I just watched Heartstopper and no I will never stop talking about it EVERYONE needs to W A T C H  I T

So, now that that's out of the way, time to focus on different gays.

I've changed the title several times and I finally settled on this one because it describes what takes up most of the chapter, something which I didn't originally think was gonna be the main focus of the chapter haha.

Also, I'm gonna do a little flip-flop thingy: half of this will be Sean's perspective, half from Antonio's perspective. (*little dramatic gasp* fancy!)
I'll stop talking now.

The picture above is of Capri, an island on the Amalfi Coast.

But before they go there, they have somewhere else to go. Which is where we start this chapter.

Enjoy! :)

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From Herculaneum, Antonio and Sean head to Cilento National Park, which isn't too far away, and immediately start exploring.

"This isn't on the Amalfi Coast," Antonio tells Sean, "so it's not as well appreciated, but the people here are really, really nice. And there aren't as many crowds or tourist shops. I really like it here."

 "I noticed the great hospitality and lack of crowds," Sean comments.

He looks around him at the green mountains, the azure sea, the fluffy clouds.  He loves it all.

The first thing they do is go to the Greek temples of Paestum and the Greco-Roman remains of Velia. Here, Antonio promised lunch--Sean's stomach isn't happy with the lack of food.

"You'll notice that not only is the hospitality great, the prices here are lower too," Antonio tells him as they find some place to eat. "Not to mention the food is absolutely delicious."

"You're not wrong," Sean agrees after taking the first bite from his food.

Once they finished lunch, they walk on the beach.

"The beaches are bigger here than on the Amalfi Coast," Antonio informs Sean. 

"I like this."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Wanna know what I think you'll really like?"

"Oh?"

Antonio points in the distance. "The island Capri."

"Let's go, then."

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Antonio gets them a part of a tour to the Blue Grotto, around the island Capri. It's a small boat with a few other people who had the same idea as them.

Once they're all in, the boat starts up, and they're on their way.

Antonio leans over the edge, arms crossed on the ledge, staring out into the gorgeous turquoise waters. "I love boat rides."

Sean does the same. "Me too."

"I'm glad we have a lot in common. It makes spending time with you really, really fun."

His heart beats a little faster. "I'm glad we have a lot in common too."

Finally, they reach Capri, and along with it, the Blue Grotto-- a marine cave with a beautiful glow.

Sean's jaw drops. Antonio grins beside him. It's pretty clear that he's been here before. But he still has a look of wonder on his face.

"È bella, no?"

"Bellíssimo," Sean breathes out.

He has never seen anything like this ever in his life.

The water glows. Even if it's not actually glowing, it sure looks like it. And not to mention this is a cave, in the water, so of course there's a huge geological aspect.

He presses his hands into the ledge to give him leverage so he sits higher. He wants a better view of this. 

In this process, his hand brushes against Antonio's. A little shock runs through his fingers, but he doesn't react by removing his hand immediately. Before he can react, Antonio surprises him by gliding his hand on top of Sean's. Then out of what could be called pure instinct, they lace their fingers together.

Sean wonders if Antonio's mind is going through all the things Sean's is going through right now. If he is, his face isn't showing anything.

Act cool.

He tries to keep his face as nonchalant as possible as there's a lot of happy screaming happening internally.

He continues looking around the cave, with his fingers laced with Antonio's, feeling continued awe, and a new little burst of contentment.

"That was awesome!" Sean breathes out excitedly  to Antonio as the boat comes back out of the Blue Grotto.

"Now look at this," Antonio tells him, smiling, as he gestures up at the island as they circle around a little.

Nothing beats the view of the island from the water like this one.

"Allora esploriamo!" Antonio grins.

Just like Antonio said, now it's time to explore the island of Capri. The island with it's pretty beaches, seaside architecture, and stunning views.

This place just keeps getting better and better.

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They get back to Cilento National Park just before sunset.

They walk along the beach again.

"I think this is one of my favorite beaches," Sean comments.

Antonio perks up. "Really? You like it?"

"I do." Sean stops walking, and turns to face Antonio. "Why do you get so excited any time I say I like something we do or see?"

"I, uh..." Antonio stammers. He averts his eyes.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing," Sean adds quickly. "I just notice that you always have a sense of relief every time I say I enjoy something."

"I ... guess I'm just happy that you enjoy these places I'm showing you, and that you appreciate them."

Sean doesn't respond, sensing that there's more to it than that.

Antonio hesitates.

"And I guess it's also because I feel like I'm dictating your vacation," he confesses.

He bites his lip nervously. That may have been a little too much to share. This is what happens when he starts trusting someone: he shares too much, and then slowly but surely (or quickly and definitely in some cases) they drift away and/or lose interest in him.

But once again, Sean surprises him.

"Honestly? It's okay," Sean responds finally. "I came here not having much of a plan anyway." He grins. "I would have fallen for every tourist trap there is. And I wouldn't have seen all the amazing breathtaking places I've seen if it wasn't for you. And honestly, this is some of the most fun I've had in a long time."

Antonio smiles. His heart warms. 

He wishes Sean would continue to say stuff like that to him forever.

"I appreciate that," Antonio says at last. He hesitates, running through what he wants to say one last time, then blurting it out on an impulse. "I'm so glad we met yesterday."

"Me too." Sean's response is immediate.

"You know, you had a lot of courage walking up to a random stranger and start singing with them," Antonio says, grinning.

"I--well, yeah," Sean says, and Antonio smirks as he sees Sean flounder. "I mean, I wasn't planning on it. But then it happened."

"Maybe it was meant to be," Antonio tells him. "Maybe us meeting then was a part of something bigger."

They stop walking, and exchange glances.

A part of something bigger ... or ... una cosa più grande.

Just like what they sang about.

Antonio realizes he has one more thing to ask Sean. Something that makes him a little nervous.

"So, I was wondering..." he trails off.

Sean listens intently.

"...if you still wouldn't get tired of seeing me these next couple of days?" Antonio finishes, preparing for whatever answer he may get, and if the response is positive, then he can ask the question he's been meaning to ask.

Sean shrugs. "I don't know exactly. I was thinking about spending some time out of Campania, or exploring the historic sites a little more, but I really don't have any set plan." He looks at Antonio curiously. "Do you have any suggestions?"

Antonio shuffles his feet. "I'm heading out for Rome tomorrow. There's a concerto-- concert. Do you by any chance know who the singer Cesare Cremonini is?"

"I think so," Sean answers. "One of his latest albums was La Ragazza Del Futuro?"

Antonio's eyes lit up. "Yes!" He grins. "I'm impressed. Not many tourists know this much about contemporary Italian music."

"Am I still just a tourist to you?" Sean asks.

"Wait, what? No-" Antonio stops. He sees the teasing light in Sean's eyes. He had realized a second too late that Sean is only teasing.

"And you think you're so funny," Antonio glares at him, but with no real menace.

"Sorry."

Antonio sighs. "No, it's fine." He perks up again. "So. You know Ermal Meta and Giuliano Sangiorgi. You know Cesare Cremonini. What about Tommaso Paradiso?"

Sean nods.

"Davvero??"

"Yep."

"Che bello!" Antonio exclaims. "Now the next song we should perform together is La Stagione Del Cancro E Del Leone!"

Sean laughs. "It sure fits, doesn't it? I mean, this is summer."

"It's more like the season of Gemini and Cancer, though, because Gemini ended only a week ago or so," Antonio comments. 

He pauses.

"What were we talking about?" he asks. He tries retracing the steps of conversation. Zodiac signs ... summer ... Tommaso Paradiso ... music artists...

"Uh..." Sean thinks about it too. "Oh! You're going to a Cesare Cremonini concert."

"That's right!" Antonio exclaims. "And I was gonna ask ... what you thought of coming with me?"

Sean smiles and shrugs his shoulders in a carefree way. "Why not?" He pauses, then, flashing a smile, adds, "Ho tempo da vendere."

I have time to spare.

Antonio grins at him.

He's cute, kind, does music, AND can speak Italian.

Then Antonio remembers the other thing that he wanted to ask about.

"And after that I'm gonna start heading up to Milan," he starts. "Gonna be up there up through July 2nd. Maybe a little longer."

"What's July 2nd?"

The words want to impulsively jump out of Antonio's mouth. But he hesitates. Once he says these words, there's no going back.

"Milano Pride." He swallows. "It's a big pride parade, and..." he doesn't know what else he wanted to say here. His heart is beating fast.

To his surprise, and to his relief, however, Sean's eyes light up immediately. "I didn't know Italy had pride parades! Seriously? That's awesome! How did I not know about this before?!"

Antonio stares at him in a stupor that lasts only a few seconds. "You ... you..."

He doesn't know how he wants to say this sentence. Maybe You're interested? Or You're like me? Or You're queer? Or You want to go to this?

None of those sound right.

"I should have remembered that there are still pride parades going on in early July even though June is pride month," Sean comments, continuing on while Antonio stays there frozen and unable to function.

"So ... uh..." Antonio looks down and shuffles his feet. "Would you want to come with me?"

"Yes!" Sean exclaims. "Are you kidding me?! This is awesome!"

Antonio looks up, grinning. "Davvero?"

Sean nods genuinely. "Davvero."

Antonio's grin grows. "Great." Then he realizes something. "But ... we won't be coming back to Campania for a few days. And you're staying at a hotel right now."

"Yeah, there is that," Sean acknowledges. He thinks about it. "Technically, I'm supposed to stay until the 29th. I can probably ask if I can check out a day early."

"Sounds good to me!"

"And after that ... well, I guess I just stay with you, and hope for the best, I guess."

"Sounds good to me!"

Sean smiles. "Sounds like a plan."

"So..." Antonio says slowly, "This is a thing we are doing." Hopefully if he says it as a statement instead of a question, he'll get a response he likes.

"Yep." Sean smiles.

Antonio brightens. "Non vedo l'ora!" I cannot wait!

They fall into a moment of comfortable silence.

They look out at the sunset at the horizon over the water. It's absolutely beautiful. The waves of the water lap calmly at their feet, splashing their ankles. There's only the slightest of breezes. It's a moment of peaceful bliss.

"Is the weather usually this hot this time of day?" Sean asks finally.

Antonio should probably answer the question. Instead, he lets his impulse win. He splashes Sean.

Of course, because he wasn't expecting it, Sean yelps a little and jumps, turning swiftly to Antonio. "Hey!"

"You said you were ho-" Antonio starts, but doesn't finish because Sean splashes him back, but with enough force to get the water in his mouth. Antonio backs up, sputtering. "Hey! That was uncalled for!"

"Davvero?"

"I-SÌ!"

Antonio and Sean continue splashing water at each other like they were kids instead of young adults. Without realizing it they wade out into the water until they're splashing each other with water up to their thighs. Suddenly, Sean lunges at Antonio and pushes him with enough force to knock Antonio into the water.

"OH NO YOU DIDN'T!" Antonio, flailing in the water, reaches out for Sean. "You're coming down too!" He grabs Sean's wrist and yanks him down, and suddenly they're both immersed in water, knowing full well they're not getting out of here not soaking wet.

Finally, they stand up, laughing.

And in the light of the sunset, water dripping, they smile at each other--with their mouth, with their eyes, with their hearts, with their whole being.

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Awwww.

I have no other words.

My heart-- <333

Of course, this is me we're talking about, so of course I have A LOT more words haha.

This is 2000 words already, so I won't say too too much.

(Pfffffffft that's a huge lie haha)

That last beach walk was supposed to be a short and sweet ending. I can do sweet ending. However, I can't do SHORT ending haha. So ... yeah, the beach walk took over the chapter, henceforth giving the title it's name, even though this was supposed to be more Capri.

But. Let's focus on the Blue Grotto.

Because I saw the name, was like Ooh! and looked for descriptions. 

And then I JUST found pictures.

And it is freaking AMAZING.

I. Want. To. Go.

Okay, so here's the thing. I love caves. I love water. I love boats. I love exploring. 

I won't start talking too much about my love of caves and how freaking cool they are, so I'm just gonna say that they are really freaking cool.

Also, Capri is an island kind of/kind of not on the Amalfi Coast, but I thought it was cool.

I wanted to elaborate much more on the places they went to, but a) I don't know enough about them, b) that would take way too long, c) you don't need that kind of infodump. I hope what you got is enough, though.

So. Now let's talk about the beach.

Yes, Antonio is acting like he's neurodivergent, because in my headcanons, Race is neurodivergent, so it's more than just acting like he's neurodivergent.

...And I also don't know how to write characters as neurotypical haha.

(Same with cishetallo characters--all my characters end up non-cishetallo because that too is all I know from personal experience haha)

Freaking Lorde and Elton John are performing in June in Italy. Early June. So gosh darn it Sean for not going in early June haha. (I specifically looked up concerts in June 2022 in Italy for this).

But, I needed it to be late June, because of the Milano Pride Parade, which is confirmed (as of this moment) to be July 2nd. I'm getting a lot of different sources talking about pride weeks in Italy, and lots of events that are happening, but Milano Pride is the One True Thing that I can find.

And come on. Of course they're gonna go to a pride parade.

I have never been to a pride parade (yet), nor Italy (yet), so writing about this is gonna be something.

Still, I'm excited for it!

But first, they're gonna go to a concert.

Okay, so here's the thing, I listen to Cesare Cremonini, and like his music, but like ... he's not that *big* in my mind. He will have a concert June 28, and since he was the only person I liked who would be performing in the time range of June 28-June 30, I picked that concert. I can imagine Antonio vibing to his music.

But I do really like Tommaso Paradiso. Especially the first song of his I found--La Stagione Del Cancro E Del Leone.

(Edit: that was also a lie haha. I am OBSESSED with Cesare Cremonini's music. Well, back then I wasn't, but that changed. I actually was listening to one of his songs—one of my favorite songs—on the way home today.)

I also really, really wanted them to be on a beach at sunset playing in the water. Because to me, that meant fluff. And it was fun to write. It's just ... playing in the water is always fun, you know? And you watch it in shows and you can't stop grinning because look at these people having fun and splashing each other and throwing each other in the water, and absolutely nothing is wrong. It's just a light-hearted moment that you wish can last forever. And I wanted one of those.

Ah, yes. My old friend 2700+ words.

I'm hoping you're liking the story of how two strangers meet and play music together and are slowly falling in love :)

And the thing is ... at this point in time, we're half way through the story ... oh gosh I don't know if I'm ready for that ...

Please, no homophobia, profanities, hate, etc in the comment section.

Best,

~Your Beloved Author (who is actually in a pleasant mood at the moment)