A/N: Well well well :D What do we have here? A fanfiction~? NOPE. I'm currently in the midst of writing one though, which involves Lovino getting kidnapped and a crazy axe throwing spain coming to his rescue :D Anyways, this is actually a role play between me and my friend. Spamano is like, what brought us together, and we love it ever so much, We aren't done, and A LOT of this is complete derp and shit, but you know what, I've wanted to post it for so long, and that is exactly what I am doing :D I'll break this up into chapters, so…yeah :D
The prompt is Antonio is a Matador, and Lovino is visiting Spain and decides to watch a bull fight. He arrives 6 hours early and meets a very sexy [and gay and available] Antonio –derpfangirlfacehere-. The rest is shown.
BTW. She's Antonio, I'm Lovino. She plays a wonderful Spain ;u;
Hope you enjoy!
P.S-Mi Amiga o-o I told you I would do this eventually. I TOLD YOU D: It's more perfabulous this way, girl.
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Spain
There was a fight every day. It was required to entertain people, to keep them happy. In return, the people thanked their entertainers by paying them. They gave money so that poor men could buy food and pay bills.
There were fifteen bull fighters. One of them was named Antonio Carriedo. He had become a matador when he was only seventeen. How he had done it? He had simply said that he wanted to have an adrenaline rush and he had wanted to experience a real thrill. It had gotten him a spot where he could get money and have fun, but also helped him work his way up to one of the most popular matadors.
As Antonio had been explaining before, fights happened every day. In one day, there were usually seven fights spaced out between six hour intervals so the fighters could rest. Fighters took turns, naturally, but they would need more than a few hours rest if they were to take on a Spanish bull. One that had been bred and raised entirely for fighting.
The last fight had just ended, and Antonio had been the one to take that, so it wasn't his turn until the next day - unless they decided to make it a free-for-all, in which every fighter would be trying to intimidate the bull as much as they could before the time ran out.
Today, after every person that had been watching up in the stands had cleared out of the building, Antonio had decided to go ahead and walk around in the arena. Nobody was there, and nobody would be for at least another five and a half hours. They would prepare the bull, the watchers would come back, they would announce the next fighter, and then the fight would again start. Antonio would be by himself until then.
Or so he thought.
As his eyes traveled around the stands of the arena, he noticed someone was standing right up front, staring right back at him. A teenager, it looked like, but he couldn't be sure. But he was sure that the male had just gotten there, since he didn't look like he had gotten comfortable just yet. Not many had been standing during the last fight either, and he hadn't seen any teenagers.
"The next fight isn't for another six hours. You got here slightly a bit early, don't you think?"
Antonio gave a wide grin to the other, being friendly as he was to everybody he saw. There was no hint of rudeness or irritation anywhere on his body, just pure kindness and happiness.
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Lovino
Lovino Vargas was completely and utterly a fucking moron.
You're probably thinking, "Why would such a nice looking boy be an idiot? He doesn't look like an idiot!"If that's what you are thinking, Lovino would probably slap you upside the fucking head and curse you out, because in his mind right now, he was an idiot. The reason being was because while his grandfather had dragged him and his brother [along with that bastard German boyfriend of his brother's] to Spain to 'expierience the culture', that Lovino realized he wanted to see something fun.
This lead to go watch a bull fighting match.
Sure, Lovino had heard of Bull Fighting matches before. It was a big staple of Spain. Even so, he never thought it sounded interesting, probably because he was never fully sure what it was. That all changed one night when his grandfather, Feliciano, and his boyfriend went out, leaving Lovino behind because he didn't want to go. Quietly sitting his hotel room, he had been flipping through the television channels [Pointless, since it was all in Spanish and he maybe only knew a handful of phrases] when he stopped on the news. Luckily, they were speaking English, but better, was that they were covering a story about bull fighting.
It was then decided that the Italian would go and see a match next day, and that's what he did. He had snuck away from his grandfather [Since he would frown up the Bull fighting. But hey, at least Lovino was absorbing the culture, right?] and went to the ring. And that's where he is now. At the arena six hours early. Why six hours early? If he were to try and sneak away at the time around when it started, he'd probably never get away. It wasn't that bad anyhow.
Until he saw that one matador.
Lovino had just kind of stood there, staring at him. Why? Lovino himself wouldn't be able to answer that question at all. Ever. Not now. Not in the future. But he can say he was completely and utterly embarrassed when that matador turned and was now staring at him.Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I look like a complete idiot. He could feel his face turn a couple shades of red darker, because frankly...
This guy was fucking hot.
It didn't help when the guy started talking to him either...especially mentioning the fact about that he was six hours early. Lovino just threw his head to the side with an irritated tch. "I fucking know that. I'm not an idiot. I can tell time. I have my reasons for being so fucking early." That probably wasn't the best first impression, but the Italian didn't care. In his mind, to hide one's true feelings, you must be a total jackass.
And he was going to have to be a completely fucking jerk because this guys smile was pretty damn fucking sexy.
x-x-x-x-x
Spain
"Oh, you're so touchy, what's the matter?" Antonio teased, not really planning on staying on the younger male's good side, but instead attempting to frustrate him.
Why? Well, it was because he could see a blush of either irritation or embarrassment from where he was standing. Either way, Antonio wanted to see more.
The matador walked over to the other, a slight smile on his face. He leaned up against the railing that protected the people in the stands from the enraged bulls. "You know...it's a little odd. Seeing you here. Teenagers, if you are one, aren't usually allowed in here due to idiocy. So how did you get in?" Antonio asked.
It was true. About seven years ago, a simple teenager had done the most daring thing a teenager could ever do. Only seventeen years old, this teen had asked to join to be a matador. He was allowed to be one, yes, so why wouldn't they allow teenagers to come to watch the simple fights? Because a year later, a daring teen not authorized to fight jumped in the arena and was promptly killed.
But you are most likely more interested in the one who is an authorized matador now right? Well here he was, standing in front of the cutest teen he had ever seen before. No, it wasn't Antonio's fault that that teenager several years ago had died, he was just explaining his life and then the reason why teens were not allowed.
"I wont tell if you tell me how you got in."
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Lovino
Lovino narrowed his eyes sharply at the comment. Now this guy was trying to make him mad. Well, you know what they say...
You mess with the bull, you get the horns [Terrible, I know -~-]
The Italian felt a hint of discomfort as the male came closer to him, but his expression didn't waver. He had to keep his 'Irritated-as-fuck' face on, and maybe everything would be okay. "Yeah, I fucking know that. I was told that when I first got here." Lovino rolled his eyes at the statement. It was like this guy was an idiot or something.
Frankly, it was extremely easy to get in. All you needed was to pull a Feliciano, get all sad, and have plenty more money to bribe when the Feliciano look failed. Piece of cake, really.
"Why the fuck would I even tell you? I don't even know who the fuck you are."Besides the obvious, that was. Lovino may have been an idiot, but he wasn't stupid. And yes. He did just think that. "Then again, if you really wanna know, I guess I'll tell you...probably for the best anyways. The guy at the entrance told me no, but when you hand him more money, he seems to comply well enough." Most people did. Lovino had a tendency to bribe and black mail people to get what he wanted.
This were always easier that way~
"There, happy? Now you should really tell me who you are now. I don't like conversing with people if I don't even know some form of their names." Lovino crossed his arms in a huff, his glare narrowed dangerously.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Spain
That's right, he had forgotten to introduce himself. But that wasn't important. "I see. I guess we'll have to get someone better to keep stubborn little kids like you out, si?" he joked, climbing over the edge with a slight huff of air.
"Ah, excuse my rudeness, my name is Antonio Carriedo. And if you haven't noticed already, I'm one of the matadors here. And you, my dear child?"
Now, Antonio wasn't low. He never went low. But what he could say was that he lovedteasing teenagers. And for some reason, he just wanted to tease this one a lot more. He looked like he was just so easy to tick off. And the blushing made it so much better.
Yes. Antonio was in fact gay. He's always been gay. No, he wasn't like most gay people. He didn't talk like a gay and sure as hell didn't act like a gay. But he was as straight as a fucking circle if you wanted to say. You could probably tell he was gay as well, the way he talked to men and how bored he seemed around the women.
But here was a twenty-four [Note:We switched it to 21 just recently. Made it less Pedo-ish.] year old talking to what looked like a seventeen or eighteen year old boy. Er...teenager. Hitting on this teenager none-the-less. He had to admit, the kid was a bit hot, not to mention cute in every personality way possible. Exactly what Antonio looked for in a man.
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Lovino
A slight darker shade of red crept up Lovino's face at the notion of being called a child. Even so, he thought nothing of to make a snappy retort. He probably would have stuttered when snapping, but he could say his name easily enough.
"...Lovino Vargas." He muttered bitterly.
It was awkward talking to this Antonio person. For one, Lovino didn't even know who the fuck he was really, besides his name and what he did. Kind of like being introduced to someone, then left alone to go along with awkward conversation. Another thing was this guy was, as he had thought before, pretty damn hot.
Now, Lovino wouldn't say he was gay. More like...'bi-curious'. This was because he had dated plenty of girls, but never really thought about dating a guy...Not that he wouldn't be open to it. Guys could be fucking hot...
A prime example would be the guy sitting right in front of him."
Lovino then noticed he was staring, and he blushed even worse. Dammit Lovino! Cut it the fuck out! You're starting to act like that air head brother of yours! Sighing [and desperately trying to de-redden his face] Lovino got back that harsh glare he had perfected so well.
"Why the fuck are you hanging around me anyways? Don't you have anything better to do then annoy the fuck out of a teenager?" He snapped. Probably making sure I don't hide a body or something around here. Which I wouldn't do...probably.
x-x-x-x-x
Spain
That was a nice name. Lovino. Better than his own name. He smirked when the other started getting all pissy at him again. "You act as if you're on your period. You surely aren't going through puberty just now are you?" he laughed, but got a bit more serious. "I'm talking with you because I have nothing better to do. Not for another six hours anyways. And it's just you here, so I didn't want it to seem tooawkward for you. Is that so wrong Lovino?"
That's how boss Antonio was. Using the others name as if it were nothing to him, even though it was truly a lot to him. "Just so you wont get bored, want to walk around with me a bit? I'll give you a little backstage pass if you want," he smiled, hoping the other would agree to his tempts. He needed the company, since others were off exploring or at home getting well needed rest.
Why wasn't Antonio home getting his well needed rest? He just fought after all...and he was fighting again, because he was taking the place of one of his sick comrades as his text had informed him just minutes before this Lovino Vargas made his presence known. But Antonio just didn't feel like resting. If anything, he was restless. He needed to move, needed to run around, needed to play around.
Here was a teenager, perfect to play around with. This was Antonio's chance...
No Antonio. Don't have dirty thoughts now. He's a kid! You're an adult...so act like one... he scolded himself, but only halfheartedly. He didn't want to act like an adult. He felt so fucking jittery, the butterflies in his stomach were just being crushed by it.
...and being burned to death by his stomach acid. But that was beside the point.
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Lovino
Although Antonio never said it out loud, Lovino deducted he was indeed trying to irritate the living hell out of him...and it was working too, because after that puberty comment, Lovino pretty much was ready to deck this guy in the face, despite just how hot he was.
But of course, Lovino was practicing self restraint so he didn't say anything...or punch this guy. It was probably for the best too.
At this point, Lovino was ready to walk away, solely for the purpose of protecting the other from his harsh comments and profanity, since most people were discouraged by it, but just as he was about it, the Spaniard proposed the invitation to walk with him for awhile, and Lovino seriously had to consider this.
The pros to this situation were that this guy was hot, it was better then doing absolutely nothing, and Lovino was kind of interested in walking around. The cons were that this guy was fucking annoying, and frankly, if his grandfather found, or Feliciano...damn, he would never hear the end of it.
Eh, what the hell.
"...Fine, why not...But only because I have nothing better to do." He grumbled, "And if you won't make stupid annoying cracks at me." Lovino would probably just punch the guy if said anything, but like he said before-Self restraint.
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Spain
Antonio could only smile when the other agreed to walk around with him, but only with an exception. Don't annoy the fuck out of him. Got it.
"So where's your family? You can't be here alone can you? Will they be watching a fight as well?" he asked questions that were simple, but he already knew that the other would make some smart remark in which Antonio would breath in like a drug and go back for more.
Look at yourself Antonio...comparing this kid to drugs... he thought weakly, smiling just slightly to himself. It was true. That's what Lovino already was to him. A drug he just couldn't get enough of. "Oh, and thanks for walking around with me. We're just hanging out in the corrals and getting something to eat. I'll pay," he promised, not surprised if the boy had no more money after purchasing a ticket and bribing the guard.
"Sorry if I do seem a bit annoying. I just haven't talked to a teenager in quite a while. Not ever since I was one at least." Antonio acted younger than your average teen. "What's going on in the teenage world right now?" Antonio should have known that. But he didn't.
"Are they still as daring as ever?"
Did they still risk their lives to just have a little fun? Antonio could only wonder since half his life had been spent fighting angry bulls out for blood.
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Lovino
"I don't know where the fuck they are, and no, they aren't coming." Lovino snapped a bit. It was more at his family, then at Antonio. Just the though of the two air heads pissed him off. "It's a good thing too." God, he could just imagineFeliciano, either freaking out, or asking what everything was every fucking second.
That, and this confrontation with the Spaniard would most likely not be happening, or it would and Feliciano would be giggling and annoying like an idiot and, and...just no.
Now, Lovino didn't want to sound like a total jerk, or some guy that like, drained money from other people, but it was really hard to turn down Antonio's offer to pay for food. After all...it was food. And the Vargas family loved food. Especially the Vargas brothers. Then especially Lovino. It was food, and who didn't love food? "Yeah, what ever."
Somehow, Lovino thought if this Antonio ever got annoying, it'd most likely be on purpose, with those occasional slip ups. And this guy...'I haven't really talked to a teenager since I was one'...he obviously didn't get out much.
"That's a stupid question really. I doubt teenagers have changed since you were one." Lovino muttered. Since obviously it hasn't been that incredibly long. But Lovino wouldn't say that. "So I guess I would have to say yes, they are...unless your like my brother, who sits around and does nothing but go on and on about his boyfriend."Lovino cringed at the last word. Ohhh, how he hated that German bastard. He was such a fucking creep.
"What about adults, eh? Still as boring and stupid as us teenagers picture them to be?" Then again, it was stupid to be asking this guy. He sort of had the personality of a child, as far as Lovino could tell. Ah well.
"Not that it matters, anyway. The view on either of the two groups won't change."He muttered solemnly. Ah, stereotypes. You had to love 'em.
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Spain
Well that was settling, knowing that much hadn't changed with people. "Heh, not all adults are what kids make them out to be. Most of my adult friends are fun, without a care in the world."
"Then again, they didn't have children. When you have a child, everything changes. You know that right? They just want to protect you."
Antonio hadn't meant to change his personality and suddenly start acting like a real adult, but he had to just explain why most adults were the way they were. Most anyways. Others just didn't have anything better to do than make teenager's lives miserable. "But I guess you're right. I find teachers more boring and strict than actual adults out in the world though."
The matador sauntered over to where there were stairs going down to a locked door. This was the way to the corals, where all the fighting bulls were pinned up. They were fed here, washed here, and prepared here. It was a huge space, Antonio might say. There were about thirty bulls total. "I think I'll introduce you to Red," the male suddenly said, wondering if it was a smart idea or not.
Who's Red? Well, at the moment, he is the oldest bull this fighting arena in Spain ever had. He was already fourteen years old, and bulls here usually didn't live that long since they were put down or shot and killed if anything went wrong. But this bull just kept on going, and eventually all the matadors had bonded with it. The thing wasn't used much for fighting anymore, only for training new matadors since he was so old.
Antonio stuck a short key into the lock and twisted it, listening to the old gears turn and finally click into place. He shoved the door open carefully, making sure not to make much noise. "Come on," he told Lovino, turning back to smile at the other playfully. "Don't touch anything, I'll get in trouble if you do."
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Lovino
Lovino simply shrugged off what the guy said. 'They just want to protect you.' Lovino wouldn't know, since he and his brother had been living under the care of their grandfather for most of their life. Andhe wasn't a good role model, what-so-ever.
The Italian simply stayed quiet as he followed the other over to the door thingy. Who was Red? It didn't really make sense to ask because he'd find out in a little bit, wouldn't he? Lovino just muttered awhatever as he watched Antonio unlock the door.
It was probably weird to say, but Lovino enjoyed the sound of old tumblers in a lock. He didn't know why he thought of that, it just was true. Made him think of old castles and stuff when doors are opened and what not.
The fuck? Okay, he was thinking about locks...probably his mind trying to distract him from any other bad thoughts.
"Yeah, yeah whatever. I'll try to contain my excitement." Lovino rolled his eyes and pushed the other through the door lightly. He felt weird just sitting outside the door. Like his brother was staring him down or something, because frankly, that tended to happen a lot.
And he meant a lot.
"Lets just get this the fuck over."
X-x-x-x-x
Spain
Lovino Vargas was kind of cute, the way he acted. Antonio realized that long ago though, so his musings didn't really bring anything new into light. "Come on, this way," he quickly said, glancing around to make sure no one was there. He could actually care less if someone saw him sneaking unauthorized personnel into the corrals, but he didn't really want to get in trouble before a fight. He would much prefer to get in trouble after.
Walking through the stables, several animals were around. A bunch of wild birds nested up in the rafters, mostly pigeons and woodpeckers. The rest were female cows meant only to mate with the bulls to produce more. Most of the time, what came out were mostly females, but they had gotten their fair share of bulls. There were certain cows for certain bulls, meaning the matadors chose their lifetime mates, and for Red...well he got the oldest female who couldn't really reproduce a lot any longer. Poor thing was outliving every other cow he saw.
Finally, they came into the corrals where bulls rammed up against their confinements. Some were relaxed, not caring about their restrain, and others were eating. Some were sleeping. "This is where we keep the bulls. All these over here are the ones that are currently being trained to be fighting bulls," Antonio pointed out, motioning to where smaller bulls were being kept. "These are the currents, and this is Red," he stated, walking over to a worn out pen that didn't look like it could hold the massive bull inside.
A slightly reddish brown, massive bull laid inside his confinements, looking up and snorting when his name was mentioned. He had grown accustomed to his name, and had also grown on Antonio. When he realized Antonio was with another male, he seemed to get a little jealous...well, as jealous as a bull could get. He voiced his jealousy by ramming his head up against the hard wood then backing away slowly. "He doesn't like me being with another guy! How cute~" Antonio chimed, reaching in to pat the bull's head. "We use him to train rookies now. He used to be fun to fight with, but he's gotten so old..."
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Lovino
Lovino quietly followed Antonio in, noticing at how the other was looking around. Obviously, he should be there, but eh, what did he care? Not like it would matter to him anyways.
As they walked in further, Lovino almostsmiled at the sight of all the animals. He was an animal person at heart, especially with the stables his grandfather owned back in Rome. In fact, him and Feliciano rode their horses ever Sunday after noon, right after morning mass. The Italian was sad at the prospect at not being able to just visit the horses everyday like he used to, but at least now he could be around all the furry creatures he so much enjoyed.
Oh god, he was sounding like a fucking faggot again.
Shaking said faggot-ry from his mind, Lovino continued to follow Antonio and listened as the other spoke up. He listened half-heartedly until the other said something about Red. When Lovino turned his gaze, he met the pretty angry look of the large red bull.
Now, Lovino wasn't usually scared easily. If he was, he normally never showed it. But when that massive thing seemed to give him a death glare and hit his head on the side of the pen, he couldn't help but jump a bit and step back. Bulls. Were. Fucking. Scary. Angry pissed off horses? No big deal. Angry pissed of bulls? Fucking. Big. Deal. Even if this one was older, it was still as fucking scary as if Satan himself had possessed the damn thing.
"S-Sheesh." Lovino muttered. "He s-sure seems to hate me." Not that it mattered. But eh, still. He couldn't think of anything more intelligent to say at the moment. "And I hope you know, you just made it sound like you're into bestiality."
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Spain
"Yes, he does seem to hate you. He hates every guy that takes a step near me," he laughed. "And as a response to your little bestiality comment...you sound as if you'd like to try it."
If that didn't set off the kid, Antonio knew he would be safe around the other. But if he didn't...well, then Antonio would make the best of it and have a little fun. "Next stop is food!" he said excitedly, looking at the other with a smile. "What would you like to eat? We have just about everything here," he bragged, a bit proud of the cuisine served here. But it also gave Lovino a bunch of choices which he would easily sort out.
"Uh...would you like Italian maybe? Or even French food is good. The Spanish food is great, but that's just me since I eat it just about every day. I'd recommend you stay away from the American food joints...those aren't very...healthy per say."
Antonio may have not gotten out a lot but he sure as hell knew when the Americans started flocking here and opening up their cheap food places which served nothing but death. Then again, that was Antonio talking about food. He was Spanish, so he ate Spanish food. It was only natural he shunned the American culture from his own.
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Lovino
...
Why was this guy so fucking annoying?
"I-" Lovino was about to make some sharp remark about the whole bestiality thing, but he couldn't think of anything smart to say in return. "...Never mind."He just sighed irritably. Don't punch him. Don't punch him. Don't punch him. It was probably a good thing the other offered to get food next, because one more smart remark and Lovino would be feeling horrible about his actions.
"Food? Ah..." Frankly, he wasn't too sure what to eat. Imagine. Lovino Vargas. Not knowing what to eat. Obviously the world was just waiting to kersplode. Yes, kersplode. It's even worse that exploding, because it has kers in the name.
"Well...Italian obviously. It's obviously the best choice out of everything." That, and Lovino was extremely culturally secluded. Living in the heart of Italy...that's all he ate. Italian food. Naturally. What was he supposed to eat? Rocks?
"And no duh, American food isn't even food. It's compressed sugar and fat that attempts to look like food. But it won't. Ever." Lovino said that because he made the mistake of trying American food once. And that was only because he hadn't nothing else to eat at the moment.
"Lets just go...I need something to keep my focus on." Because like, you know, the hot guy standing with him wasn't enough...yeah...
x-x-x-x-x
Spain
"Italian? Never had it before, but I guess I could find a place around here that serves it," he nodded, opening a door that lead to the outside world. Light, as usual, shone brightly in their faces, but was also burning people up. Hot days in Spain were a usual thing, so most of the time, men had their shirts off when they worked. Antonio? Not so much. He wasn't all for showing off as a person may think.
He walked through narrow, winding streets with the teen, leading him God-knows-where, until they finally came to a stop at a little seaside restaurant that served basically everything but American food. It was good to see restaurants forcing the American's away from their businesses, even though most of them had been overrun with them. "This place here serves just about everything, so I'm sure they'll have Italian food. What is it, pasta basically right?" Antonio assumed. He couldn't imagine people eating pasta every day, so he knew there was more to it than he thought.
Pizza, pasta...maybe even bread sticks...that was all Antonio could really imagine Italians to have. Again, he didn't get out much into the real world. He usually was fighting, going home to sleep, or going to the outside markets to stock up on tomatoes and other items for the week. He never got more than he needed.
Except now...now that little trait of his was going way over more than he needed. Why? Because he was clearly liking Lovino way more than he should. Fuck, Antonio, he's just a kid! his mind practically screamed how wrong it was to him.
But he didn't care.
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Lovino
Lovino followed Antonio out into the nice warm sun [As he hated the darkness of where they just were] and rolled his eyes. It didn't surprise him the other had never had Italian food. While Italy and Spain were extremely similar, they were also very different.
As they walked, Lovino tried to soak up as much of the scenery as he could. While it was no Rome or Venice, it really was pretty around Spain. As he mentally crossed off Enjoy a sight in another country; scenery, he noticed the little restaurant they had arrived at.
And then the dreaded comment.
Pasta...simply pasta? You go up to anyItalian, and say their food is simply pasta, and you'll most likely have even the mafia after your ass. Lovino was no different with his reaction, he just tried to be less...cruel about it. "No, dumbass. Italian food isn't just pasta. There's Acquacotta, Arrosticini,Carpaccio, and like, countless other things that don't even pertain to pasta. Pasta is just...like, the norm."
"Perhaps you need a lesson on foods outside of what you normally eat. You obviously need to get out more." Of course, Lovino was being a bit of a hypocrite, but hey, it's not like this guy knew what he ate all the time. "And I doubt anyone else will teach you, so I suppose that leaves the job up to me, no?"
No. Lovino was not just making excuses to have a better conversation with this guy. Perhaps he was really just trying to be nice and expand someone else's cultural horizons while expanding his own.
Heh, yeah right. No, he was totally just making excuses.
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Spain
Antonio held up his hands as if it would calm the others rage. "Alright alright, I should have known that, don't get so mad," he soothed with his voice. He smiled just slightly, stretching his arms out into the warm air. It was comfortable not being trapped inside an arena all day, and besides, he was with a really cute boy that was...trying to act tough, which only made him even cuter.
"You? Teach me about food? You sure about that?" he mumbled out the question with a bit of surprise in his voice. He really wasn't one for trying new foods. Learning about them were okay, but trying them weren't really his thing. He did that with American food and it didn't really work out, so how could he be sure other cultures were good? Yeah, he used Chinese and Japanese rice sometimes to add a little different flavor to his own Spanish rice, but that was normal to use those grains in a meal.
"So you come from Italy..." he mused out, staring at the other. Their countries weren't all that culturally different, but their foods sort of were. All he knew were tomatoes were a prime food in almost everything. "There's a lot about our countries that I should know about. Like how our tomatoes influenced your pasta and such."
Pasta. What did it taste like? Damn Antonio, you really do need to get out more. But now isn't the time to be doing that.
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Lovino
Did he get mad? Oops. Lovino didn't really mean to come off so cruel and pissed off. It was just he was so damn Italian it wasn't even funny. In fact, a lot of his family was involved with the Mafia...Not like you would know who, though. Top secret information, capiche? Capiche. Good.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. You could do with learning a thing or two about...well, anything, really. Why not start with something easy, like food?"Sure, it was a snarky comment, but Lovino meant it in good humor...even though it most likely didn't seem like it. Eh, still didn't matter. He knew what he meant and he meant what he knew...or something like like that.
A roll of the eyes. "Yeah, I'm fromItalia. Good deduction, idiota. I wonder what could have hinted to that." Lovino understood that he was coming off a bit...harshly, once again, but he did that to everyone. And he meant everyone. Being nice just felt...weak to him. Plus it was easier to be mean.
"I doubt Spain invented the tomato, dumb ass. I'm pretty sure God conjured it up way before...Anyways...We should probably go and eat instead of just standing there. That guy over there is looking at us like we're going to rob the fucking place or something...which is highly possible, if I'm standing here." He meant that last bit as a joke...hopefully it was communicated as such.
x-x-x-x-x
Spain
Antonio stared at the other, surprised that he looked a bit sorry that he had made the other angry. Which he hadn't. Antonio had actually taken in the insults and stored them deep in his head. It was almost as if they fed him and made him look for even more to tick the latter off.
"Lovino, I don't think you can teach me anymore than I already know. I'm a clueless man," he admitted, stuffing his hands into his pockets. There were no cars in Spain, making things not so convenient. But it was so much better walking. You practically saw everything. Everything was beautiful.
"I could teach you a little something about Spanish culture though even though you probably know everything about it. We did help your country out after all...brought our culture over..."
Here he was ranting again. He really needed to stop. "Sorry..." he murmured. Finally. Finally.
They had arrived at the restaurant.
He escorted the other inside, a bright smile on his face. "Antonio! Who is this? A new friend?" the clerk spoke up, running over as if excited he had a new customer. Antonio always brought customers in for his old friend.
X-x-x-x-x-x-x
Lovino
"Tch, I'll say." Lovino muttered to the 'clueless man' comment. Of course it was really quite, and more of just a inward comment. You know, just average Lovino stuff~. Not that he wouldn't say it louder at a time or anything. He would always do that too. Pretty much, he would be more than willing to speak what's on his mind. He had nothing to hide.
Well, most of the time.
As they walked, the Italian just sort of listened in amusement. This guy sure could talk...and talk...and talk. Even so, Lovino didn't mind. Compared to his brother, this was nothing. Feliciano could talk and talk and pretty much never breath. It was kind of creepy. Antonio just kind of went on and on, but he at least breathed every now and then.
He thought he heard a sorry, but he wasn't really sure what for, so he just gave a small shrug.
Now that they were at the restaurant, Lovino was a bit wary. After all, his grandfather and brother [and that German block-head] could be anywhere at anytime. And they couldn't be too happy with him at the moment.
Of course his concentration was broken when some person ran up to him and Antonio and was blabbering on about a 'new friend' and what not. "You make it sound like he's some little kid coming back from his first day of school, sheesh." Lovino muttered, running his hand through his hair. "Besides, it's not really any business of yours about who I am, now is it?"
Eh, that was probably mean, but as stated like, lots of sentences ago, this was Lovino. Anything could happen.
x-x-x-x-x
Spain
"No Lovino, don't get mad at this man. He enjoys the business and he makes the best food around. So if you want me to buy you Italian then you'll be good alright?"
"Oh ho! You like Italian food? We have the best Prosciutto in Spain! It's really good. Antonio, don't deny this boy food. We appreciate when someone eats food of a different culture, especially food such as Italian," he tempted the two inside and into a booth. Antonio sat across from Lovino and handed him one of the two menus.
"I do suggest you taste foreign foods though. They do make some good stuff."
Soon enough, they were ordering their drinks. "Just some iced tea for me. No lemon. And for you Lovino? What would you like to drink?" he asked in a soft voice, eyes too soft as he stared straight into the others eyes.
It might have been a mesmerizing look but it wasn't intentional. He tried to keep it as innocent as possible but found he was failing. "Are you two ready to order?" the waiter asked.
"I'll have the Prosciutto."
Why the hell not? Antonio would be daring for once.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Lovino
Lovino just kind of shrugged at whatever the man was saying. He would be the judge of how good the food would be, not someone else's opinion. He wouldn't be Lovino if he believed what others said. That was ever so simply a fact.
Giving a sigh, Lovino followed Antonio obediently to the booth and took his seat. When it was handed to him, he took the menu, giving a short nod in thanks. Well duh, it's not like he was going to say it. Like, ever? Yeah. Silly people should know better. Anyways, Lovino just gave a shrug when Antonio told him to try different foods. One should take that as a maybe. He'd decide when he would decide, naturally.
Well...On the the drinks~!
When asked, Lovino answered with- "Water is fine." Water was such a healthy option anyways~! Plus, he didn't want anything else. Water was delicious...That, and he was kind of distracted by the way the Spaniard seated across from him was staring at him. Trust me, if you were in Lovino's position, you would feel awkward and be blushing your face off.
...Yes. That was what Lovino was doing...again, naturally.
Oh, and then that moment had to come. You know, the moment where Lovino had to choose what he wanted to eat. What other moment could it be? Anyways, Lovino let Antonio go first. He almost felt pleased when the other order something Italian. Delicious Italian food, at that. Maybe that meant he should get something different...
"Uh, fine. I'll do what you say and try something 'different'. I guess I'll have the [sterotypical] gazpacho..."
Lovino swore that if his grandfather and brother heard it, a large gasp would ensue. After all, Lovino almost always refused to try other foods. He was so picky after all. But~...he knew he shouldn't be so uptight about things. Besides, it's not like this guy knew anything about him and such and such and more such. That was definitely a good thing.
Lovino was glad when the waiter nodded and walked away. He always thought waiters were creepy and such. Plus, it was bad enough he was eating with a total stranger. This could just be some elaborate plan to drug, then rape, then kill him or something! ...Okay, probably not, but that little red light still went off in it's head...even though it did that around his grandfather too, but still.
...Huh...That seems to explain a lot...
x-x-x-x-x
Spain
Antonio laughed as Lovino decided to order something out of the ordinary. He sat back as the drinks were delivered to them, eyes slightly closed. He took a sip of the tea before looking at his watch. They had a hell lot of time before he had to do this entire fighting thing again. He was excited to let Lovino see this for some reason.
"Lovino? Why did you really come to see me fight? I doubt it was just a simple rebellion against your family," he started, looking at the other with a sigh. He leaned across the table to grab a dessert menu, wondering what he should get after the meal. He was deciding between a huge piece of chocolate cake or some vanilla and chocolate ice cream combined.
"Ah...right..." he started, pulling out a very Spanish looking phone before he realized several times someone had been calling him. Several fucking times. He turned off his phone when he realized who it was. "Sorry about that, it was just my boss calling me yet again," he said softly before poking at Lovino's glass of water.
"I would have thought you would have ordered wine or something from Italy. I only ordered tea because it'd get me calm before the entire fight and everything," he said as he stretched impatiently. He wanted some food already, but they were going slow. Too slow. He needed food.
Antonio Fernandez Carriedo was not the type to be patient. He would go after what he wanted.
Such as the boy sitting across the table from him.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Lovino
Lovino was more than glad when the drinks were finally delivered. He took a large drink of water in hopes it could get rid of this lump in his throat from the quite awkward tension in the air. He was never much of a socializing kind of person, even with his own family, so naturally it was awkward for him to sit and talk with this guy...
This oh-so-sexy-guy.
Anyways, Antonio's question kind of knocked him out of his sinful thoughts. He blinked a few times before narrowing his eyes at the man. "Who said I was there to see you specifically?" That sounded fucking stupid. "Anyways, it could easily just be some 'act of rebellion'. It's what I would do anyways." Lovino angrily looked to the side, then sighed."But if you must know...I guess it was more of curiosity than 'rebellion'..."
Lovino watched as Antonio pulled out his phone, then put it away once again. Lovino was going to remark at how it was rude not to answer someone's calls, especially if it was his boss, but that would be hypocritical. He would have done the exact same thing.
"I got water simply because I don't feel like drinking anything else, especially wine. My grandfather owns a winery, so I really wouldn't feel like drinking wine right now." While wine was good, it was kind of tiring. Lovino saw wine pretty much 24/7 back home. It had gotten to a point where he was almost sick looking at it.
...Now it was getting awkward again. With the slow pace it took most restaurants to cook food, that left more time just to sit. Lovino guessed he should at least try and make conversation.
"S-So...How'd you get into bull-fighting, exactly?" Lovino looked to the side and felt his face heat up. Personal question. No good. Even so, he had nothing better to talk about. "It doesn't really seem like something any sane person would want to do. In my opinion, at least."
x-x-x-x-x
Spain
Antonio understood that the male would probably be sick of wine, though that made him wonder if he drank all the time. Hopefully he wasn't interested in some drunk, though he highly doubted that would even persuade him one second to find someone better for him, for this was the only one that Antonio could be himself around. Other times he would just sit there and listen to the other talk about themselves.
But Lovino here was glad to get the conversation off of him and was actually letting Antonio talk. It surprised him.
"How did I get into bull fighting? Well...it was a dare. That I made to myself."
Antonio laughed a little, a soft laugh, one that a grown person would make when remembering a very good memory. "All I did was jump into the ring and start fighting. Of course I got in trouble for it, but I had wanted to be a bull fighter for a long time; ever since I was about ten years old. The art of it fascinated me, and when I told my boss that he was glad to give me a position..."
"Nobody thought I would make it, and they even placed bets that I wouldn't last a week being at the age I had been, but I did, and now I'm one of the best there," he explained as he leaned forward a bit in his seat.
"It's a really fun job despite the dangerous part of it. Besides, eventually the bulls warm up to you and enjoy the fights as well. Some of them get so used to a person that we can't use them to fight anymore because they're more of a pet."
"Like Red. Red is starting to become a bit like my pet, he likes me so much. That's why he was angry at you when I had you meet him," he laughed as he took a sip of his own drink. Relaxed as he was, he had to go back to work soon, but so long as he had entertainment, such as Lovino here, he would be fine.
"Why don't you think about joining, or at least having a part time job cleaning the place? So we can talk more than we are now?"
x-x-x-x-x
Lovino
Lovino leaned back in his chair and listened quietly to Antonio's story. Honestly...This guy sounded like an idiot. Like, major idiot. Seriously, who would just jump into a bull fighting ring with aRAGING MAD AND PISSED OFF BULL, just because they wanted to? An idiot. That's who. And that idiot was sitting across from him.
...What? Lovino just had to think about how much of an idiot this guy is. No matter how hot some what attractive he was.
Pffft. Pet. And mad at me? That bull seemed like it would tear me to shreds, eat me, spit me back out, then shred me up again if it had the chance to get out of that cage. Lovino thought to himself as he rolled his eyes. Okay. That was probably blowing it out of proportion a little bit. But only a little, mind you! Even so, that bull was fucking scary. Like a ghost, but scarier. Yeah. Totally.
Lovino actually got a bit distracted with his thoughts about that man devouring bull when the ever so dreaded words hit is eardrums. Job and Cleaning. It was utterly horrible, and he almost shuddered at the thought of work, but he brushed it aside non the less. "I don't know...I mean, I'm not going to be here forever, mind you. I'm not even sure how long my family plans on staying here at the moment, anyways." Lovino sighed, folded his arms, and looked off to the side. "I mean...I guess I could...for a little while, at least. It sure beats the hell out of spending time with my fratello idiota and his bastard of a boyfriend." He gave an sigh. "Even then...I guess I will..."
Yeah. This certainly wouldn't get him in trouble if his dense headed grandfather found out...Eh, he always was a bit rebellious...Kind of.
...Shut up.
X.x.X
This accursed bull. Lovino almost wanted to send it into meat grinder...Okay, maybe that was a little harsh, but if you could see the death glare it was giving him, you'd think the same thing.
After Antonio and Lovino had finished their lunches [Which by the way, Lovino thought was delicious, despite the fact he told Antonio it was just 'okay'], they had walked around a bit, then had headed back to the arena so Antonio could get ready for the fight. That's why they were now sitting back by Red's cage thing. Lovino was still hating this bull, by the way. In case he wasn't clear the first million times.
"I'm serious when I say this bull is going to find a way out and kill me. And when it does, I'm going to be impalato...And that won't be a pretty sight." Lovino growled as he glared the bull down. The two were locked in an epic showdown of who could show their hatred for one another the best.
...Wow. Lovino really needed a better life. Frankly, he was just trying to avoid any unnecessary awkwardness with Antonio. You know, with him being so sexy super stupid and annoying and all.
x-x-x-x-x
Spain
Antonio pulled on the half sleeved jacket to his matador outfit, walking out of the room beside Red's pen as he did it. It was a changing room, for he didn't go with walking around town in a matador outfit unless one was too tired to take it off. He looked at Lovino as he sat on the edge of the pen and Red trotted over not so gracefully. He wanted to be pet.
"I wont be fighting with Red today. He's got a sore back from falling the other day," Antonio pouted, "But that just means you two have more time to bond. You know Lovino, me and Red have bonded so well, I believe he can protect me," he said that in a matter-of-fact tone.
Eventually he jumped off the edge of the pen and grabbed Lovino's arm. "Now don't do anything stupid Lovino," he smiled. "Don't come out onto the ring and don't do anything...well...I doubt you'll do anything stupid," he laughed. A loud bell rang to alert people to start preparing for the show, to get to their seats otherwise they'd miss an epic showdown. Antonio didn't want to leave Lovino, but it wasn't like he wouldn't return.
"Alright, well I have to go do my stuff. You going to watch?" he asked, with an innocent face on. He felt glad for some reason that Lovino was there but...what if something went wrong?
He walked out into the stadium before Red realized he had been left alone with Lovino. Instant anger rose up inside the bull and he rammed his horns against the side of the pen in an attempt to impale the other. It snorted angrily as it trotted away and lay in a corner of the pen.
Outside, Antonio watched as the people slowly filed in. He couldn't believe that so much time had passed. He walked over to the cage that held the bull he would be fighting against. This one was new. It didn't know it's surroundings yet. They hadn't trained it at all. Danger lurked in it's eyes as it stared into Antonio's own chocolate brown ones.
"Is this one safe?"
"Not at all Antonio. It's new."
"...Well I have a bad feeling about it."
x-x-x-x-x
Lovino
With a few 'Yeah, yeah's and a couple of 'Shut up already's, Lovino watched solemnly as Antonio left him alone with the killer bull. He had this...feeling. No, it wasn't a good feeling. Not. At. All. It didn't have to do with Red, either. However, Lovino couldn't put his finger on it. What ever it was, he knew something wasn't right.
"Gah!" Lovino exclaimed, being snapped out of his thinking as the accursed bull, Red, rammed into the pen. Lovino jumped back, and actually skittered to the floor, before glaring harshly at the bull."Fucking bastard bull. What the hell'd I do anyways?" He muttered bitterly as he pulled himself from the ground and dusted off his clothes. Glad the bull trotted away, Lovino decided to walk around a bit before everything started. He still wanted to shake this ominous feeling that loomed over him, if not the entire place.
With cold eyes, he watched as many works busied themselves all around, but he found them nothing more than blurs. Like when you're standing still, and a car races past and you can barely even identify the color. That's what this was like. Despite the walking around, that horrid feeling loomed and settled like a rock deep within Lovino.
He had to get rid of it. He had to tell someone. [ . .]
Turning around, Lovino quickened his pace and walked to that [ 'tknow.] and walked around quickly. Lovino's sight narrowed in on Antonio a bit away, and he lightly jogged over. He felt like an idiot to tell the bastard what he thought, but hell, it was almost needed.
"Say, bastard." He called out. "Look, I know this is going to sound weird as hell, and even I think so, but I honestly have a bad feeling. And I like, never get bad feelings..."
x-x-x-x-x
Spain
Antonio smiled as Antonio walked around the outer edge of the ring, protected by a gate. He leaned up against it as the younger spoke. "Well, I have a bad feeling too. They're using a new bull on me, and so I was hoping everything will go okay like it usually does."
He looked towards the cage when the bull started up a ruckus, banging it's head and horns against the bars that trapped it within the small space. He sighed. "You would think we had enough bulls, but clearly we don't..." he said, reaching out and touching Lovino's face. They still had maybe an hour before the show started, since he had gotten ready quickly.
He didn't know it would be the last thing he touched for the time.
- - -
Another commotion. That was all he recognized before it happened. He turned from talking to another matador in the ring, who was explaining to him how to deal with new bulls. He wasn't paying attention, something was on his mind. A certain...danger loomed over his head. He couldn't stand the fact that he couldn't get it off his mind. Why was it there?
"Antonio, Garcia, get out of the ring now!"
The bull had gotten loose. It had broken out of the cage it had been trapped within. Smart little bastard had somehow hooked the lock of the cage with it's horn and pulled on it enough to break it off.
The two of them split off in different directions as the bull came charging up. Antonio glanced back to see the bull had decided to follow him, confused enough as it was with the crowd in the stands screaming. He made it to the gate which he tried to climb over, but unfortunately the bull made it to him first.
Antonio didn't realize he had been caught by the bull until he was in the air and back on the ground within a ten second radius. It took him a minute to reorient himself before he attempted to get back up. The bull again got there first. The animal just about stomped him into the ground, and it took a bit to realize that the way to kill an enemy was go for the upper body. His head was struck with a sharp hoof and blood instantly started pouring out.
A tranquilizer dart eventually hit the bull, along with several others. It took a good twenty minutes for it to finally go down. Antonio didn't want to get back up, though he was awake. His hand reached up to cover the gash in his head, body beat up in every sense and form.
He groaned softly when two people ran up to him and turned him onto his back. People were screaming, making his head reel until he couldn't see anything without it being a blur. Eventually he closed his eyes, hoping the pain would stop.
x-x-x-x-x
Lovino
New Bull.
Lovino didn't like the sound of that. He really,really didn't. He might have been a little more okay with the thought if Antonio didn't sound so unsure about it as well. The guy was a professional bull fighter, after all. He was used to dealing with bulls on a regular basis, so the fact he didn't sound totally thrilled with it was basically saying 'Don't go out there, dumbass!'.
It truly took ever fiber of his being not to tell Antonio not to go out there. They had known each other for what...a handful of hours? He really didn't have any right to tell this guy what to do. Besides, he shouldn't care. He really shouldn't.
"Yeah, well...Better not fucking die or anything. Won't help my newly found fear for those monstrous things." Lovino muttered, feeling a blush creep up his face as Antonio reached out and touched his face. The area where skin on skin contact happened burned harshly. It was like a fever. What the hell was wrong with Lovino?
-Xx..xX-
When it happened, Lovino wasn't completely surprised.
He had went back to stand with some of the other works of the ring. He'd met one that spoke Italian fairly well, and chatted with him before the fight began.
"Don't worry, Mr. Lovino." The man named Gonzalo eased in near perfect Italian. "We don't usually have troubles with new bulls. They may be a bit rowdy and tough, but they are too easy to trick, and we can usually get them brought down quickly if needed."
Lovino still looked at the new bull's cage warily. "I don't know, Signore. While I'd like to believe you, it still seems...I don't know, dangerous?"
"That's because itisdangerous, Mr. Lovino. These fighters risk their lives every day for this sort of thrill and entertainment. But you are right. This is a bit more dangerous. None the less, Mr. Antonio shall be fine. He is a professional."
Giving a sigh, he nodded in defeat. While Gonzalo had eased some of his tension and worry, it still loomed. The thrashing in the cage wasn't any better. That bull sure was energetic...
Lovino just didn't know how energetic.
Like I said, when it broke out, Lovino wasn't completely surprised. It was all that happened next that truly surprised and frightened him to no extent.
No...it sent a cold feeling straight to his core.
Lovino's hazel hued irises widened in shock and his breath nearly stopped. "No..." He managed to breath out softly. He was frozen in his spot. He couldn't move even if he wanted to. Then again, he did want to.
Gonzalo had reached out and tried to pull Lovino back away, away from the sight, away from the fear. "Come, Mr. Lovino. It's best if you don't look. Mr. Antonio will be fine. Just a flesh wound. You shall see."
Lovino didn't want to believed him. He said Antonio would be fine in the beginning. He ended up getting so hurt. What if he was lying now? No way that was 'a flesh wound.' It was practically like Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail when the knight got his fucking limbs cut off and claimed it was 'just a flesh wound'...You know, minus the missing limbs.
None the less...Lovino didn't have a choice to but to follow Gonzalo.
-Xx..xX-
After a few hours, Lovino had been permitted to see him.
Antonio had immediately been rushed to the nearest hospital. Lovino didn't really know exactly what happened, but they only really allowed him to see Antonio because there was no immediate family there.
Lovino couldn't really tell you what Antonio looked like. It was too...Horrible to describe. No, it's not like he was mangled and disgusting looking...He just looked...Not healthy. Oh, you know. When you see someone you ohsoobviously care for in some way all pale and hurt and stuff, and you feel just down right awful. Yeah, it's like that.
Giving a shaking sigh, Lovino curled up in a cushioned chair he'd pulled up next to the bed. All he could do now is wait and pray that Antonio would wake up soon.
x-x-x-x-x
Spain
The things that ran through his head in the past few hours until he reached a place of peace and complete silence. No, it was silent because he couldn't hear anything except for a constant ringing in his head. Where was that coming from? Antonio couldn't remember anything that had happened at that exact time.
He remembered voices calling to him in that time period, and he could hear them just fine, until everything just stopped. After a while, everything was black and he couldn't hear anything, not even his own thoughts.
For a while, Antonio thought he had died.
It came to the point where he had carefully been sedated in what seemed to be a hospital after he woke up for those few minutes where doctors immediately got information from him. They told him what was going to happen. He couldn't hear them. It was just white noise in his head. Well, anyways, he was sedated, and he fell back into his blissful sleep he had met before.
The surgery lasted maybe four to five hours with him crashing only twice through the entire thing. They made sure an extra sedation was added to his IV when he was taken to recovery. His hearing finally returned, and he heard a door open, but he wasn't mentally or physically there to greet it. He just mumbled, constantly, in Spanish.
"Mi Dios...necesito un tomate...mierda de toro...Dios...dónde estoy yo...?"
Antonio opened his eyes slowly, the white light, though dimmed, blinding him slightly. They had given him so much medication to numb his body, the pain in his head only felt like a bad headache. His chocolate brown eyes stared at the ceiling for a while before glancing around the room. A hospital room. And a very worried sick looking boy in a chair near him. It took Antonio a while to recognize him along with remembering everything that happened that day.
A smile was attempted as he tried to sit up, head pounding so bad that it blinded him some, making him dizzy. "Lovino," he managed to murmur, looking over, "What happened?"
In the end, only the events that happened before were the only ones that Antonio couldn't remember. Except for a bull.
An angry bull.
x-x-x-x-x
Lovino
To say it was a wait for Antonio to wake up would be the truth, and Lovino never really was a patient person. From when he was little and was oh so forced to wait for a painting he was doing to be finished, to waiting for his damned food to be cooked. This was a little more agonizingly slow.
At first, he had actually fallen asleep for at least 20 minutes. He had gotten up quite early in the morning, and he was used to sleeping in until at least 11. He had been woken up when his phone, which he'd shoved in his pocket before depositing the rest of his stuff in Gonzalo's car, who said he'd keep it until Lovino had time to retrieve it, started buzzing loudly.
"Mmmciao...? Lovino slurred into the mouth piece. He was slightly dazed and forgot where he was until he heard the whirring of the hospital machines.
"Ah! Fratello! You finally picked up~"
Oh great. It was Feliciano.
Giving a slightly, yet half hearted growl, Lovino sat himself up and ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, yeah. I finally picked up. Why? Have you been calling me or something?" Lovino hadn't really bothered to check to see if had any missed calls or anything. He just grabbed his phone and go. It didn't come as a surprise that his brother had called him. He had snuck off from him, his grandfather, and that tall sack of potatoes.
"Of course~~! Vee~, we got worried when you suddenly dissappeared, and we haven't been able to get a hold of you, and we thought some big scary Spanish man had come along and kidnapped you, and then taken you back to his lair where he-"
And to spare you the long and grueling details of Feliciano Vargas's worry, we'll just say he had a long explanation of things he had thought. Lovino simply explained to him that he had wandered off a bit, as he knew the area they had been in, and then went back to the hotel as he started getting tired and wasn't feeling the best. Feliciano took it without question, brightly exclaiming that Lovino would be on his own then for awhile, as him and the other two wouldn't be back till late because they were going to see some boring Spanish Opera or something.
"Vee~, but you should have seen it earlier, Fratello~! There was a lot of commotion around this one square and an ambulance when through like 'WEE WHOO WEE WHOO~' because apparently some bull fighter had gotten really hurt! Like, really really hurt! It's apparently the worst accident they've had in like, a long time! Well, not the worst, but you know!"
That sinking feeling came back to Lovino as he listened to Feliciano yammer on. "You don't say..." He mumbled quietly and without feeling. It was quite unlike him, and Feliciano seemed to notice almost instantly. A first, for him.
"Say, Fratello~? Are you sure you're okay by yourself? We can come back if you need us too~ We can't have you getting all sick on us~!"
A sigh. "I'm fine, Feli. I promise."
At just that moment, the sound of random Spanish mumbling hit his ears. Something about needing a ... tomato? That was weird, but Lovino didn't really pay attention to that. No, he was paying attention to where the mumbling was coming from.
"Ah, Feli..." Lovino rushed out. "Sorry to just cut you short like this, but I'm really,really tired, so I think I'm going to go sleep now. Tell nonno I'm fine, and I'll be feeling well in no time. Ciao!"
As Feliciano was starting to say something in return, Lovino snapped the phone shut to look over at Antonio. Yes. He was definitely waking up. Finally... Lovino thought with a slight bloom of relief welling in his mind. What was even better was that he addressed Lovino by name. Good...At least there was no memory loss, even from such a short time period. Well, despite the time of the incident..Then again, that was pretty normal.
"Tch, not surprised you don't remember." Lovino bit harshly. "After all, it's not like you got kicked in the head by a really pissed off bull or anything." Lovino crossed his arms and glared at some random, beeping machine. "Told you those things are fucking dangerous. You're damn lucky you can still remember your name, let alone everything else."
Lovino may have been coming off harsh, but that was simply his way of covering the fact he was worrying more than most people. Lovino always tended to worry over things, but now more than ever. He just couldn't shake why, though. He shouldn't worry, but he did. Granted it was just human nature, but sometimes, Lovino thought himself far from human.
Oh well. There was time to find out.
x-x-x-x-x
Spain
Ah...now he remembered. The bull had gotten a hold of him...
"I must have scared you, right Lovino?" he asked, looking sorry for a moment, "I didn't see that coming..." Antonio's laugh was just slight as he touched the bandages that wrapped around his head. He laid back on the pillows staring again at the ceiling. He continued listening and eventually he frowned fake like. "Lovino your words are so harsh..."
He reached out to the other, managing to grab his arm as the pain slowly began to return. The soft droning of a machine beside him started to grow annoying. He wished for the things to be turned off since his life was no longer in danger. "But Lovino...please go get a doctor for me..."
...Though, as Lovino had said, he was damn lucky. Lucky he wasn't dead; if he had lost his memory, it would be a hell of a lot better than being dead. He let go of Lovino's arm eventually with a frown. He didn't want to let go, but he did.
Closing his eyes, in hopes of ridding the pain, Antonio waited for a doctor to return to him. His prayers were answered as magically a doctor walked in with a young nurse. He could have cared less for the young nurse, he was gay after all.
"Antonio, how are you feeling? We heard you were awake," the doctor stated. Antonio gave him a practical death glare. How could he not know that Antonio was awake?
"Turn off these machines, they're not necessary are they?" he asked with a frown. The doctor shook his head and declined the request. "We need those just so we can monitor, they are very necessary."
Dammit.
And now he couldn't move much more than before, except for his arms. The doctor explained several things he didn't listen to, not caring much. He might lose his job. He hoped he didn't lose his job.
The doctor left, and Antonio stared at the ceiling again. "I can't lose that job, Lovino," he whispered, turning towards the other with a frown. "I would ask you to go beg for me, but that wouldn't be right of me..."
His sad 'please-do-this-for-me-because-I'm-so-damn-cute' syndrome kicked in as he looked at his companion.
x-x-x-x-x
Lovino
Scared was an understatement...Well, at least in the way Antonio was implying. He was probably thinking scared as in 'Holy fuck! Those bulls are damn scary!', but that's not why Lovino was scared. No, Lovino was afraid Antonio would have been killed. He nearly was. Lovino didn't like the thought of someone getting killed right in front of him, especially someone he really wanted to be able to talk with more.
"You bet my words are harsh..." He mumbled bitterly. He stared at the hand that held his arm. It was kind of weird. In a good way, yet in a kind of sad, desperate way as well.
Lovino was about to go and get the doctor for Antonio, since he did ask, but the doctor beat him too it as he walked in. "Oh..." He sat quietly and listened to the doctor talk, a bit irritated with how he talked. It was quite entertaining with how Antonio glared at the man. It really was.
Anyways.
After the annoying doctor talked, then left, Lovino sighed and listened to Antonio talk again. I can't lose that job... Sudden realizing seemed to strike Lovino. Bull fighting was really all Antonio had, wasn't it? Granted, Lovino couldn't say that for sure, but that's what it seemed like. And all those people there...where basically his family, weren't they? It almost made Lovino feel...sad.
"Look..." Lovino sighed, "If you want me to go talk to your bosses or whatever...I'll do it. I guess it would suck if you lost your job...wouldn't it..."
-Xx..xX-
"Hey, Gonzalo!"
Lovino had exited the hospital room, and out to the waiting room where Gonzalo had sat waiting patiently, reading some Spanish romance novel or whatever. Anyways, at the sound of his name, he glanced up and smiled kindly at Lovino, all the wrinkles in his face crinkling up around his eyes from years of laughter.
"Ah, Mr. Lovino~! How is our injured friend doing? Awake yet?" Gonzalo replied in Lovino's native tongue, obviously trying to make the latter feel more comfortable in said stressful situation.
"Fine...I think. Actually, his being awake is kind of why I'm out here. He asked me to do him a favor."
"A favor?" Gonzalo tilted his head to the side as he set aside his novel to properly speak to the Italian.
"Yeah...A favor. See..." Lovino took a seat down near Gonzalo and sighed. "Antonio's afraid that because of this incident, he's going to lose his job..."
At the sound of that, Gonzalo nodded sadly. "Ah, yes...You see, in any bull fighting business, when a fighter gets hurt, they usually advise him to find another job. Usually it's to prevent any further injuries, or if they are in terrible shape from their first. Antonio is no different...His injury left him in a horrible state...A head injury is no laughing matter, after all."
"And I was wondering if you could take me to see his employer...I wanna ask them to let Antonio keep his job."
Gonzalo blinked a bit in surprise. It's almost as if he never expected Lovino to say something like that. "Oh? And why would you do that?"
"Well...Okay, I don't know Antonio like, at all, really, but I feel like this job means everything to him. It's kind of like separating Romeo from Juliet. It's pretty much unbearable. Besides, I'm pretty sure Antonio will be okay soon. Today was...It was just a really bad fluke."
After a few long moments, Gonzalo's look of intense thinking softened into another one of his friendly smiles. Lovino didn't quite understand really.
"Ah, Mr. Vargas. You know, I really wouldn't normally do this, but there's something about you that's convinced me. You see, I never told you this earlier, butI'mthe owner of the arena. I just don't sit back and watch like most. I wasn't really going to let Antonio come back. While he is one of the best, I really can't afford to have him get hurt again...However, I will agree with you when saying if Antonio were to be separated from his job, it would be unbearable...So...I'll let him keep his job."
Lovino sat there in shock. No way. Gonzalo was the owner!? And..And...And he'd let Antonio keep his job!? Happiness swelled in Lovino at the prospects of telling Antonio the good news. "Really!? Y-You mean it? That's like...really great! I...I really have to go tell Antonio now..." Lovino jumped up and headed back in the direction of Antonio's room, but first turned around and gave a small, unsure but friendly smile back at Gonzalo. "Grazie, Signore."
-Xx..xX-
Once he was outside Antonio's door, Lovino rapped a few times on the frame and entered the room again. "Oi, you aren't dead yet, are you?" He jokingly asked as he went back over to the chair he had been in earlier. "I guess finding your boss was simpler than I thought. I had been making acquaintances with him earlier."
Giving a sigh, Lovino crossed his legs on the chair and gave a blank look at Antonio, though he was quite pleased on the inside. "You're damn lucky one more. I was able to convince him to let you keep your stupid job."
A/n:That's all for now, I'm afraid! I'll update again later. I promise~! Other than that, I hope you enjoy this weird ass roleplay of ours XD