Antonio

One by one, he pulled the silverware from a box labeled 'kitchen supplies' and put them where they belonged. A stew bubbled on the stovetop, filling the kitchen with tempting aromas.

Multiple boxes littered the small home. It was a bit messy right now, but they'd get everything in order. When Antonio finished with one box, he checked on the stew. He wasn't that good of a cook, but he tried. Besides, it looked just fine and the broth tasted about right.

Before reaching for the next box, he toyed with the golden band around his finger. He smiled to himself, and shook this thoughts away.

The next box he happened to open was pretty much the containments of their junk drawer. When they moved out of the little apartment, they didn't have much time to clean out all their useless stuff. He'd miss the place, even though he'd known before he'd moved in that it was temporary.

Inside, he found various pieces of paper with random information scribbled on, keychains and cheesy gift shop souvenirs that weren't of any use, some Chapstick, a screwdriver, a comb, photographs, sunglasses, bottle openers, random screws and bolts for some reason, and the rest was various garbage he didn't really have a name for.

It took a while to get all of it organized and to throw away the reminders, but he managed to make everything look tidy. Though he was pretty much done unpacking the kitchen, he sighed to himself as he overlooked the rest of the house. There was still lots of work to do. Not to mention, Christmas was well on its way. After the unpacking, came the decorating.

His thoughts were interrupted by the unmistakable sound of his front door unlocking. He heard footsteps, a light giggle, keys jingling. He looked to the entrance to see Lovino, his messy hair pushed back to keep it out of his face and a scarf wrapped around his neck to keep him warm from the winter cold. Next to him, was Rosie, her hair adorned with a bow and her thick polka-dotted purple coat unzipped, despite how much Antonio asked her to zip it up. She held two plastic bags full of food.

"We're home, Papi!" She squealed, running towards Antonio. Lovino managed to grab the bags before she threw them on the ground, scolding, "The eggs are in there, careful!"

Antonio kneeled down to give her a hug. Her stunning green eyes glimmered in the light shining in from the windows Antonio had opened beforehand to let in some light. He looked up at Lovi, who was already beginning to put away the groceries. "How'd it go?"

"Well, I only lost her about two times, so I'm doing better than you are for sure."

"Hey, four times per visit isn't that bad! I try to keep an eye on her, but she runs fast!"

"Ooh, maybe she'll be on a cross country team someday?"

"What's across the country?" Rosie asked, her head cocked to one side.

"Cross country," Lovino corrected. "It's a sport, you pretty much just run for a while."

"Is it fun?" She replied.

"If you like running, I guess it is. You'll have to figure that one out on your own, mi amore. Let's just get you some lunch. Toni, how'd the stew turn out?"

"Well I followed you instructions exactly, so it should be fine."

"At least it's something you can't burn," Lovino remarked.

"Um," he coughed. "I actually have burned soup before."

Lovino broke into a fit of laughter, Rosie staring at them both with wide eyes. "How do you burn soup? Oh my god, Antonio, I can't trust you in a kitchen, can I?" He had to wipe tears from his eyes, he was laughing so much.

"Yeah, whatever," He muttered. "Oh, Rosie, I got your room ready. Wanna see? I think you'll like it." She nodded viciously, running up the soft, carpeted stairs as Antonio tried to keep up with her.

She squealed with excitement when she bursted into the room, the door which Lovino decorated with delicately painted flowers. Of course, they were roses, because what else would they be?

"I love it, I love it!" Her eyes darted across the room. It was painted a soft sky blue, with those little glow-in-the-dark stars stuck onto her wall, shaping various constellations. Her room was more of a "natural" theme, because Rosie loved everything that was pretty and serene. Lovino wanted to paint a tree on one of her walls, but Antonio told him Rosie should decide what she wants on it, or perhaps she'd end up wanting to paint something of her own when she was older. Her bed frame, desk, vanity, and armoire were a glossy dark oak, her white comforter covered in colorful polka dots. A couple of small plants sat on her windowsill, taking in the rather cold sunshine. Her toys were all inside a large chest, matching the rest of the furniture, and her little flatscreen TV they'd bought at a discount price mounted on her wall.

"Now it really feels like home, huh Rosie?"

"Yeah," She agreed. "I liked our old house, but I think I'll like this one more."

"Well I'm really happy to hear that, because we're gonna live here for a while this time."

"What about Abuela and Nonna and Uncle Feli and Uncle Potato?" She asked innocently, Antonio trying not to giggle at how Lovi had taught her to call Ludwig, "Uncle Potato."

"We can always visit them. In fact, I'm pretty Uncle Feli and Uncle Luddy are coming over next weekend, and they're bringing Finn and baby Angelika. You like Finn, right? You two get along pretty well."

"Yeah, he's okay, he's just really boring sometimes," She rolled her eyes. "All he really does is read and play with my dollies."

"As long as he's respecting your toys and you two are getting along I don't think we should be concerned," Antonio smiled sweetly. "Now, let's go eat, I'm starving. Want a piggy back ride?"

"Yeah!" She raised her arms up to jump on Antonio's broad back, and he carried her down. The two found Lovino in the kitchen, making a salad. "Rosie, do you want to help me? You can add and mix in all the toppings." She nodded, kicking her feet and dropping her weight against Antonio so he'd let her down. Lovi was wearing a baby blue apron with a duck in a chef hat across the front. He looked so cute, with Rosie standing on the stool tossing in sliced almonds and diced dried fruits. He smiled down at the little girl, patting her head in praise as he carried on with the salad.

That was his family. And, he was so proud of them. He walked over to the two, standing between them, just observing.

"Papi! You're going to get in the way!" Rosie complained. Both Antonio and Lovino laughed, as Rosie furrowed her eyebrows and pouted a bit sarcastically towards her father.

"Okay, perdoname!" He held his hands up in defeat. "I'm just gonna sit back and watch TV for a while, because I'm a lazy couch potato."

"Oh-hoh, no you don't," Lovino scoffed from the kitchen right as Antonio was walking away. "There are still boxes that need to be unpacked."

"Ugh, but I've been unpacking all day!"

"Well I just want to get settled in as soon as possible. Honestly, the movers couldn't help us with anything?"

"They got the beds in."

"Whatever. Go watch TV then. But put on something good- and appropriate, please!" Lovino glared.

"Lovino! You curse like a sailor in front of your daughter! You can't defend yourself here."

"Okay, first of all that saying is so outdated and not relevant in any way, and second of all I meant don't watch anything too scary or gory for her."

"You mean too scary or gory for you? Little scaredy cat," He smirked in reply. "And I'll rewatch every single season of Supernatural again, Lovino, legends never die!"

"Just turn on the TV," Lovino muttered, busy sorting through the cabinets.

The house smelled like cardboard and new wood. It was pleasant in a way, and it was new. Antonio didn't even watch the television playing, he stared at the walls they'd painted a cherry red that matched their furniture, envisioning all of the pictures they'd hang up in the future. He couldn't wait to fill up the little house with memories, to do that cute thing parents did sometimes by marking their child's growth on a wall, to start a small garden in their backyard, to adopt a pet someday. Rosie was already consumed with the idea of getting a puppy, which didn't sound too bad.

Sure, there were so many things they still had to pay off. There were many expensive bills to think about. They still had to budget each paycheck carefully and balance work and watching after Rosie. But, that's just a part of life. As long as they were happy, and as long as their love for each other remained cemented and strong, everything would be better than okay.

Lovino

They were so beautiful, the two of them. How had he gotten so lucky, to end up with the sweetest and greatest daughter ever, and Antonio, who hardly needed an explanation at all considering he's practically the human embodiment of the sun in the sky.

The stew bubbled steadily on the stove, as Rosie eagerly helped with everything she could in the kitchen. Lovino had a good view of Antonio from where he stood, noticing that he wasn't even watching the TV, just staring off into space. What a dork, honestly.

"Papà, are we doing anything after we eat?" Rosie pulled against Lovino's pant leg.

"Bambina, you know I work a night shift tonight," He said almost sadly, trying to keep some sort of positivity in his tone.

"So it's just me and Papi again?" She pouted. Lovino wanted to scoop her into a large hug, and he would've if not for his dirty hands and stained apron.

"I'm sorry. But this weekend both of us have the night off, we can have a movie night! Or we can go out somewhere too, if you like. It'll be our little fun night, okay?" He leaned down and rubbed his nose against hers, tilting up to give her forehead a small peck.

"It's okay. I understand, papà." She shrugged, instantly going back to her happy-go-lucky demeanor. She was always so happy and positive, Lovino hoped she never lost that spark. It was one of her most beautiful features, how she could brighten anyone's day and work her way into anyone's heart. It was a quality Antonio had, too, and it was something Lovino really admired about the two.

"Dinner's almost ready, Toni! Set the table, will you?" He called loud enough for Antonio to hear. He got up instantly, heading towards the kitchen.

Antonio shoved past the two, gathering enough silverware for everyone, aligning them on their little round dinner table. Everything in their house was fairly small and cute, nothing too extravagant.

Lovino began to plate the food, and pouring soup into cute little bowls, practically at an expert status. He'd learned a lot from his mom, now owner of a five-star restaurant in Los Angeles. Lovino and Antonio lived almost two hours away from his mom, but she promised to visit often. As for Lovino's brother, him and his family lived all the way up in San Francisco. They agreed upon taking turns visiting each other whenever the holidays rolled around, or whenever they felt like it. On this occasion, it was Christmas, and they had to prepare the house for four extra people, five if he included his mom.

There were still many things to plan out. He couldn't help but replay all of it through his mind as the three sat down to eat.

The food was great, as it usually was, and Rosie entertained them with her wild one-sided conversations.

"Papa, I learned the other day that potatoes are roots. Roots! Roots are the part of the plant underground, right? How can a potato be a root?"

"Carrots are roots, too, Rosie," Antonio told her absentmindedly.

She gasped loudly. "Carrots? I mean, that makes sense, but that's so weird! So, if they're roots, what's the top part? There has to be a plant on top of it right?"

"Yeah, we just don't eat that part. They cut it off," Lovino answered.

"We should use that part too."

"But the carrot itself is better."

"Yeah… I guess. Whatever, I just really like carrots and potatoes. You know that Uncle Feli and Uncle Po- I mean Uncle Luddy grow potatoes in their backyard? Finn told me so! It's so cool, can we grow stuff too?"

"Of course!" Antonio said. "But we have to wait until spring rolls around, that's when they'll grow best. And you know what, we'll grow some garden tomatoes, even better!"

"I love tomatoes! Those aren't roots too, are they? I've seen them grow on the outside of the dirt."

"No, they're tomato plants. It's kind of like a vine, but also kind of like a tree."

"Wow. Plants are really cool. What about the plants in my room? What are those?" She asked through large spoonfuls of stew.

"You have two succulents, a cactus, and some blue starlets."

"I really like them. The Old Garden Roses I used to have all died because of winter. Can we plant some more during spring?"

"I don't see why not. Spring will be fun, won't it?" Lovino chuckled a bit. "As long as you don't get allergies."

"I'll be okay," She replied dismissively.

Antonio

When dinner was over, he washed the dishes and flopped on the sofa alongside Lovi and Rosie to watch some new Disney movie she'd insisted on renting. He didn't really know what it was about, and didn't exactly care, he just enjoyed the family time.

Of course, his phone had to go off, alerting him of a text message. Upon checking it, he saw it was Feliciano.

F: Toni! Lovino won't reply and i need your address for this weekend. We're taking off tomorrow! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ、 彡 thank youu!

He typed out his reply, smiling at Feli's little emoticons he'd always send. He had to admit, Feliciano was a pretty great brother-in-law.

Halfway through the movie, he got another text. He doubted it was Feliciano, he replied ten seconds after Antonio pressed the send button.

Henrique: I need your new shipping address, congrats on the new house by the way. Planning to send little Rosie some things for Christmas. Oh, and happy holidays. Hope you and fag-fag are enjoying it so far ;)

It was his brother. Funny, how they'd grown since he graduated high school. After a bad relapse, Henrique took a trip to the Middle East and India and discovered a newfound peace. Of course, he resulted to his usual teasing ways, but Antonio grew to like his little taunts and the stupid gay jokes. He was just kidding, after all. Though he lived in Europe now, they had a close bond. He'd only met Rosie once, but he absolutely loved her. Actually, he'd gotten married as well, and has twin girls, Elisa and Annalise. Antonio would remember to send them something as well.

Christmas would be great this year. Even though Lovino had to get up to get ready for work, and things may not be too easy on terms of money, it would work. Looking down on Rosie, her wide eyes focused on the movie and her legs swinging off the sofa, she was symbol of how much Lovino and Antonio loved each other.

The journey they'd embarked upon meeting each other felt like millennia away, and they'd matured in more ways than one. Antonio never saw himself as a committed person, but with Lovino, he knew he felt a promise of love that would never, ever break.

The end.

Wow you guys... It's been a hell of a journey. This is, officially, the last chapter. It's over! Can you believe it? I feel like I've grown sooooo much since the first chapter and I want to thank every single person who's read it for supporting me and encouraging me to finish this and along the way, grow stronger as a writer.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed, and my stories to come :3