquid marshmallows that he knew Lovino loved. Placing the cup down on the counter and clicking a lid on, Antonio leaned against his side of the counter and snuck a quick kiss onto Lovino's lips.

Lovino sputtered quietly in annoyance, murmuring a "took you long enough, stupid," before grabbing the cup and taking a drink. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, Antonio flittering around, cleaning the machines and finishing the dishes that were resting in the sink before he stretched his arms above his head in happiness.

"I don't know about you, but I've had a long day," the last word stretched out into a yawn as he reached behind his back to untie his apron. "You're more than welcome to come over if you want, it's Saturday tomorrow, so I know you don't have class, and it's too late for you to head home on a bus."

Lovino sighed, drumming his fingers against the side of his cup as he watched Antonio finish getting ready to leave. "If you don't mind. They aren't expecting me home tonight anyway; I was just going to sleep at the computer lab at school."

Antonio gasped in false horror, even though he knew it was common for his boyfriend to do things like that, and reached across the counter to grab the other's hands. "Then I'm glad I was here! Imagine, you sleeping in an uncomfortable chair instead of a comfortable bed!" Antonio smiled as the other attempted to hide his own grin, and failed to do so.

"If you're talking about your bed being comfortable, then you're lying. That thing is the most uncomfortable piece of shit I've ever had the unfortunate pleasure of sleeping upon!"

Antonio pulled his hands back, placing them over his chest as though he'd been stabbed through the heart by his words. "Oh my, and you haven't said anything over the last half a year that you've been staying over and sleeping on it with me! How could you keep this from me, Lovi? I'm hurt!"

Lovino couldn't stop his laughter from bubbling upwards as he reached forward and hit Antonio on the shoulder playfully. "You're such a liar, I'm pretty sure I've told you this more times than I can count!"

Antonio exaggeratingly shook his head, and quickly made his way around the counter so he stood next to Lovino, a goofy grin spread across his face. He reached down and took Lovino's hand in his own before squeezing it. "Well, at least sleeping with me is better than sleeping on some hard computer chair. I know you've been working hard all week, and this is the first time I've gotten a chance to even see you."

Lovino squeezed his hand back, a smile on his face as well. "Yeah, my professors are kicking my ass here with all these assignments. Two of them want portfolios of new works, and another wants two ten paged research papers, all before the end of the semester in two weeks. I haven't even gotten to start on the damned photographs for the one!" Lovino groaned in frustration, and for the first time since he'd entered the shop, Antonio could see just how worn the other was, and made a small noise in sympathy.

"Well, how about we go back to my place, have a nice dinner, and just relax tonight, and I can help you with your portfolio, maybe?"

Lovino snorted in amusement, but nodded in agreement. "Just maybe you can. My teacher's a nut, and decided the topic for the final portfolio is the things that we love." Antonio could see his ears tint pink as he spoke, and had to stifle laughter.

"Ah, I think that maybe I can help you on that one, huh?" Lovino simply shrugged his shoulders, and turned away from the other. "But for now, let me get my coat, and we can go relax at my place!" He let go of the other's hand, and turned around to go get his things from the back room. Quickly putting on his coat, he hurried back to the other, and smiled as the other grabbed his hand before he could.

"Let's get going, shall we?"

Oh god. What's this? I'm updating at a regular pace? Madness, I say! Orz! I didn't expect that much feedback, so I hope was good for you all! Thank you for all your nice reviews!

I wanted this to be longer but meh I did the best I could. I actually wrote this BEFORE I wrote the last chapter. I felt as though I needed to write a bridge between chapter (and a few people had asked me if I was going to write their first date!) so this is what ended up happening. Also, I realized I never said this but, Emma's boyfriend, mentioned in this chapter but not in detail, is Switzerland.

This takes place about a year after the last chapter. They'd known each other for an entire year before they'd even gone out on a date together. Slow and steady, it seems heh.

As for what they do when they get back to Antonio's is up to you. (My beta reader had her guesses, as she eloquently put it: "They gon' do it.")

I don't know if I'm ever going to write anything else for this verse. If I get inspired, maybe, but for now it's complete.

Reviews are loved, let me know if you have any questions (or maybe even ideas, that are preferably of the T rated standard because I can't write M rated things to save my life), and please tell me if you spot any serious grammar mistakes, as I always tend to miss some and do not find them until months later!

Until next time!

~Frost