He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (Revelation 21:4)

"Dude, this is going to be freaking sick! I so call the dressing up part!"

"Gilbert owns a motorcycle, and I do not believe he will mind helping out. The problem will be getting that flag. Do they even make flags that big?"

"Please don't make me yell…"

"You don't have to, Matthew! We can get the flag and the outfit on the Internet, oh, oh! I want to do the bullhorn part! Can I, fratello? Can I?"

Lovino's eyes flickered back and forth between the chattering group members, unsure whether he should regret ever vocalizing the ridiculous idea that was now being referred to as 'The Plan,' or if he should be over the moon with excitement. In the first twenty minutes of that Sunday's group meeting, his relatively simple and poorly thought out idea had spiraled into what could either be the disaster of the decade or the best thing he would ever do in his life.

After the details had been slopped together into something that could actually work, Lovino realized it just might be both. When Antonio gave him a reassuring smile that contained something that looked almost to be pride, Lovino realized that was exactly what his life had become: a wonderful, ridiculous disaster. And he wouldn't change a damn thing.

.

Lovino almost expected Roma to be mad when he and Feliciano told him about 'The Plan.' He wouldn't have done it if they didn't need to explain why they would be gone all next Saturday. He expected Roma to roll his eyes, or groan, or lecture them on how ridiculous and childish the whole thing was. What they got was exactly the opposite. By the time they finished explaining, Roma was in tears. He was clutching his stomach, roaring with laughter- at one point; he broke out in what was almost applause.

"Boys!" he finally managed to say. "That may be just about the best thing I've ever heard! Mio dio, I'm so damn proud of you two."

Feliciano giggled, a wild smile having broken out on his face. "You mean you aren't mad? Lovino really thought you would be mad."

Roma stifled the rest of his laugher and shook his head, smiling still. "Of course not. The only reason I would be mad is if no one filmed it." He wiped a tear from his eye and shook his head in amusement. "I would go see it personally, but that crowd would eat an old guy like me alive."

"Twenty bucks says we'll be on the damn news," grumbled Lovino, though he could not say he wasn't smiling himself.

"We can only hope." Roma looked them in the eye and grinned in way that absolutely screamed mischief. "Give them hell, boys. Make those bastards regret every hateful thing they've ever done."

.

The day had come.

Lovino felt a sickening nervousness twist through his blood as he sat in the church's van, surrounded by his group members, a couple people he didn't know, and the stacks of signs spewing vile messages in big, bold letters piled by his feet. He wondered where these signs had even come from. Was there someone sitting in the church basement like a hobbit, cackling evilly while they mass-produced these things? Was there a website titled 'bigoted signs 'r' us?' He supposed it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was these things existed, and Lovino felt somewhat responsible for irradiating their existence.

He had the displeasure of reading a couple of them: God Hates Fags. Sin and Shame, Not Pride. Or simply, bluntly: You're going to hell. It had taken all the willpower Lovino possessed not to punch holes straight through them. This urge only intensified when he saw Antonio's breath catch when he saw them, the hurt in his eyes they caused. The only thing that both stopped him and distracted Antonio was the promise of The Plan, which would very quickly begin to take action.

There was one worry that seemed to snuff out all the others. It was greater than his fears that The Plan wouldn't work, or that he would be humiliated, or anything of the sort. Lovino was terrified of the response they would get when the general public believed they were all with these people. He feared the disgusted sneers, the possibly violent reaction, and most of all- the looks of hurt and fear. Being lumped in with people like Father O'Brian was his worst nightmare.

The minute the van was parked, Lovino's heart rate about doubled. The thought hit like a bolt of lightening: this could fail. This could fail so, so miserably; to the point where they didn't even get their point across. There was a chance that Father O'Brian could win, and this event would be ruined. If that happened, what would be next? Would next year's event be ruined? What about the year after that; and beyond then? No. Lovino closed his eyes briefly as the people they did not know filed out of the van, leaving only his group. In that moment, he made a decision. This would not fail, because he would not allow it to.

The door closed, leaving them alone, and the small space burst into a flurry of conversation and confusion. Antonio unzipped the backpack he had been resting on his lap, pulled out a plastic bag containing a costume, and threw it at Alfred. The wild look in his eyes suggested he was more desperate than any of them for this to work. "Okay. Alfred, change in here. Try to stay away from the windows so no one notices you. Did we get your sign?"

"Yep!" Alfred rifled through the remaining stack of horrible posters and retrieved the one they had managed to sneak in. He held it out in front of him triumphantly, earning a laugh from the others when they read the ridiculous words it contained. "Dude, I'm so psyched! This is going to be amazing!"

Antonio smiled for the first time since that morning. "I believe it will be, too." The moment of serenity passed, and he went back to speaking in rapid-fire sentences. "Do you all know what to do? Remember, Gilbert and Francis arriving on the motorcycle is our cue. Alfred, that's your signal to come out. Listen for the engine. Don't worry; it's loud. Remember your pairs. I'm with Lovi, Ludwig is with Feliciano, and Matthew will be with Francis. Oh, Feli, do you have your script? Gilbert is bringing the bullhorn-"

Lovino waved his hands in front of himself. "Antonio. Relax," he said. "I made sure Feliciano has the script, not that he'll actually need the damn thing. He hasn't stopped reading it out-loud since the moment you gave it to him. Everything is fine, alright?"

To prove the point, Feliciano reached into his pocket and fished out the neatly folded piece of paper that they had spent a good two hours coming up with and typing out. "See, Toni? I've got it! I have other things I want to say too, so I promise I won't stop talking for a second!"

Lovino rolled his eyes. "Shocker."

Antonio laughed at that, the worry and tension finally disappearing from his face. "Great, Feli! Wonderful!"

Matthew picked up one of the church's signs and grimaced. "Do we really need to hold these things? People are going to think we're evil."

"Only for a moment," Ludwig interjected.

"That's right." Antonio pinched the corner of a sign gingerly, as if he was afraid it would infect him. "With any luck, this will be the last time we ever have to look at them." Finally, he looked up, pure determination in his eyes. "Ready?"

The answer was unanimous. "Ready!"

Finally, a call and response Lovino was okay with.

.

As expected, the beginning was terrible.

Lovino felt hundreds of accusing eyes boring into him, burning his skin, and grouping him in with the most heartless people he had ever met. He was sure that he had never been this ashamed, this utterly humiliated in his entire life. The cardboard of the sign he held singed his fingers, the tears Feliciano was obviously holding back broke his heart, the heated debate going on between the more spirited protesters and the innocent people in the crowd caused his ears to ring. It wasn't even so much a debate as it was a jumble of slurs and obscenities of varying intensity.

It almost became too much. He almost wanted to run, almost thought that whatever they would do could never make up for the damage already done. But a small smile and knowing wink from Antonio kept Lovino firm in his stance. He just wished that Gilbert and Francis would show up already, just wished this nightmare would give way to the dream he had promised himself.

The sound of an approaching motorcycle might as well have been a choir of angels. Through all the shouting, arguing and motorcycle sounds, Antonio's voice somehow managed to cut through it all. "GO!"

It all seemed to happen in a blur of excitement and mass confusion. Hateful signs being thrown into oblivion like Frisbees, Francis throwing things out of Gilbert's backpack, people chattering to each other in a mixture of excitement and confusion, some dropping to their knees and others climbing onto shoulders. As Lovino managed to clamor onto Antonio, his thoughts became words before he even realized it.

"What the hell are we doing?" he said even though he already knew. Antonio laughed wildly as he stood up. Lovino nearly fell, but was steadied under Antonio's grip on his legs. He rested his hands in Antonio's wild curls for balance. "I regret starting this, this is so ridiculous, if you drop me, bastard, I swear to god!"

"Lovino, relax! I would never drop you. Besides, the best things in life-"

"Are often ridiculous," said Lovino, finding that it was necessary to scream if he wanted to be heard in the midst of the chaos around him. He could repeat the words in his sleep. The anxiety he had been feeling was released in a laugh, and he messed vigorously with Antonio's hair. "I get it! You need new material!"

Antonio laughed again, likely at the confused, baffled expressions of the people around them. Before Lovino could even see for himself, he saw a rainbow colored object fly towards his face. He drove for it immediately, nearly falling off Antonio in the process, but managed to grab hold of it. Acting on adrenaline alone, he unrolled it, held tightly to one end, met Matthew's gaze from where he was sitting on Francis several yards away and flung the other end towards him. He caught it, and what was possibly the largest rainbow flag in existence was now stretched in front of the protestors, covering those who still insisted on holding signs. Lovino laughed again, filled with a blinding happiness he never thought possible. This was actually working.

The obvious confusion from Father O'Brian and his minions only increased. Nothing could prepare them, however, for Alfred. Lovino caught sight of him running towards them, nearly tripping over the white robes he wore, barely recognizable now that he was wearing a fake beard and long wig. He stood breathless in front of the flag, extended his arms above his head and revealed the sign he was holding. In big, bold letters, it read: I'M NOT WITH THESE PEOPLE.

Feliciano was sitting on Ludwig's shoulders, laughing madly at Alfred-Jesus to the point that Ludwig had to keep him from falling. He was clutching the bullhorn Francis had thrown him, the one he likely didn't need. He looked at Lovino, his eyes wide and asking for permission. Lovino's next words were instinctual. "Feli, go!" He looked down at Antonio as Feliciano pulled the paper from his pocket, and took advantage of the last few seconds quiet enough for him to be heard. "They're going to be able to hear him in Australia with that damned thing!"

"Good!" cried Antonio. That was the last thing he had time to say.

"Hey, everyone!" shouted Feliciano into the bullhorn. Now that he was raised above the dense crowd, everyone instantly looked at him. He pointed accusingly at the people now covered by the large flag. "Why do you guys have to ruin everyone's good time? I mean come on, really! Get with the times, you, you…" He paused and looked at the paper he held, searching for the correct word. "Fascists!"

As if someone had flipped a switch, the bystanders suddenly and collectively understood what was happening. Upon realizing that Antonio's group was overthrowing the protest, they broke out into wild cheers. Feliciano smiled brightly and continued. "You know, you guys should really read your own bible. You say Leviticus condemns homosexuality? Well, you know what else it condemns? Shaving! Shellfish! Mixing fabrics!" There was another break for cheering. Feliciano scoped out the crowd and finally locked eyes with the Father, whose face had turned a furious red. "Sorry, O'Brian, I guess you'll be going to hell with all of us for those cotton-polyester blend robes you wear!"

"Unbelievable," muttered Lovino under his breath. This was actually happening. No matter what he did, he could not seem to stop smiling.

Feliciano continued on, and it was not until the middle of his rehearsed spiel that the other members of the church, the ones who actually agreed with the protest, fully grasped what was going on. People who they thought were with them had turned on them in the most dramatic, obnoxious and public way possible. Once it hit them, they tried to move, tried to break past the rainbow force field and continue being awful, but their attempts were futile.

Every time someone tried to step beyond the boundary, they were met with a series of things: Alfred whacking at them with his sign, all while screaming, "The power of Christ compels you!," Francis throwing a handful of legitimate rose petals at their faces, or Gilbert revving his engine to a deafening level and charging at them on the bike with far more speed than what was actually necessary. They tried to continue screaming about fire and brimstone, but Feliciano's speech and Gilbert's motorcycle proved to be too powerful of a combination.

Lovino thought he would never stop smiling. With a flushed face and a rapidly pounding heart, he felt a wild, consuming rush of ecstasy fill his veins as he watched his brother ramble on, absolutely destroying the logic on the church. He realized with yet another jolt of happiness that they were free. After all the months of pain, after that awful day at confession, after the retreat from hell, after the way they caused Feliciano to feel and after all of it nearly stole Antonio from the world- it was over. It was finally over. Lovino vocalized the thought before he realized he was doing it. "It's over!" he exclaimed. "Antonio, it's over!"

But it was not quite over. Before Antonio had time to respond, Lovino caught sight of O'Brian approaching them in a huff. "Antonio." His voice was filled with absolute disgust. "What in the hell is going on? Are you behind this?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Lovino could not see his face, but Antonio sounded as if he were trying desperately not to burst out laughing. "This protest is going well, yes? I think it's going quite well! My boyfriend…" he nearly sang the word, then paused in a way he probably thought was dramatic, "…thinks it's going amazingly! Isn't that right, Lovi?"

Lovino felt his face flush, but the happiness that filled him to the brim allowed no room for embarrassment or petty anger. He nearly choked on his own laughter when he saw the man's face contort in pure frustration and rage. "You'll burn in hell, Carriedo!" he said. "You're fired!"

Antonio clapped a hand to his chest and gasped in mock horror. "Oh, no! You mean I won't be able to work around you lovely people anymore? What a shame!" he said in overdramatic, obviously falsified hysteria. When he continued, he spoke calmly. "Well, you can't exactly fire me, because I already quit. My letter of resignation should be on your desk."

O'Brian's face turned red, went blank, and finally contorted in rage. He let out a sound that sounded like something between a groan and a scream, and then stormed off in the other direction. His followers looked at each other like startled rodents, took on a collective look of resignation, then took their signs and walked off behind him. Lovino felt as if he was light enough to take flight when he realized the amazing truth: the church had lost. They had won.

"Have a nice day!" called Feliciano into the bullhorn as the protestors trudged off. Even though there was no longer anyone for him to rant at, he did not stop immediately. "Hey, everyone, can you listen up for a second? I'm almost done, I promise, I just have one more thing to say!" He did not need to say it. Feliciano already had the undivided attention of hundreds if not thousands of people. "See this guy I'm sitting on right now? Well, his name is Ludwig! Everyone say hi to Ludwig!"

There was an automatic response of 'hi, Ludwig!' Ludwig's face turned a bright scarlet. "Feliciano, what-"

Feliciano cut him off. "Ludwig may look scary, but he's actually not! He's sweet and shy and funny, even though I don't think he's funny on purpose, but that doesn't matter! Anyway, even though our old church doesn't want us to be together, he's my boyfriend and I love him more than pasta! Well, almost!"

Lovino swore that the cheers that followed the declaration were loud enough to break the sound barrier. Feliciano squirmed uncontrollably on his shoulders until Ludwig had no choice but to let him down. The minute he did, Feliciano pulled him into a kiss. Lovino quickly looked away, but felt no anger. Hey, Feliciano was happy. What more could he ask for?

"Let me down, idiot." Lovino let go of his end of the flag, and Matthew immediately flung it into the crowd. Antonio chuckled, nodded, and helped him climb down from his shoulders. Once he was on the ground again, Lovino looked into his eyes, saw the happiness they held, and regretted his next question almost before he said it. "You're out of a job. What are you going to do now?"

Antonio's smile didn't even waver. "Oh, Lovino. It was supposed to be a surprise!"

Lovino looked at him blankly. "What?"

"My interview was a week ago." Antonio instinctually reached for the end of his sleeve before realizing he was wearing a t-shirt. He chuckled at his mistake. "Anyway, I got accepted! I'm going to teach first-graders, Lovino! Isn't that amazing?"

Amazing was an understatement. Lovino could not help but grin- that job was perfect for him. Antonio was practically a child himself. The kids would love him. "God save the children." His voice held a rare hint of humor. "Try not to corrupt them, bastard."

"Hey! I did a pretty good job with you guys." Then Antonio looked around, seeing that Alfred was doing some spastic dance while a group of people cheered, Gilbert was giving a terrified Matthew a rather erratic ride on his motorcycle, and Feliciano looked to be crowd surfing while Ludwig just looked on and shook his head. Antonio turned back to Lovino and shrugged. "Okay, maybe not. At least all of you are still alive."

"Barely," said Lovino. In the middle of the absolute mutiny around him, his eyes kept going back to Antonio. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"Now that they're gone, we have fun!" Antonio took Lovino's hand in his. Lovino looked away, slightly embarrassed since they were in public, but he didn't pull away. After nearly losing him, Lovino would hold Antonio's hand no matter where they were. He would do it forever. "Let's go thank Alfred for his performance, shall we?"

Again, Lovino did not bother objecting. He was still floating on the high that the victory had evoked in him. He allowed Antonio to lead him through the crowds, random people giving them high-fives and cheering as they did so. Lovino could not make heads or tails of the sudden attention he was receiving. After all, he had only done what he felt was the right thing. Even if that was true, he could not help but feel a swelling of pride in his chest. His inane idea had made their day.

It took far longer than it should have to reach Alfred. "Alfred!" cried Antonio. "You did a fantastic job!"

"Thanks! This was a great idea, Lovino!" Before Alfred could say anything else, a blonde boy approached him. He appeared to be somewhat punk in appearance, complete with a leather jacket and skinny jeans. But Lovino barely noticed- he was too busy staring at his ridiculously large eyebrows. Alfred's eyes widened, and he broke out into a wild grin. "Arthur? What are you doing here?"

The boy- Arthur, apparently- smirked. "I think you know full well why, poppet. You simply demanded that I show up, yet you never told me why." He spoke with an accent, likely English. "Really, I should ask you why you're dressed like that."

Alfred looked down at himself in frantically as if he had forgotten about the Jesus costume. "Oh!" He blinked away his slightly embarrassed expression, put his hands on his hips and raised his chin triumphantly. "I was just overthrowing a corrupt religious organization! What do I always tell you, Artie? I'm the hero!"

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Believe me, I'm aware. You tell me at least once a day." He cocked his head to the side, seemingly in understanding. "Oh! Those blokes must have been from the church you're always going on about. I'm quite glad you broke away from that. I don't think I could have taken you calling me up crying after one of those sermons again."

Alfred balked at that, but soon regained his composure. "I wasn't crying!" he said indignantly. Arthur looked at him skeptically, and he groaned. "Alright, fine. But those were very manly tears! That guy actually hit a kid once! Right, Lovino?"

Lovino didn't want to be dragged into this, and he sure as hell didn't want to be reminded about the incident with Feliciano. He was relieved when Antonio spoke for him. "He did. But that's all behind us now."

"Wow." Arthur sounded incredulous. "That's quite…intense. I'm glad someone finally put them in their bloody place."

"Hey, what do you expect? It's me, Art! Of course I put a stop to it!" said Alfred. He glanced at Antonio and Lovino. "Oh. I had a little help, too."

Lovino rolled his eyes. Arthur just sighed and dismissed the declaration with a flippant wave of the hand. "Of course, Alfred," he said. "I do have to say, you look quite dashing in that beard."

Even through the amount of fake hair he had on, it was clear Alfred was blushing. He quickly ripped off both the beard and the wig. "I forgot I was wearing those."

Arthur almost laughed. "Well, poppet, I think I'd best be going. These crowds are ghastly."

"Oh." Alfred both looked and sounded crestfallen. "Alright."

"Oh, don't pout." With that, Arthur leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Lovino suddenly understood what Alfred had meant on the bus all those weeks ago. "Give me a ring when you finish."

Arthur turned on his heel and walked off. Alfred looked towards Lovino, and spoke as though he had read his thoughts. "See? I wasn't bullshitting you when I said I knew how Feliciano felt."

"Oh." It was all Lovino could say. He supposed he had reacted a little too harshly that time. "Sorry about that."

Alfred shrugged. "Nah, it's alright. We were all a little on edge," he said. "Anyway, thanks for coming up with this! It was amazing!"

"No problem." In the distance, Lovino spotted a familiar face. He tugged on Antonio's hand. "Come on. I want to say hi to someone."

"Oh, okay!" said Antonio. "See you later, Alfred!" He said as they started off in the other direction. "Who's here, Lovi? Are they someone I know?"

"Probably not." Lovino wasn't sure he was ready to tell Antonio about the circumstances that led him to the person he was approaching. It felt as if it had happened a lifetime ago. When he reached him, he had to look up to the point of almost straining his next in order to meet his eyes. "Uh…hi, Ivan."

Ivan looked down at him and smiled. "Lovino! What a surprise it is to see you here."

There was a voice from somewhere behind him. "Ivan, who's there? I can't see." It wasn't until then that Lovino noticed that someone was clinging to Ivan like a baby monkey. The person shifted their position so they were looking over Ivan's shoulder, and Lovino recognized him as Yao. "Oh, Lovino. We are neighbors, correct?"

Lovino nodded. Upon further inspection, he saw that Yao was wearing what appeared to be panda ears. "Nice…costume," he said, slightly confused.

Yao didn't have time to respond, since Ivan spoke first. "He is my panda. He looks very cute, da?"

"This is humiliating," mumbled Yao. "I only did this because you agreed to carry me around all day."

"Yao, hush. I do this only because I want to show you off," Ivan said. Yao rolled his eyes and groaned. Ivan ignored him and looked at Lovino again. "How are you, Lovino? I trust you are no longer going to bars?"

Lovino felt his stomach drop to his feet as he remembered that terrible, traumatizing night. He had nightmares about it on more than one occasion since it happened. He looked away, ashamed. "No. Never," he mumbled. That was definitely not a lie. He wouldn't return to that alleyway if someone paid him.

"This is good." Ivan adjusted his scarf. "I saw what you all did back there. It was, how do you kids say, badass."

Lovino choked back a laugh. "Thanks. I'm just glad the damn thing worked."

"Da. If it were not stopped, I would have stopped it myself. And it would not have been as peaceful." The statement sounded innocent enough, but the darkening in Ivan's eyes suggested the meaning behind it was anything but. Lovino felt a chill shoot down his spine.

"Ivan," Yao said warningly. "What did I tell you?"

"Really, again?" Ivan looked partially confused. He shrugged and turns towards Lovino again. "I still do not understand. Yao tells me I scare people. He says it is necessary I stop saying things that are…what was the word?"

"Intimidating," Yao said flatly. "We still have a lot of work to do."

Lovino couldn't say he doubted that.

Ivan chuckled. "Yes, dear."

"That needs to end, too."

"Hush," Ivan said again. He looked into the distance and his smile brightened. "Heavens to the Betsy! Toris is here with Feliks! We should say hello." He started forward and waved goodbye. "I will talk to you later, Lovino."

"Just don't hug him! You nearly suffocated the kid last time!" said Yao. He lifted a hand from Ivan's shoulder and waved as he was carried off. "Bye, Lovino!"

Lovino waved, both amused and perplexed by the relationship the two had. He glanced at Antonio, and the feeling diminished when he saw that his brow was furrowed in concern. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't said a word. That was nothing if not unusual. "Antonio? What's up?"

Antonio bit his lip and met Lovino's gaze. "He said something about a bar? Did something happen, Lovino?"

Lovino felt his breath catch in his throat and a faint panic tingle across his skin. Some part of him had always believed that he could keep that from Antonio forever, that he would never be forced to relive it. Oh God, what if what had happened made Antonio angry? What if it somehow destroyed everything that Lovino thought was finally going right, what if, what if… "Oh." Lovino nearly whispered it. "Well…"

Antonio gave his hand a small squeeze. "You can tell me, Lovi. It's okay."

Lovino nodded. Somehow, he believed him. He pulled him away from the raging crowds and sat on a nearby curb, only speaking when Antonio sat down. "Remember when I stopped showing up?"

Antonio nodded knowingly. "How could I forget? I was devastated."

Lovino swallowed thickly. Things like that were not helping. "Well, the first week, I decided to try something new." He tried his best to sound nonchalant, though his stomach felt his though it had turned inside out. "So, I took a walk and ended up where all the bars are."

"Lovino…" Antonio shook his head in a way that he suggested he knew exactly where he was referring.

"Anyway," said Lovino. He did not stop to think, did not look at Antonio's expression, because he knew he would not be able to continue if he did. "This guy came up to me and bought me a drink. It was pretty strong, and I have no idea what the hell he was thinking, because…" Lovino was hit with a wave of nausea as memory hit. He closed his eyes briefly, having to force himself to push through. "The bastard thought I was a whore, or something. I was too drunk to fight him off, and…" He shoved his hands in his pockets when he realized they were shaking. "It would have been a lot worse if Ivan didn't show up."

"Oh my god. Lovino, I am so sorry," Antonio said in a harsh whisper. He pulled Lovino into a hug, and Lovino simply returned it. "What did he do?"

"Just kissed me, tried to take off my clothes…" Lovino's words fizzled out and died. He felt a sickening twist in his stomach, and before he knew it, hot tears were slipping down his cheeks. He instantly felt silly. Nothing had even happened, so why did it still make him feel so revolted? "It's more what could have happened. I'm just being stupid, it's nothing-"

"No," Antonio said firmly, immediately. "No. You aren't being stupid. That sounds absolutely traumatizing. Your feelings are valid, Lovino. I wish you would stop dismissing them."

Lovino lifted his face from Antonio's shoulder. He forgot that he was crying until Antonio followed his tears with his thumb. Lovino felt instantly better. "Fine."

"Good," said Antonio, smiling gently. "And if anyone tries that with you again, I'll get Gilbert and Francis, and we will run them over with the motorcycle."

Lovino scoffed at the ridiculous image. "Of course you will." No matter how absurd the idea was; he somehow did not doubt that Antonio would do it.

As if he had sensed Lovino's mood, Antonio changed the subject. "Hey, Lovino! Next year we should dress you up like Ivan did with Yao!"

Even if he was grateful for the change of topic, Lovino groaned. "You have got to be kidding. What the hell would you put me in?"

"You can be…" Antonio paused and rubbed his chin, a look of exaggerated contemplation on his face. His eyes suddenly lit up. "A tomato!"

"A tomato?" Lovino could not help it. He laughed. "Have you lost your mind? How in the hell would we even do that?"

"We could paint your face red and put a little green stem in your hair! You could wear all red clothes…oh, Lovi! That would be so cute!"

"Over my dead body, bastard! That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in my entire life!" Lovino was laughing so hard he could barely manage the words. Antonio opened his mouth to speak, but Lovino quickly spoke before him. "And if you say that damn quote again, I'm punching you."

"You know me entirely too well."

There was a moment of comfortable silence, and Lovino's unruly eyes wandered to Antonio's uncovered arms. He spoke before thinking. "Have you been keeping your promises?"

Antonio followed Lovino's gaze until his eyes were also focused on his arms. He nodded like he understood. "Yes. I go to therapy twice a week, I take my medication exactly like I'm supposed to, and now I even have a job in a more positive environment," he said. Lovino nodded. It was exactly what he needed to hear. "You know, Lovino, I never expected you to become my mother."

"Shut up!" said Lovino. He dropped his gaze again, his spurt of anger instantly forgotten. "It was really damn close that time, Antonio. If I had gotten there ten minutes later than I did-" He abruptly stopped speaking. He did not want to even consider the possibility.

Antonio let out a breath. "I know. Believe me, I know. But that's over, Lovi. Never again. I promise." Just a moment later, he was smiling again. "I'm not going anywhere. If I did, then I would never get to see you dressed like a tomato."

Lovino almost laughed. "You're an idiot."

"You're beautiful."

Lovino looked up and saw Antonio's brilliant smile, his sparkling eyes, the way he just seemed to radiate light- everything that made him, him. Antonio was, without a doubt, the most ridiculous and absolutely frustrating person that Lovino had ever met. He was also the most amazing, the most kind and the most passionate. He couldn't hold it back anymore. He didn't want to. Lovino grabbed Antonio's shoulders, pulled him forward and kissed him. It was amazing how commonplace an act like this was becoming, yet it felt electric each and every time. Something told Lovino that wouldn't be changing.

Once it ended, Antonio just smiled. "Should we get going?"

Lovino nodded. As much as he had enjoyed being at this event, he could only take massive crowds like this for so long. "Probably."

Antonio stood up, walked over to a nearby newspaper dispenser and climbed on top of it. He cupped his mouth around his hands and yelled, "Everyone who is with me, come on! We have to go!"

It didn't take long for everyone to find them. Walking to Antonio's car- the one he had supposedly parked there before they left with the church- felt as though they were celebrities leaving a black tie event. Everyone there seemed to know exactly who they were and exactly what they had done, and everyone seemed to want to say something to them. The car was a tight fit. Lovino sat in the passenger seat next to Antonio, Feliciano sat on Ludwig's lap in the back, Alfred sat on the other side, and Matthew somehow wedged himself in the middle. Once the doors all closed, the small space erupted in cheers.

"That was so much fun! Right, Lovino? I hope I did all right! I think I missed a few things during that speech, but that's okay!" Feliciano was simply beaming with pride. "Everyone wanted to talk to me and Ludwig afterwards!"

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "That is because you made a spectacle out of us."

"Don't be a grump, Ludwig! It was fun and they were all really nice!"

Ludwig sighed in resignation and nodded. It was clear to see he was trying to keep a stern face, yet he was fighting back a smile. "Yes, they were."

"Dude!" exclaimed Alfred. "That was freaking legendary! This is the kind of thing I'm going to tell my great-grandkids!"

Matthew smirked at him. "Yeah? And who's going to have the first set of kids; you, or Arthur?"

Alfred glared at him, crossing his arms over his chest in a melodramatic huff. "God, Mattie! Do you always have to ruin everything?" he said. Then, a sly grin played on his lips. "Be good, and I'll let you and Gilbert be the godparents."

Matthew's cheeks darkened. "Excuse me?"

"Don't play dumb! We all saw you guys. It was cute, Mattie, the way you clung to him when you were on that motorcycle."

Matthew said nothing for a moment, as if to grapple for the right words. "I would have died if I didn't hold on, Al!" he said finally. Alfred just continued to smirk, looking satisfied with himself. Matthew rolled his eyes. "What, I can't have a friend?"

"People usually don't blush like that with their friends."

Matthew looked away, both blushing and scowling. He made the mistake of pulling a small strip of paper from his pocket, which Alfred immediately wrestled from him. He held it up while he read it, Matthew trying and failing to get it back. "This is his number! Look, it says 'Gilbert' right here! Aw, he dotted the "I" with a little heart!"

"Shut up, Alfred! God, why do you have to be so mean?"

"Oh, calm down, Mattie. Do you honestly think you're going to be judged by this group of people?" Alfred looked around and laughed. "Honestly, you didn't exactly stand a chance, dude."

Matthew snatched the paper back, collapsed back against the seat and sighed. Lovino almost laughed when he realized he had never actually denied it. If he had learned anything from all of this, it was that love could be damned odd sometimes. Or maybe it was always like that. His smirk disappeared when he remembered something. "Does that mean this is finished?"

Antonio looked confused. "What do you mean, Lovi?"

"I mean, does this mean we'll never see each other again?" Lovino felt a twinge of pain at the notion. Even though they could be really damn annoying, this group of people had grown on him. For the first time in his life, he felt like he had friends.

"No!" exclaimed Alfred. "I'm never setting foot in that church again, but that doesn't mean this has to end, you know? I like this. It's fun."

Feliciano spoke next. "We could keep meeting! It just has to be somewhere else!"

There was a collective nod. Antonio sat in contemplation for a moment, and then his eyes brightened. "Do you guys know that coffee shop by the supermarket on Main Street?" Again, they all nodded. Antonio kept smiling. "Every Sunday, same time, the booth by the window. Be there. Agreed?"

The response was unanimous. "Agreed."

Lovino leaned into the seat and took Antonio's free hand, an intoxicating happiness rushing through his veins. He knew full well that there would always be problems- there would still be bigotry in the world, churches just like that one would continue to exist. He could not say that Antonio would never have another panic attack, or that he would never doubt himself or explode in unreasonable anger, or that Feliciano- or anyone else, for that matter- would never come into contact with people that wanted nothing more than to condemn who he was again. He knew that things were not perfect, but that was okay.

For the first time in forever, Lovino was excited for the future- the future that was sure to be complicated, flawed, and ridiculous. The future that he would share with Antonio- Antonio, who smiled despite everything; Antonio, the person that saw past Lovino's flaws and loved him anyway; Antonio, the most ridiculous out of them all.

Lovino realized what Antonio kept saying was true. The best things in life were often ridiculous- Antonio being one of them.

The End…is only the beginning!

Wow, I can't believe it's over! It makes me kind of sad, really. Well, that's okay. It's been quite a journey. I cannot thank you guys enough for reading, following, favoriting and reviewing this story! I have quite a few other stories in the works, so you can check those out if you'd like. Thanks again!