IMPORTANT A/N: A) Feliciano's behavior stems from my own headcannon that he's actually REALLY smart and talented, but enjoys watching people fall for his ditzy, falsetto voiced façade and does not like people to know the "real him" for fear of getting hurt. Ludwig, Kiku, Lovino, and by extension Tony, as well as Grandpa Rome (to a degree) know about this. No one else, though I figured Gilbert might figure it out after Ludwig and Feli tie the knot. B) This is a human au where everyone goes to a special boarding school for extraordinarily talented teens ages 13-19, which is the only way having 200+ kids of all different nationalities would make sense. Grandpa Romulus runs this school in Venice. This is also why Feli can play dumb; people just assume he got in because his grandfather runs the place, and for his talent for art, not for science. C) Everyone is in their mid-late teens. Tony is about 17, and Lovino about to be 17 too in my mind. Ludwig is 16, and Feli is 14, about to be 15. I think Grandpa Rome is probably mid-late 30s, despite being a grandfather :P C) The love ballad Lovino wrote was written to the tune of Eva by Nightwish, because I can't create good melodies. But the lyrics are completely original!
That is all. Sorry for the long A/N, but it's pretty much essential. Now that we're done with house cleaning, onto the story!
The Notebook (No Pun Intended)
Widely Known and Accepted Facts:
Tony didn't like to share.
Pro: He loved people fiercely and without condition.
Con: He was extremely possessive and jealous.
Lovino wasn't nice.
Pro: People had trouble getting to him and were unwilling to put up with his blunt and snarky nature, and therefore, they didn't tease or bother him.
Con: He, more often than not, pushed people away and would shut them out to protect himself from being rejected.
Double Pro: This made Antonio love him and want to break through every front he put up to keep people away.
Double Con: He had trouble showing Antonio affection, which made him a shit boyfriend.
Widely Unknown and Most Likely To Be Unaccepted Facts:
Tony was extremely nosy.
Pro: This meant that Tony was very observant when he wanted to be.
Con: He was, well…nosy.
Lovino had a dark, dark secret.
Pro: This secret was a way for him to keep track of his emotions.
Con: No one knew about the existence of this secret except his brother and his grandfather, so everyone still thought Feli was the special one.
Double Pro: The secret meant that he wasn't completely talentless and had something that he could do better than his little brother.
Double Con: If anyone ever found out this secret, his reputation as the "cold hearted bastard" would be ruined, and in its place, there would be a glaring "sensitive guy who expresses hiss feelings asdfjkl; how CUTE" label.
It's a good thing no one ever found out this secret, no?
(Except for the time Tony did).
It had started out simply enough; Tony was coming over for the weekend, and he may or may not have been planning to corner his Italian boyfriend into a heated make out session. He had everything packed into a tiny carry on: toothbrush, deodorant, pants, underwear, shirt, phone, etc. In his pocket, he carried a handful of condoms. You know, just in case.
Tony really hoped that "just in case" would be become an "because it was absolutely necessary".
So here he was now, standing at his boyfriend's front door, and oh wow, there's Mr. Vargas (who always insists Tony call him "Romulus") and Feliciano, who scowled at the interruption to his latest experiment. He turned away, hands still soaking wet and hair in a mess, as Mr. Vargas laughed like ringing church bells. He shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"You'll have to excuse Feli, Tony. He was just getting started on a new project, trying to find a way to cook pasta flavored wurst. Still not accustomed to his friend's culture, I guess," Grandpa Rome opened his mouth to continue, but was briefly cut off by the sharp clinking of his wind chime cooking timer (another invention by Feliciano), and held up one finger, mouth agape as he rushed off to pull a meal out of the oven. Over the tinkling and the slide of a metal sheet tray, he could hear Mr. Vargas shout, "I'm going out after I get the pasta settled boys, I need to run to the store for sauce for Tony. Behave while I'm gone!" He jogged through the archway connecting the foyer to the kitchen and hallway, and ran out the door, saying,
"I'll be back in about an hour, I have to go to a specialty store. Bye boys!" And then he was gone. Feliciano appeared the second he was out of sight, and smiled tiredly.
"How are you Tony?" he muttered, eyes drooping from exhaustion. Tony smiled, shaking his head.
"Another all-nighter, Feli?" He tsked. "You're a growing boy Feliciano, you need your sleep!" Feliciano glanced up in annoyance and gave him a brief look of the "wow are you something I just scraped off the bottom of my shoe" brand of disgust, and murmured a "go fuck yourself Tony" before slipping off to finish his experiment. Tony checked his phone for the time, and upon seeing it was 4:30, realized he had about 45 minutes before Lovino returned from soccer practice, and he a full hour before his best friend Gilbert's little brother Ludwig arrived to visit and whisk his exhausted boyfriend off to sleep in the buff together (Tony only knew this because he had promised Grandpa Rome he'd tell Feli it was time for dinner and ended up walking in on Feli and Ludwig after they had been intimate and fallen asleep, NOT because he was a pervert who got off to his boyfriend's baby brother sleeping buck naked next to his not-dating-my-ASS-friend).
Flopping down on the couch, he sighed and decided to play the waiting game. In the process of the game, which began at 4:32, he got a glass of water, ran around the outer border of the house thrice, and played Lovino's electric guitar that he never learned to play in a rock rendition of 'Greensleeves'. He glanced up at the clock again.
It was only 4:44. With a defeated groan, he fell face first onto the couch. It was going to be a long half hour.
When Tony again woke, it was 4:57. He still had eighteen minutes until Lovino was done with soccer and another ten before he managed to catch a ride with Kiku and his boyfriend Hercules, who made a habit of trying to grope his more reserved partner while he was driving and often got screamed at by Lovino for "almost making Kiku wreck his fucking car and kill them". But he also knew that Lovino usually let it go internally, because he knew that Kiku's father wasn't very happy with his choice in relationship, a lazy, Greek, very MALE teenager and often took it out on him (as if he had a CHOICE in who he liked) and that Hercules was staying with his sister because his father would "not allow a faggot to live in his house".(Tony only knew this because Lovino told him all this when he was very drunk, having become very close with Kiku in the last two years through his little brother, and because he himself had seen the bruises on Kiku's arms and the scars on Hercules' sides when they changed for gym). So, with this in mind, Tony decided to go and ready his love's room for when he arrived and showered, feeling a tingle of excitement as he felt the condoms rustle in his pocket. Tonight was going to be a VERY good night.
Upon entering his boyfriend's room, he began to tidy up the floor and dresser, putting away clothes making the bed. Should have brought rose petals he mused, before deciding that rose petals would have definitely been overkill, and besides, Lovino was allergic anyway, and a sneezing boyfriend was NOT a sexy boyfriend. Making the bed up, he sighed and imagined what Lovino might do when he saw all this. Kiss me Antonio, you're so strong and sexy and manly and oh take me right now! dream Lovino cried, swooning, and Jesus Christ hold on he might PISS HIMSELF LAUGHING, because that would probably be the last thing Lovino might say. No, it would probably be along the lines of You stupid tomato bastard, stay out of my fucking room! And then Tony would laugh and kiss Lovino, because goddamnit, he's just so CUTE when he's pretending to be angry with him!
(See friends, this is the point in the story where things start to go downhill. THIS is the instance where Tony allows himself to be way too nosy, and snoops through Lovino's things when he's supposed to be winning brownie points for being the best boyfriend ever by cleaning his lover's room. But nothing ever goes right for Tony, because the universe is a real bitch sometimes.)
It was then that Tony noticed an open notebook, with a page titled "Milos". Hesitant, he stared at the page, eyes frozen in their place. He knows he shouldn't, because there are some things in Lovino's life that Tony can't be a part of, and that's okay, and he should have the rights to basic things like privacy and he was away and it would be wrong-
And then Tony was leaning over the desk, because he was really, really nosy, and couldn't help himself.
And what he found was quite possibly the most shocking thing in the universe. Time might as well have stopped.
Lovino, his "tone deaf" boyfriend, who couldn't play guitar, wasn't a fan of fine art, and enjoyed sports more than anything else…
Was a composer.
The work in the binder ranged from classical piano pieces, to rag time jazz, to guitar tabs set to poppy lyrics, to heart felt, soul bearing ballads about his internal struggles. The one Tony had come across, as it turned out, was one of the latter. His eyes scanned the lyrics, which told him that this particular song was all about a boy named Milos, and how hard it was to leave old friends behind. The date above the title suggested that Lovino wrote it when he was only 14.
Broken chord of solitude, here am I who silently
Walks upon fresh fallen snow, standing still but deep inside
Letting you inside my head, where a storm blows violently
From feelings that I yet have figured out
Chorus:
But I fly from here, dream away all the years,
In this cruel, heartless world, where my life's consumed by fear
Still I have a home, with thoughts of you, on my own,
My faith in you shall bring me home one day
Mark my words, I'll think of you, and your faint cyan eyes,
Raven hair that falls in waves, all your weapons in disguise
Please remember me my friend, when I sail away so soon
I wish I could stay forever by your side
(Chorus)
He felt himself tear up slightly at the personal message of the song, and how vague yet specific it was. Tony felt a slight pang at the ending. Did Lovino ever return to his Milos? How did they know one another? Lovino had only moved to Venice 3 years ago, could this be a past flame that had loved him? Or was it just a friend? He turned the page, surprised to find songs covering a variety of topics, including coming to terms with his sexuality, his love for Tony, and his pain at being rejected in favor of his more talented, likeable brother. The binder was very thick, filled to the brim with songs. Tony flipped back to the front page and quickly shed his shirt, trying to rip open a condom with his teeth upon hearing his boyfriend enter downstairs. Lovino's footsteps could be heard as he stomped up the stairs, dropping his bag at the door of his room, and muttering to himself about "fucking Greeks and their fucking boyfriends and he could've DIED at that intersection damnit". Pausing momentarily, he glanced over, and jumped back about three feet at the sight of boyfriend shirtless, holding a condom in his mouth, and waggling his eyebrows ridiculously. His face turned dark red and he began to splutter.
"Stupid tomato bastard, what the hell are you doing here?!" Tony got up, a smug tone evident as he sauntered over and pinned Lovino to the wall, whispering,
"I've waited over an hour for you to get home. Don't make me wait any longer, carino (darling). I even got a present for you," He smirked, sticking his hand down Lovino's pants-
And then he was on his ass on the floor.
"Stronzo (asshole), I just got home from soccer! I haven't even showered yet you pervertito cornea (horny pervert)!" Tony rolled his eyes.
"Si, I know, Lovi, but I can wait for you to get done, and then we can continue," He laughed at his boyfriend's exasperated expression, and stood, kissing him on top of the head. Lovino scowled.
"I need to shower, and then…perhaps we can…do something," He muttered, his face red. Tony's face broke out into a chesire grin, as he kissed his boyfriend's check.
"Have a good shower, Lovi," Lovino smacked him on the arm, his mask of disdain barely masking his own smile. They played their parts well, Tony never taking him seriously when he pretended to be pissed off, unless he was pissed off royally over something serious. This was easy, this was routine. Such is the life of Antonio Fernandez and Lovino Vargas.
Lovino's shower was quick, and when he returned, he dropped all pretenses of indignance pushed Tony down against the bed.
(I suppose you might be able to guess what occurred from that point friends. And what exactly happened is a secret those two will take to their graves. Such a shame for the perverted masses, no?)
As both boys lay in the afterglow of a particularly good round or two, Tony sighed. Wrapping his arms around Lovino, he whispered,
"You are talented, mi querido (my dear). Why did you never tell anyone of your talent?" Lovino tensed.
"What are you talking about, Tony?" he growled. He sat up, the sheet falling from his torso as he hissed, "Antonio, what the hell did you do?!" Tony sat up, looking slightly guilty.
"I was tidying up, and I saw…" He trailed off. Lovino reached out and raised his chin so that he was staring into his eyes.
"What the fuck did you see Antonio?!" Tony glanced away guilty. He took a deep breath. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, he supposed.
"I saw…a binder. Full of songs. Good songs, Lovi. You have so much talent!" Lovino's pupils dilated.
"You went through my notebook?! What the fuck Tony! That's my personal shit, you can't just do that!" Lovino stood promptly, pulling a pair of shorts on and stomping to the door. Tony shot up.
"Lovi, please, I didn't mean to! I didn't know it was so personal, I just saw it open and glanced at it!" Lovino snorted, already halfway out the door.
"Likely story, you bastard!" Tony struggled into a pair of sweats, following him down the stairs.
"Lovi, c'mon, I'm sorry!" Lovino was already out the door though, and his pleas fell on deaf ears.
Grandpa Rome stuck his head through the door. Bad fight? He mouthed. Tony nodded, shuffling awkwardly. Romulus nodded.
"Come on son, it's time we had a little talk," Tony, confused, followed him into the sitting room.
"My grandson is not particularly agreeable, because he chooses to be honest. Feli, bless him, hides behind a façade, but Lovino is a fairly open boy. In many ways, he is true to himself in a world that's against him," Grandpa Rome began. "He builds a wall to hide and protect himself though. That means that sometimes, he acts tougher than he actually is, He's honest, but he's guarded. So it takes a lot to hurt him. What did you say or do that upset him, Tony?" Tony sighed.
"I kind of told him he was a talented songwriter. I had seen some of his songs on his desk earlier, and told him I think he was great! But he got mad and stormed out," he muttered dejectedly. Rome nodded.
"I think Lovinio might have thought you were making fun of him. Most everyone else did back home when they found out he expressed himself through music. Lovino's a very private person, though, so perhaps he felt you had violated his privacy by looking through his song journal, which you kind of did," He explained carefully, watchful gaze never wavering. Tony nodded.
"What do I do?" He mused. Romulus smiled.
"Talk to him. Apologize. Tell him you love him, and that you weren't trying to make fun of him," Grandpa Rome suggested. Tony smiled, jumping up.
"Gracias Grandpa Rome!" he cried, hugging the other man. As he raced out of the room, he could hear the elder calling,
"Anytime Tony. And call me Romulus!"
He found Lovino out on the back deck, chewing a wad of gum and sulking. He tapped him sheepishly on the shoulder, and muttered,
"I wasn't making fun of you, you know," Lovino looked uncertain.
"Really?" he muttered, Tony nodded vigorously.
"Never, Lovi, I love you. I think you're a great songwriter!" Lovino narrowed his eyes.
"That doesn't change the fact that you went through my things, Antonio. That's violating my privacy!" he fumed. Tony winced, nodding.
"Si, I know this, and I'm very sorry. I just saw it laying out on the desk, and I couldn't help myself. I won't do it again, Lovi," he pleaded, puppy dog eyes beseeching. Lovi stared at him for a long while before sighing,
"You're lucky I love you as much as I do, Tony," Tony wrapped his arms around him tightly.
"Si, I know," He grinned, picking Lovino up bridal style. The Italian spluttered, writhing around and kicking.
"Stupid tomato bastard! Put me down!" he raged. Tony grinned and whispered,
"You're so cute when you're feisty. I like that," Lovino stopped and sighed, rolling his eyes and smiling slightly.
"I know you do Tony. I know you do," He paused momentarily, before adding, "Tony? How did you find my notebook? I keep it in a box in the back of my closet," Tony looked bewildered.
"It was out on your desk, in plain view, Lovi. I swear!" Lovi nodded slowly.
"Why do I get the feeling that there were external forces involved in this," he murmured. Oh well. He would get his revenge tomorrow. Right now, he had a sexy Spanish boyfriend to take back upstairs.
Somewhere in the middle of the night, the youngest Vargas brother took careful notes on the events of the night. A taller German boy came up behind him, gazing questioningly at the notebook.
"Vat are you doing, Feliciano?" He inquired. Feliciano glanced up and sighed.
"I'm taking notes, of course," Ludwig wrinkled his nose.
"Notes? Vhatever for?" Feli smirked.
"For my latest experiment, dear Luddy. I was going to see how long Tony could resist invading Lovino's privacy," he explained. Ludwig rolled his eyes and grunted,
"Don't call me Luddy. And whatever you did, I hope you didn't fuck up their relationship," Feliciano smirked.
"Only slightly. And I'll call you Luddy any time I want, Luddy," he teased. Ludwig huffed, annoyed.
"I really hate you sometimes, you know that?" he grumbled. Feli grinned.
"Love you too, Luddy,"
Ludwig groaned. The joys of having a genius boyfriend.
And so ends the misadventures of the Vargas brothers, Tony, and Grandpa Rome.
Oh, and Luddy too.
(Somewhere in the Vargas household, I'm sure Ludwig is groaning in annoyance right about now.)
A/N: A rushed ending to a gift for a friend. Love you Alexis! ^_^ I lost the tone about half way through because damn, I REALLY wanted to get this fucker done, even though it's 1:30 in the morning and I've got the munchies. Hope it didn't suck too much; comment/review if you like. Or don't. Whatever :P