- Chapter 133 - I'd Travel Across the World to Find You -
Warnings: not many lol. It's mainly just fluff
Modern AU (minus Covid)
Third Person POV

A/N, there is a bit of Italian in this lol and part of it takes place in Italy and I know zip about what life is like there so I am super sorry if it's bad.

Thank you all for 45k reads on this book! It's crazy to me that we've gotten that far, but I have been working on this for about two years now lol, so wow. Thank you again (also, as I start editing so I can post this on AO3, I may update the chapters so they're better written, starting at the beginning of the book lol).

Albert was woken up when he suddenly heard a splash and felt ice cold water soak him.

He shot up, immediately hearing laughter.

Albert wiped his hair out of his face, an annoyed look on his face as he looked up at his brothers and sister. "I hate you all."

Smalls, Finch, and Ike couldn't control their laughter, the three of them falling to the floor.

Mike and JoJo were doing a terrible job of trying to hide their laughter.

Jack was clearly amused, and Specs could've done a better job hiding his chuckles.

Romeo, who was far from an early bird, was asleep in the bunk next to Albert.

Albert rolled his eyes at them, flipping his now soaked covers off of himself and starting to get up. A gasp escaped his lips when he saw the bandages on his arm and realized what happened today.

Ignoring the snickers from some of his brothers, Albert started lifting the bandages.

Albert heard some panic and Ike slapped his hand away from the bandages. "Stop it!" The older Guzman twin exclaimed. "Wait till we have a camera out!"

Albert deadpanned at him. "Then, why'd you wake me up?" he asked him.

Ike shrugged. "It was fun." He snickered.

Albert rolled his eyes.

Finch pushed Romeo off of the bed. "Awaken, lazy boy!" he exclaimed.

A thud was heard as Romeo landed on the floor, a groan following soon after it.

Albert tried to hide his laughter, unlike some others who physically could not.

Romeo grumbled, rubbing his butt as he got up. He smacked Finch, before grabbing his phone. Romeo opened it and pointed it at Albert. "Started," he grumbled.

Finch stepped in front of Albert. "For anyone who wasn't here today or us in the future if we forget," he started.

"No one's going to forget," Albert grumbled, looking down at his still soaked clothing.

Finch ignored him, a smirk on his face. "Albert is soaking wet because that was his wake-up call this morning," he informed the camera.

"And mine was getting shoved off of my bed." Romeo added grumpily from behind the camera.

Finch hushed him.

Then, they all turned to face Albert.

Looking confused, Albert blinked.

"Unwrap your arm, idiot." Ike smacked Albert's arm.

"Right!" Albert started unwrapping his arms, looking down at it.

Antonio Higgins
Male at birth/identifies as male
Fifteen-years-old
December 11th
Florence, Italy

Later

"I mean, Italy?!" Albert took another bite of his cereal, swallowing before he continued, "that's on the other side of the world!" he exclaimed.

"More or less so," Specs, the only one who actually paid attention in Geography, muttered. He took a sip of his coffee.

Albert glared at him.

Specs shrugged. "I speak only the truth," he stated, setting his coffee cup down.

Albert looked back at Jack and Medda. "I don't know any Italian!" he complained. "How will I ever find him?" Albert asked, looking hopeless.

Medda chuckled. "Take a trip to Italy," she suggested.

Everyone in the room stopped, staring at her.

Albert's eyes were wide. "What?" he breathed out.

Medda was completely serious. "Find him," she said. "Go to Italy, I'll get you tickets, and take Jack. You do have to come back within a week, though," she told him.

Albert grinned, shooting up. He hugged Medda. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he exclaimed.

Medda chuckled, hugging him back. She pulled away, staring into his eyes. "Please do be careful, though," she told him. "You don't know Italy very well, stay with Jack or Antonio, when you find him," Medda said.

Albert nodded. He couldn't help but feel excitement building in him at the fact that Medda said 'when you find him' and not 'if you find him'.

On the plane

Albert watched for the first time in his life as the plane took off.

His hands clutched the sides of the seat as his leg bounced. He bit his lip, feeling excited, scared, and slightly sick at the same time. He was also tired.

Albert looked over at Jack when he felt him put his hand on his.

Jack smiled assuringly. "Stay calm, Al," he told him, gently cupping his younger brother's cheek. "It's gonna be okay," he assured him, rubbing circles into Albert's cheek.

Albert nodded.

Jack chuckled. "Let yourself breathe," he instructed him.

Albert exhaled.

Jack chuckles. "Good. Now, you should nap," he suggested.

Albert pursed his lips. "But I'm far too nervous and excited and emotion-ing to sleep," he complained.

Jack chuckles, gently pushing Albert so he was leaning back as much as he could. "You can try," he responded. "Listen to music."

Albert sighed, looking up at Jack. His one green eye and one brown eye glimmered. "You'll wake me up so we don't miss Italy?" he whispered, looking tired.

Jack chuckled again, knowing full well that Albert's grogginess was the reason he was like this. "Yeah, I'll wake you up when we're there," he answered.

Albert nodded, closing his eyes. He yawned. "Love you, Jackie," he mumbled.

"Love you, Albie." Jack smiled.

Jack put his headphones on and started doing something on his phone.

After a few minutes, he looked back at Albert.

Albert was now peacefully sleeping.

Jack smiled, snapping a picture of him and sending it to their family, before putting his phone down and just listening to music. He closed his eyes and focused on the feeling of the plane flying through the air.

Later

After an almost twelve-hour flight, Jack and Albert had landed in Italy.

Jack woke Albert up, but both boys (Albert more so) were half asleep and groggy.

Albert was leaning on Jack, his eyes barely opened has they waited for Jack's suitcase.

Jack ruffles his hair lightly, hugging him close as they waited. "Just a few more minutes..." he whispered. "Then, we'll get to the hotel."

Albert nodded tiredly, closing his eyes for a second.

After a few more minutes, they got Jack's suitcase and left the airport.

They walked the small walk to the hotel, got their key, and went to their room, with no problems.

When they got into the room, both boys collapsed on their beds and were asleep in a few seconds.

The next day

Albert woke up to quiet.

Quiet, with the occasional clatter of plates and other utensils usually used for eating.

Albert felt the bed drip beside him. "Al," he heard Jack's voice. "You need to get up so you can eat before it gets cold," he told him.

Still tired and not wanting to leave the warmth, Albert mumbled something inaudible.

Jack chuckled. "Come on, we need to get a good breakfast so we have the energy to search for your Soulmate and explore," he told him, rubbing his back lightly.

"Can't he come to me?" Albert mumbled tiredly, pulling the blanket closer to himself.

Jack chuckled again. "No, he can't," he responded. "He doesn't even know you're here. We've gotta be the ones to find him," he told him.

After a few minutes of convincing, Jack managed to get Albert up and sitting at the small table in the hotel room so he could eat.

Currently, Albert was munching on a piece of bread.

What bread? He didn't know. Was it good bread? Yep, and that's all he cared about.

Albert looked up at Jack and swallowed his food. "Are you sure we'll be able to find him?" he mumbled, beginning to feel doubt set in.

Jack looked at him. He nodded. "I believe we can," he answered. "Look, Italy is smaller than America, so if Blink and Mush could find each other across the country, you can find him here," he told him.

Albert shot him a look. "Blink and Mush are so perfect for each other that if someone told me that they were magnets that stuck together from opposite ends of the country, I'd believe them," he responded like it was obvious.

Jack chuckled a bit. "Who says you and Antonio aren't like that?"

Albert shrugged a bit, looking back at the bread. "Doubt," he answered simply as he grabbed another piece of the bread.

Jack frowned a bit.

Albert held up the piece of bread. "Il pane."

Jack's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"The bread," Albert informed him. "In Italian."

Jack looked at him. "You don't speak Italian..." he mumbled.

Albert shrugged, taking a bite of his bread. "I downloaded Duolingo after I learned he lives in Italy," he informed his brother.

Jack chuckled. "Adorable, you truly are."

"Maybe."

Jack's face scrunched up in disgust. "Ew, we taught you better than that," he told Albert. "If you talk with your mouth full, Antonio won't like you."

Albert laughed a bit, swallowing the bread. "Sorry, your highness."

Jack rolled his eyes. "I'll call Davey."

"He's having dinner with his family," Albert responded knowingly.

Jack looked at his phone and did the math. He frowned. "Right, time zones. I hate those," he stated.

Albert nodded in agreement.

A bit later

Albert and Jack walked down the streets of Florence, Italy, admiring the city.

And also looking for Antonio.

However, this proved to be a difficult task when they didn't know what he looked like.

Albert was admiring a shop as he walked, when he walked into someone.

"Oh crap, Al!" Jack exclaimed.

Albert and the boy toppled over, the boy falling on top of Albert with yelps from the two of them.

"Toni!" the black-haired boy who had been walking with the one who fell on Albert exclaimed. "Stai bene?"

"Io sto bene," the boy on Albert answered, grunting a bit in pain. "Io sto bene," he assured him.

"Mi dispiace," Albert immediately apologized.

The boy he had bumped into—who Albert had now noticed was beautiful—sat up, looking at Albert. He chuckled. "You need to work on that Italian accent if you're going to try to act like you're not a tourist," he commented.

Albert rolled his eyes fondly. "I started learning two days ago when I found out my Soulmate lived here," he responded. "Give me a break."

The boy chuckled again. "And now you're here?" He looked at his best friend. "That sounds like Ace. It's really sweet."

The black-haired boy blushed. He bit his lip and smiled a bit at the mention of his Soulmate.

Jack seemed to connect something. "Ace?" he mumbled. "Alexander Harrison?"

The three other boys looked up at him.

"You know Ace?" the black-haired boy asked, looking confused.

"You're Ace's Soulmate?" Albert questioned, looking at the black-haired boy.

The boy nodded. "I'm Samuel," he introduced himself. "Or Smokes."

"Oh wow." Jack chuckled a bit. "We ran into Ace's Soulmate in Italy," he commented. "Spot's gonna be jealous, especially if we see Ace."

Albert nodded in agreement.

Smokes chuckled. He helped his friend up, who helped Albert up. "This is Antonio, or Race, my best friend," he introduced the blond-haired boy.

Albert looked at Jack, his eyes wide.

Jack blinked.

Albert turned back to Race. Honestly, Race was really cute and Albert secretly hoped they were Soulmates, but there were probably a lot of boys named "Antonio" in Italy.

"Antonio what?" Jack asked curiously.

Race and Smokes exchanged a look. "Higgins, why?" Race asked.

Albert's eyes widened. "No way," he breathed out.

Jack stared at Race. "We've been here for a day and we found him..." he muttered.

Race looked between the two boys. "What?" he asked. "Am I missing something?" he questioned.

"Me too?" Smokes seemed equally as confused.

"I'm Albert, Albert DaSilva," Albert introduced himself.

Both Race and Smokes's eyes widened at the name. "Well then..." Race tried to get any words out, but he was star-struck.

Albert grinned. He looked at Jack. "You were right!" He threw his arms around him and hugged him.

Jack chuckled, hugging him back. He pulled away after a minute. "Why don't you and Antonio get to know each other?" he suggested.

Smokes nodded in agreement. "I second that!" he exclaimed. "Jack and I will go see Ace and call Spot!" He grabbed Jack's wrist and started dragging him off. "Bye!"

Race sighed softly. He turned back to Albert. "Well... I know a Café not to far from here... wanna go?" he asked.

Albert nodded. "Lead the way, native Italian." He snickered a bit.

Race rolled his eyes fondly. "Follow closely, tourist," he told him. "It's easy to get lost."

Albert laughed and followed him.

A bit later
At the Café

"Antonio!" a voice called. "Uno dei miei clienti abituali preferiti! Come sta tua nonna?" they asked.

Race smiled and turned around to face the woman who was speaking to him. "È fantastica, signora Russo," he answered. "Il panificio è attivo e funzionante e lei riceve più ordini che mai."

Signora Russo smiled. "È fantastico, mia cara," she responded genuinely. "E stai ancora cuocendo?" she asked.

Race nodded.

Signora Russo smiled brighter at this news. Then, she noticed Albert. "Antonio, chi è questo?" she questioned.

Race looked at Albert.

Albert seemed to realize what she asked. "Mi chiamo Albert," he introduced himself.

Signora Russo shot him a small smile and looked at Race. "Una turista?"

Race nodded. "Sì."

Albert looked at Race. "Is it that obvious?" he questioned.

Race looked at him. "Sì."

Albert sighed softly. "I tried," he muttered.

"They all do, darling," signora Russo responded, folding her towel. "However, when you're a tourist, it's quite obvious." She chuckled.

Race nodded in agreement.

"So, what's brought you to Italy, Albert?" signora Russo asked, looking at him.

Albert looked over at Race with a soft smile. "Soulmate stuff," he answered.

Race blushed a bit.

Signora Russo smirked a bit. "Ahh, I see. Io vedo."

Race looked at her. "Are you going to tell Nonna?" he asked knowingly.

Signora Russo chuckled. "If you haven't told her by martedì, sì," she responded.

"I have three days," Race said. "I'm fine." He nodded to himself.

Signora Russo chuckled. "Have fun, you two," she told them. "I'll bring over your usual in a few, Antonio."

"Grazie, signora Russo!" Race lead Albert away from her and to a table.

"You seem to know her quite well," Albert commented, pointing out the obvious. He sat down at the table Race sat at.

Race shrugged. "My Nonna is well-known," he responded. "My mama was too."

Albert noticed him using past tense, but didn't comment on it.

The two boys sat in silence for a few minutes, before Race spoke up. "So... what do you want to talk about?" he asked, feeling a bit awkward.

"Anything and everything." Albert smiled, staring into Race's eyes. "I want to know about you."

Race blushed a bit. "You don't have to be so sappy," he mumbled, a bit embarrassed.

Albert chuckled softly, reaching across the table and taking Race's hands. "I can't help it. I found out two days ago that my Soulmate lives in Italy, and now I'm here, two days later, sitting in a café with said beautiful soulmate," he said. "It's crazy."

Race's cheeks reddened further. "I guess that is something to be pretty happy about..." he mumbled. "It's crazy to me that you'd drop everything to come find me," he admitted. "I'm flattered, don't get me wrong, but still..."

Albert tilted his head. "In my chosen family, Soulmates are almost everything, just after our family members," he informed Race. "I was so excited to meet you, and I don't regret coming out here. I'd travel across the world a million times to find you if I had to," he told him.

Race blushed, smiling down at his lap.

Albert smiled when he noticed, squeezing Race's hands.

Race squeezed his hands back, and Albert swore he felt his heart soar.

He had just met this boy, but his heart belonged to him. He was content, sitting in a café and talking to him, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

2826 Words
I hope this was decent lol, I'm sorry if it wasn't.

Also, thank you to berrythenewsie annanymos_ pigwigdeon156 and looklikeboys for voting on either Ralbert or Sprace for this idea (however, that voting was literally forever ago lol). Enjoy!