I had had enough that day.
The day I saw my boyfriend kiss my twin brother was the day that I had enough.
The day I couldn't stand being pressured by my grandfather was the day I had enough.
One of the worst parts is that my grandfather always had to compare me to my perfect brother.
One of the worst parts is that my brother already had a boyfriend of his own.
That day, Ludwig and I came to a mutual understanding and we both ran.
We ran and never looked back.
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Five years after that day, we were 27 years old and Ludwig and I ran a successful restaurant business together. He handled the expenses and I handled the workers and cooking and the like. We had gotten along once I got over him being German and now we were friends. That's all we would ever be, as far as we were concerned.
The first year was rough. We had barely enough money to buy an apartment and food at the time, and we were still on rocky terms. Even though we didn't get along that well, we knew we needed each other to survive. We couldn't ever go back to that place. Luckily, Ludwig's older brother, Gilbert, who happened to be living in the town we had run to, was nice enough to give Ludwig a job at his husband's successful business at the time. Matthew, Gilbert's husband, also suggested a French restaurant that I could work at as a chef. At first, I hated the French bastard and only went along because I needed the money, but eventually I got used to his perverted antics.
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"Lovino," Ludwig said as he walked up to me, a phone in his hand. "I told my brother about our financial problems. He agreed to help." I raised an eyebrow.
"And how would your fucking albino bastard of a brother help us?" I asked incredulously. "Wasn't he the one who was broke the last time you saw him?"
"Well, yes…" Ludwig said hesitantly. "But it seems he's gotten married and his husband just happens to run a business. He said he could get me a job."
"Wait, what about me?!" I exclaimed. "I need a job too!"
"Well, I think I can work something out if I talk to Gilbert's husband tomorrow…" Ludwig had told me. "I'm having an interview with him." I nodded and left the room, without another word.
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The next day, a man came to the house, but he looked so young. He had wavy blonde hair with a strange curl sticking in front of his face and he wore glasses over blue – almost violet – eyes. The strangest thing about him was that he was carrying around a polar bear. That was alive. And talking.
"Umm, hello, I'm here to interview Mr. Beilschmidt for a job," the man said quietly. "My name is Matthew Williams-Beilschmidt… I'm Gilbert's husband." I gave the man a weird look.
"You're the albino bas- sorry, Gilbert's husband?" I repeated, shocked. This was not the sort of man I expected the no-good troublemaking prankster from high school to marry. Matthew nodded.
"Y-yes, Gilbert was a close friend of mine in high school and we got together in college…" He told me hesitantly. "Now… Where's Mr. Beilschmidt?"
"I'm right here," Ludwig said, coming up from behind me. "Are you mein bruder's husband? Uhh… Matthew, was it?" Matthew nodded and smiled.
"Hold up, first of all, Matthew?" I said. "Do you think you could hook me up with a job?" Matthew thought about it, then smiled.
"Well, I think I can," he replied. "While there isn't really anything I can give you from my business, I do have a cousin who owns a restaurant and is in need of a chef. Maybe he can give you a job. From what I've seen from high school, you're an excellent cook." I didn't remember this boy being in my high school, but I focused mainly on the fact that I would be getting a job, so I asked what restaurant it was. Matthew gave the name to me and I headed out after that.
When I met Francis, the owner, I couldn't help but become agitated very quickly by him. However, with severe difficulty, I managed to give a good impression and I got the job. Later on, though, everyone soon realized what a temper I had when I punched a guy in the face for trying to hit on me…
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In the second year, I had become best friends with Matthew and relatively close to Ludwig. Gilbert and Francis didn't bother me anymore. I'd even say that they were friends. I had also become close friends with a Korean named Yong Soo Im (or Im Yong Soo where he comes from) and a girl named Elizabeta Hèdèvary. Ludwig and I had enough money to pay for a larger apartment, food, and we had even gotten both a dog and a cat. We were successful, and we had started to manage the restaurant after Francis retired with his boyfriend, Arthur.
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"Hey, Ludwig, I'm doing a delivery today for Arthur and Francis, think you can handle the restaurant for an hour or two?" I called into the back of the restaurant. I heard an affirmative from the blonde German and nodded to myself before heading off.
"Going out to deliver the dinner for Frenchie?" Elizabeta asked me, smirking. I could practically see the yaoi going on in her brain, but I ignored it and nodded.
"Yeah, he wanted to have a 'special' dinner for the two of them," I told her. "You know what that means."
"He's been planning this forever!" Elizabeta exclaimed. "It will be so wonderful! Do you think you could-"
"No," I cut her off immediately. "I am not stalking them to see if I can get a video of them going at it after the proposal."
"Proposals originated in Korea, da-ze~!" Yong Soo exclaimed as he entered.
"No they didn't, Yong Soo," I told him bluntly. Yong Soo just pouted and I waved it off, knowing that he wasn't being serious.
"Hey, have you seen Matt in a while?" I asked Yong Soo, who nodded.
"Yep!" He chirped. "He's been working really hard! His anniversary is coming up, but Gilbert's been giving him more work without realizing it so that he has more time to get things ready! Even though the anniversary is in three weeks…" I just laughed.
"Let the albino bastard do what he wants," I said. "Matt's gonna need whatever he has planned. I don't understand how Matt can keep up with his fucking insane antics. I gotta go now guys." I waved goodbye to them as I walked out of the store.
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In the third year, Ludwig and I met Alfred F. Jones and Kiku Honda. Alfred was Matthew's brother and Kiku was Yong Soo's brother and Elizabeta's friend. At first, Alfred was annoying and loud and too hyperactive, like… them. But eventually I warmed up to him and fell for him. Ludwig ended up falling for Kiku. We both didn't regret who we loved.
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"Hey, Lovino, I hope you don't mind, but Yong Soo and I brought our brothers over for Christmas," Matthew had told me when he came over for a Christmas party. I shrugged.
"Whatever, I don't care," I told him. "Welcome to our humble abode, Matt." Matthew smiled at me as I stepped to the side to let him and Yong Soo in. Following them were two obviously very different boys. One of them looked a lot like Matt, except he had a cow lick and his eyes were a lighter blue, not to mention he was WAY louder than Matt. And American. God damn those stupid fucking Americans. (I regret ever thinking that now, but he still annoys me)
The other one was obviously Japanese. He had black hair and brown eyes and was really, incredibly quiet. Basically, the two were exact opposites of their brothers.
"What's up dude?" Matt's brother greeted with a wide grin. "My name's Alfred F. Jones, but you can call me THE HERO!" He struck a pose and I just rolled my eyes.
"Whatever bastard," I said passively, completely dismissing his presence, much to his chagrin. I looked at Yong Soo's brother. "And you are?"
"Kon'nichiwa Vargas-kun," the boy said. "My name is Kiku Honda." I frowned.
"You can just call me Lovino, you know," I told him. "And why do you have a different last name than Yong Soo?"
"I aporogize, Rovino-kun," Kiku said quickly. "And I was adopted." I had cringed when he had called me 'Rovino' but I knew it was just the accent. I nodded at his second comment and invited them in. Ludwig had liked Kiku pretty easily, but we couldn't stand Alfred. He was too much like who we tried to escape from.
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A few months after the Christmas party, Alfred (and a dragged along Kiku) seemed to visit on a daily basis. At first, I had gotten annoyed all the time and swore at him, but over time, I stopped becoming surprised when I'm cooking breakfast and I'm suddenly attacked in a hug my an overbearing American. In fact… I had come to like it. You know, when he didn't accidentally make me cut myself with a knife. Ludwig had no problem with Kiku coming along though. Eventually, they had gotten together.
I think I realized I had fallen in love with Alfred when he had ended up in the hospital due to getting hit by a car. I had gotten scared – more scared than I had ever been for anyone – and had rushed to the hospital immediately. Turns out, he was alright with a head injury and a broken arm and leg.
"You fucking moron!" I had cried when he grinned at me as if he wasn't hospitalized at that moment. "Do you know how fucking worried I was? How can you just grin at me as if it's just a normal day?" I didn't really know why I was so worried in the first place, but I didn't dwell on it for long.
"Aw, were you really that worried, Lovino?" Alfred chirped. I grabbed a hold of his hospital robe-gown-thing, bringing him closer to my face, and glared fiercely.
"Of course I am, you moron!" I shouted. "I love you, why wouldn't I be?" I barely registered what I had just said, but Alfred certainly did. He looked at me with a shocked look, before grinning cheekily at me again.
"Sorry, but did you just say you love me?" He said. My eyes widened and I knew that my face was probably as red as… an apple (NOPE! Definitely not gonna say that T WORD ANYMORE. It reminds me of him).
"I-I, uhh, I uhmm… I-I guess I j-just did?" I stammered. I didn't know how to react because this was actually my first time telling someone I loved them. I still hadn't let go of him, so he leaned up a little bit to give me a quick kiss on the lips. In my shock, I dropped him back down on his bed.
"Ow!" He cried. "That hurt, Lovino!" I just glared at him.
"What the fuck was that for, bastard?" I hissed.
"Well, I thought the answer was obvious," he chirped. "I love you too, Lovino Vargas!" And after that, we somehow got together. Alfred liked to spoil me rotten, but I always tried to get him to stop. And he wouldn't stop showering me with hugs and kisses.
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In our fourth year, Ludwig and I's restaurant became a booming success. People loved that we didn't only have American food, but also Italian, German, Japanese, Canadian and the like. The chefs were amazing and the service did not suck. We didn't give out small portions of food like some restaurants. That year, Alfred proposed to me in front of the entire restaurant (Ludwig had already proposed to Kiku a month earlier, in a Japanese-type park). I had blushed brightly, but I obviously said yet. Of course, afterwards, I yelled at Alfred and hit him repeatedly on the head, but not hard enough to do any lasting damage. He was my boyfriend- no, fiancé. It wouldn't be right to hurt his beautiful face. And after that, we had hot sex at a hotel. (I'm not too shy to admit that)
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"Alfred, what the fuck do you want?" I hissed, struggling against my boyfriend-for-a-full-year-that-day's hold. "I have work! I know that it's our one year anniversary as a couple, but can't this wait?" He was dragging me to the middle of the restaurant, and was wearing a suit, for reasons I really didn't understand until he made it clear to me.
"No, it can't babe," he told me, stopping once we were in the center of the restaurant. "Because… well… I wanted to do this here…" I frowned at the nervous look on his face.
"What is it, Al?" I asked. Alfred hesitated for a second before slowly going down on one knee. I knew what this meant, and I couldn't help but stifle a gasp when Alfred fumbled with something in his pocket and took out a black box. By this time, everyone in the restaurant was staring at us.
"Lovino, from the first time I met you, I fell for you," Alfred began hesitantly. "I thought you were cute, and I really didn't mind the way you spoke all the time. Something drew me towards you. In the year that we've been together, I've felt myself falling for you more and more each day. I really just wanted to spoil you rotten. When you told me about… the people you ran from, that just fueled my love for you more and the fact that I will love you forever. I really, truly do love you, so… Lovino Vargas, will you marry me?" He opened the box to reveal a silver diamond ring. I couldn't even speak because I had certainly not been expecting that to happen today. I had just been expecting a dinner or something on our anniversary. I saw Alfred beginning to sweat a little, and then what happened caught up to me and I grew red hot in embarrassment.
"O-of course I'll marry you, you idiot!" I agreed quickly. Alfred sighed in relief and grinned, slipping the ring on my finger and then standing up. I yanked him into a quick kiss as everyone clapped for us, and I'm pretty sure I heard a few wolf whistles in there too. When the kiss ended, Alfred suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist and twirled me around, grinning wildly. I hit Alfred on the head and yelled at him to let me down, and he complied.
"You idiot, that's so fucking embarrassing!" I hissed to him.
"Aw, come on, babe, you know you loved it," Alfred said, that damn grin still on his face. I huffed and turned to get back to work, but he grabbed hold of my wrist and turned me around so I was facing him again. He leaned in to whisper into my ear. "I want to see you after you get off of work. I booked a hotel and I have a little… treat for you." I could feel his hot breath on my face, which caused a pleasant shiver to run down my back. I also knew what he meant and I couldn't wait to get off of work. I nodded quickly and Alfred kissed my cheek before finally letting me get back to work.
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Alfred could barely hide his excitement as he practically dragged me into the hotel he had booked. Elizabeta, who happened to be the night manager, looked up when we entered and smirked. Without a word, she handed Alfred the key to our room and bid him good luck, and told me that she was happy that I was "finally getting some." Alfred grinned and thanked her before pulling me into a, thankfully empty elevator.
As soon as the doors closed and Alfred had pushed the button to our floor, he turned me around and slammed his lips on mine, pushing me against the wall of the elevator. I responded with just as much eagerness and allowed his tongue to enter my mouth. I moaned as his tongue explored every inch of my mouth and I pulled him closer by his neck. I felt his hand creep up my shirt, but we had to pull away when the elevator stopped. Alfred pulled me out of the elevator and we quickly made our way too our room. He fumbled with the lock and, once he got the door open, pushed me in and slammed the door shut once he entered.
Alfred grinned and pushed me onto the bed that lay conveniently close to us. "So, are you ready to do this?" I nodded.
"Yes."
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Now, it's been five years and Alfred and I are living together in our own house. Ludwig and Kiku had their own home. The wedding would be soon and we couldn't be more excited. But then… everything we tried to run away from… it came back.
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It was an oddly slow day at the restaurant, so I was just talking to Yong Soo, Elizabeta, and Matt (who was having a lunch break from his work) at the counter. Elizabeta was going over the plans for my wedding, even though I was already red in embarrassment for doing this in a public setting. Yong Soo was laughing at my expense (and occasionally doing his "this originated from Korea, da-ze~!" thing and attempting to grope some of the male chefs) while Matthew put in some helpful ideas.
Then I heard the door open.
I paid it no mind as I continued going over the plans as a waiter greeted the people at the door. At first, nothing went wrong and everything seemed normal; two men (and an old man) wanted a delivery done for a party. It was usually me who handled that sort of stuff, so I excused myself from where my friends and I were sitting and grabbed a clipboard. I then entered the back room where the three were waiting for me. I was looking at my clipboard so I didn't see their faces.
"L-Lovino?" A Spanish accented voice murmured just loud enough for it to reach my ears. I looked up curiously and immediately dropped the clipboard when I saw who spoke, and who he was with.
"Bastards…" I hissed. "Antonio Fernandez Carriedo and Feliciano and Romulus Vargas. What a fucking pleasure it is to see you again." My voice held so much venom that they couldn't help but flinch.
"L-Lovi it really is you!" Antonio cried, as if he didn't realize it was me.
"Do not call me that!" I shouted. "You lost that right five fucking years ago when you ripped my fucking heart out by cheating on me with my twin brother! Who, might I add, had a boyfriend!" I accented the "had" to emphasize the fact that Ludwig was no longer Feliciano's.
"Pl-please Lovi-Lovino," Feliciano said. "I'm really sorry! But… we couldn't help it, alright? We really thought we liked each other! It turns out it was just an infatuation… We really did love you and Luddy!"
"Luddy?" I said incredulously. "You still call him that? Che, how pathetic." I scoffed. Romulus (never again am I calling him grandpa) frowned, most likely at the fact that I called his favorite grandson pathetic.
"Don't call your brother pathetic, you ungrateful brat!" He scolded. I rolled my eyes.
"He's not my brother!" I told them angrily. "We may share the same blood and last name, but as for how a brotherly bond should go, nope! As far as I'm considered, my brothers are Ludwig Beilschmidt, Yong Soo Im, Kiku Honda, and Matthew Williams-Beilschmidt! And my sister is Elizabeta Hèdèvary!" They didn't seem to register my words, and continued pleading.
"Please, we really are sorry, Lovino," Antonio said. "Can't you forgive us?"
"Forgive you?" I laughed. "Why should I? I poured my heart out to you about how my grandfather kept comparing me to my perfect brother and about my inferiority complex and you didn't even care! In the end, even you abandoned me for my perfect little brother!" He flinched and Feliciano looked shocked, but I didn't stop. "You want to know something, you bastards? I'm perfectly happy now and I don't need you anymore. I actually have-" I was cut off by a hug from behind. I scowled and turned to hit whoever hugged me and interrupted my monologue, but then I realized who it was and smiled.
"Hey, babe!" Alfred greeted, grinning. "I heard you shouting. What's wrong?"
"First of all, could you let go of me?" I asked. He complied. "Second, some annoying bastards from my past came and are annoying the hell out of me." Alfred frowned and looked at the three in front of me.
"Let me guess…" He began. "They're Annie, Felicia, and Rochelle right?" I burst out laughing as they glared at him.
"A-actually, Al, it's Antonio, Feliciano, and Romulus," I corrected him while just barely stifling my chuckles. Alfred shrugged and grinned at me.
"Close enough, Lovi," he said cheerfully.
"Lovino, who is this man?" Romulus asked in a disapproving tone. I glared at him.
"If you must know, this is Alfred F. Jones, my fiancé and the person who has made my life worth it," I said.
"F-fiancé?" Antonio stammered. "B-but what about our plans to get married?" At that, Alfred started and glared angrily at the Spaniard.
"That plan was destroyed the day you left the most wonderful and perfect guy in the world for his brother," he hissed. "I love Lovino and he loves me, so there's nothing you can do to change that. And unlike you people, I actually care about his feelings and problems." He wrapped his arm tightly around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I blushed deeply, but didn't object.
"Why would you choose this yankee?" Romulus asked with a frown on his face. I simply shrugged.
"Beats me, all I know is that he somehow made me fall for him," I replied. "Now, I don't have time for this, so either you tell me what you want, or leave."
"Why don't you just make them leave, Lovino?" came an exasperated, German-accented voice. Al and I turned around to see Ludwig with messed up hair and wrinkled clothed. I facepalmed as Alfred laughed at his appearance. Next to Ludwig was a blushing and disheveled Kiku, who pretty much had the same appearance as Ludwig.
"Dude, were you trying to fuck your husband in your office again?" Alfred laughed. "That's some kinky shit!"
"Do you know how much money I lost the last time you did that?" I asked, scowling. "No one wants to clean that shit up." Ludwig rolled his eyes and Kiku blushed even harder.
"Gomen'nasai, Rovino-kun," Kiku apologized.
"And thanks to your shouting, I couldn't do what I pleased to him," Ludwig growled, obviously annoyed. I just smirked.
"You're welcome, Ludwig," I said.
"L-Lovino, y-you're actually willingly talking to L-Luddy?" Feliciano stuttered. I turned around to look at them and Ludwig flinched at being called that nickname again.
"What right do you have to call me by that nickname again, Feliciano?" He asked, scowling.
"I-I'm so sorry, Luddy- Ludwig," Feliciano sniffed. "I-it was really just an infatuation I had with Antonio. It turns out we r-really didn't love each other. P-please, can you forgive us?"
"Did you not hear Alfred earlier?" Ludwig said. "I'm married to this man right here." He gestured to Kiku and Feliciano choked back a sob.
"Look, Feliciano, Antonio," I began, bringing their attention back to me. "What you did… we can never forgive that. At one point, I loved you both, and Ludwig loved you very much, Feliciano. But you know, betrayal and five years can change a person. I lost all the love I held for the two of you, and now I only feel a major dislike for you. I don't hate you, I never could, but I don't care for you two anymore. I am content with my life. I have my best friends, my cat, and my soon-to-be-husband. I don't want to go back to that life. Why would I? To me…
…The past is simply that."
