We did it guys. We climbed the whole mountain. We bopped to the top. Slipped and slide and rode that rhythm. We zipped zapped zopped and flopped like a mop and scooted around the corner. We kept moving up and we just wouldn't stop till we reached the top. (alright I'll stop there XD) so yea, this is the final chapter guys :D decided to have it up now before I end up not updating for like 2 months or somtin. Man, its been a journey man. Hope you all enjoyed it thus far ^^.

–

5 months later...

The smell of August in Indiana is definitely different from the smell in Illinois. He runs his fingers through his hair carelessly in a vain attempt to fix it as he attempts to unpack boxes in his dorm room at the university.

His roommate, Tino, is an exchange student from Finland. He's a very cheery guy who normally wore berets with his outfits. Lovino swore he has never seen the man frownm ever. But he was a pretty cool guy, they got along well enough.

"You sure you don't want to come with?" Tino's finnish accent flowing from each word, sounding slightly awkward. He was going to the quad with some other freshmen guys, there was some welcome party going on.

"I've got to finish unpacking and then I gotta head out. I promised my brother I would pay a visit this weekend."

"Alrighty then." He says, pulling out and trying on various outfits until he chose one "perfect look" for tonight. Once he made slight adjustments to the outfit, he then went to fix his hair, trying different styles to see which went with the outfit better. It made Lovino think of his old self, the one that tried so hard to meet everyone's expectations.

When Tino leaves a half-hour later, Lovino sits on his bed and pulls out his cell phone. Flipping it open, he stares at the picture of Antonio and him at the club. Their smiling faces, Antonio's arm around Lovino's shoulder, holding him close. God how he missed the feeling of being that close to Antonio. He hates himself for having the urge to look at it. So many times he's tried to force himself to delete the pictures, erase the past. Be he just couldn't. He was too weak.

He reaches into his desk drawer and pulls out Antonio's bandana, fresh and clean and folded up neatly into a square, He touches the smooth material, remembering when Antonio gave it to him. To him, it doesn't represent the Latino Blood. It represents Antonio.

His cell rings, bringing him back to the present. Its Feliciano, of course. He rolls his eyes but he answers.

"Ooh Lovino?"

"Hey Feliciano."

"Hello! Oh where are you? Didn't you say you were going to visit me? We just got out of school. How is university? Is the food good? I heard it wasn't the best food but if fratello likes it then I guess thats okay. You will never believe what happened today!" Feliciano started speaking rapidly, not giving Lovino a chance to keep track of what he was saying.

"Feliciano." He interrupted.

"Oh, yes Lovino?" Feliciano stopped his spitfire of questions.

"I'm heading out now. I should be there in two hours, 3 maximum. Ok?"

"Oki doki, Lovi. I'll be at Ludwig's house, so go there." he said happily and hung up.

Lovino sighed and pocketed his phone, he placed the bandana back in his desk drawer. He then left out of the dormitory and to his car.

–

It takes him 2 and a half hours to get there, he pulls up into Ludwig's drive way. He gets out and knocks on the door, but no one answers. Shrugging, Lovino tested the doorknob and saw that it was open. He went inside and saw Ludwig on the couch working on homework. He looked up and pointed to the back of the house.

"He's playing in the back. They're having a water fight of a sort." he shook his head, not even trying to understand the point of it. Lovino just nodded his head and looked to the back. Who could even think to play like that anymore? It was so childish.

He stepped out and saw Feliciano running around shirtless with the hose in his hands. He looked around cautiously, as though expecting an onslaught of water any moment. Lovino cleared his throat and Feliciano looked his way and smiled happily, waving.

"Lovino, its so great to see you-" he got cut off as water was dumped on him by a person holding a bucket over his head.

As Lovino stepped closer to lecture his brother, he catches a glimpse of who poured the water on him. The messy curls should have been a clue that his life was about to be turned upside down, once again. But it doesn't fully register. He freezes.

It couldn't be. His imagination must be going berserk.

But when the figure turns around and drops the bucket, those familiar green eyes pierce his own, reality hitting him like as if he was splashed with water instead of his brother.

Antonio is here. Ten steps away from him. Oh God, every feeling he ever had for this man comes rushing back like a tidal wave. He doesn't know what to do or what to say. He turns around and sees Ludwig standing there, a hopeful smile on his usually straight face.

"Look who's here, Feli." He hears Antonio say as he helped Feliciano on his feet after his little spazz attack from being soaked to the extreme.

Like a robot, Lovino walks toward his brother and and ruffles his hair, not wanting to get his clothes wet from Feliciano's soaked body. Antonio is standing in front of him, wearing a white shirt that barely got wet in their game, an indication that Feliciano had been losing by a huge amount, and khakis. On the porch was a button down, plaid shirt which was thrown carelessly onto a chair. Lovino could only stare at him, his stomach doing weird flip-flops, making him feel queasy. The rest of the world seemed to blur into the background, and all Lovino could see is him.

After a moment, he could finally find his voice. "A-Antonio..? W-what are you doing here?" he asked, tongue tied.

Antonio shrugs. "I told Feliciano we would hang out and play sometime. So that's what I did."

They stand there, staring at each other, some invisible force, probably God himself, keeping him from looking away. "You came back here to play with my brother?"

"Weeell.." he dragged out the word, rubbing the back of his neck, much like how the tenth Doctor would. "That's not the only reason. I'm actually on my way to college in Indiana. Mr. Honda and Mr. Kirkland helped me get a GED after I quit the Blood. I sold my bike. I'm workin' at the student union and takin' out loans."

Antonio? In college? His shirt sleeves, neatly buttoned at his wrists, hide most of his Latino Blood tattoos. "You quit? I thought you said it was too dangerous to quit, Antonio. You said people who try to get out die."

"I almost did. If it weren't for Matthew Williams and his mom, I probably wouldn't have made it."

"Matthew Williams?" The nicest, quietest, almost out of place guy in school? For the first time he scans Antonio's face and sees a faint, new scar above his eye and nasty ones by his ear and neck. "Oh God! W-what the hell did they do to you?"

Antonio takes Lovino's hand and presses it to his chest. His eyes are intense and bright but dark at the same time, like they were the first time Lovino noticed him in the parking lot that first day of school senior year. "It took me a long time to realize I needed to fix everythin'. The choices I made. The gang. Bein' beaten to within an inch of my life and branded like cattle was nothing compared to losing you. If I could take back every word I said back at the hospital, I would. I thought if I pushed you away, I'd be protecting you from what happened to Gilbert and my dad." He looks up and his eyes pierce Lovino's. "I'll never push you away again, Lovino. Ever. I swear."

Beaten? Branded? He is feeling sick to his stomach and his eyes sting as the words circulate in his mind.

"Shh." Antonio puts his arms around Lovino, rubbing his hands across his back. "It's alright. I'm okay." He chants over and over again, his voice catching.

He feels good. This feels good.

He rests his forehead against Lovino's. "You need to know something. I agreed to the bet because deep down I knew that if I got emotionally involved, it'd kill me. And it nearly did. You were the one person who made me risk everythin' for a future worth havin'." He straightens and takes one step back to look him in the eye. "I'm so sorry. Tell me what you want and i'll give it to you. If it'll make you happy for me to disappear from your life forever, say the word. But if you still want me, I'll try my best to be this..." he gestures to his clothes.

"How can I prove to you I changed?"

Lovino opens his mouth but closes it then opens again, trying to find the right words. "I've changed, too," he tells him. "I'm not the boy I was before. And I'm sorry but those clothes...they aren't you."

"It's what you want though, yea?"

"You're wrong, Antonio. I want you. Not a fake image. I definitely prefer you in jeans and a T-shirt, because that's who you are."

He looks down at his attire and chuckles. "You're right." He looks back up at Lovino. "You once said you loved me. Do you still?"

Lovino's brother is watching their exchange, so is Ludwig. They both smile encouragingly, giving him the strength to tell the truth. "I've never stopped loving you. Even when I tried desperately to forget you, I couldn't."

Antonio lets out a long, slow breath and rubs his forehead in relief. His eyes look glassy, filled with emotion. Lovino felt his own eyes welling up again and he gathers a handful of Antonio's shirt in his fist. "I don't want us to fight all the time, Antonio. Dating should be fun. Love should be good." He's pulling him toward himself. He wants his lips on his own. "W-will it ever be good for us?"

Their lips almost touch before Antonio pulls away from him, but then he-

Holy. Shit.

Antonio kneels on one knee before Lovino, holds his hands in his, and Lovino's heart skips more than a few beats. "Lovino Vargas, I'm going to prove to you I'm the guy you believed in ten months ago, and i'm gonna be the successful man you dreamed I could be. My plan is to ask you to marry me four years from now, the day we graduate." He cocks his head to the side and takes on a more playful tone, the cheeriness he seldom held coming up. "Surely it'll be legal by then, yea? And I guarantee you a lifetime of fun, probably one with no lack of fighting, for you are one passionate papacito...but I definetly look forward to some great make-up sessions. Maybe one day we could even come back here, in Fairfield, to help make it the place my dad always hoped it would be. You, me, and Feliciano." after looking by the porch he grinned. " and of course Ludwig. And any other Vargas or Carriedo family member who wants to be a part of our lives. We'll be one big, crazy Spanish-Italian family. What do you think? Mi tomate, you own my soul." he chuckled at Lovino's reaction to the odd nickname.

Lovino couldn't help but smile as he swipes a lone tear trailing down his cheek. How can he not be crazy in love with this guy? Time away from him didn't change anything. He can't deny him another chance. That would be denying himself.

Time to take the risk, to trust once again.

"What's your major?" Lovino asks.

Antonio flashes his devilishly handsome smile. "Chemistry. And yours?"

"Chemistry." Lovino wraps his arms around Antonio's neck. "Kiss me so we can see if we still have it. 'Cause you own my heart, my soul and everything in between."

Antonio's lips finally sears Lovino's, more powerful than ever before.

If the solar system wasn't in alignment before, it is now.

–

ergh idk if I ended that well but THERE YOU GO. Hope you guys liked it. This is where we depart now. We must go our separate ways. But We'll Meet Again, don't know when, don't know where, but I know we'll meet again, some sunny day. (OK IM DONE NOW) but srsly. I hope you all enjoyed it. (you guys should follow me on tumblr :D i'm thisismahtardis) ok Auf Wiedersehen', Sweetheart! (OK NOOOOW IM DONE. AUGH TIRED)