They say a week is enough for a short dream. I say, seven days are long enough to fall in love.
-Seven Days (by Tachibana Venio and Takarai Rihito)
PLOT:
If you are popular, cool and strangely handsome, girls will always chase after you. That is why the Bad Touch Trio devised a rule so that everyone would have a fair chance to date them. That is, the first person to ask each of them out will be that member's partner who a week.
Lovino, who is ultimately friend-zoned by her crush, Bella tries to help his crush to ask out Antonio. So how the hell did he end up dating the tomato bastard!
Concept somewhat also based on F4 (forgot the name) member who only dates a girl for a week.
MONDAY MORNING – Accidents happen. Sometimes, they are called homicide.
It is every girl's dream to date a handsome, hot and popular man. Good thing, the Bad Touch Trio can make that dream come true.
"Aren't they just a bunch of jerks? I mean, what's so special about a week of act-dating?"
Lovino said nonchalantly as he watches some girls racing with Francis Bonnefoy's car. It's a very common thing every Monday morning.
"Says the guy who haven't got a girlfriend for longer than a week," says a woman's voice with Hungarian accent. Lovino turned to glare daggers at the offender.
"Well, sorry for not being so great," he scorned venomously.
Elizabeta raised her head from the comic book she was reading (with disturbingly handsome guys in the cover) and scrutinized him. "But you're not that shabby, Lovino."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" the Italian asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What I mean is that, you're not bad. In fact, you really have a pretty face," the woman explained patiently. "But you are cold. That must be why your girlfriends leave you."
"Well, I'm so sorry for being the imperfect way I am," Lovino scoffed, looking away.
"And that sarcasm. You really drive people away, you know."
"Well, isn't it their own damn fault for going out with me without knowing who I really am?" he said dismissively, but the Hungarian caught the sudden distantness in his voice. She closed her book and walked to Lovino.
"But really, Lovino, you are the biggest swindler ever," Elizabeta muttered as she held Lovino on the chin, making him face her. "Your face is so pretty, girls never realize what they get themselves into until its too late."
Lovino stared blankly at her accusing green eyes for a moment before brushing her off. "Like I said, isn't it their own fault for assuming that all pretty guys are like some princes from fairy tales?"
The Hungarian sighed in defeat and went back to her seat to read. "You say that but in the end, you're the one being abandoned."
People don't bother with the things that they cannot see. That's why they get disappointed.
Lovino returned watching the event outside. Apparently, Francis Bonnefoy already get confessed to. As soon as he stepped out of the car. The girl was pretty this week. What a lucky bastard. He sighed…
"Why the long face so early in the morning, Lovino?" a girl asked sweetly from behind him. The Italian stiffened. He knows that voice, knows it too well. It reminds him of chocolates.
"C-Ciao, Bella," he murmured, his face heating up.
"What are you looking at?" Bella glanced at the commotion outside. It seems Gilbert Bielschmidt has also arrived and is now walking hand in hand with a girl. "Oh, I see," she said with a hesitant sadness in her voice Lovino caught. "They're really cool, aren't they?" (Lovino tensed.)
"Gil would probably prefer to be called 'awesome' though," Feliciano piped in. Apparently, he came in with the Belgian girl.
"What's awesome about those heartbreakers?" Lovino mumbled.
"Are you jealous, Lovi?" the younger Italian jeered at his brother.
"Why would I? They're just a couple of fakers," he snapped.
"But they aren't like that at all," Elizabeta said off-handedly, still absorbed in her comic book, a trail of blood is dripping from her nose. Had the rest of them not known about her weird antics, they would've rushed her to the clinic. "They really treat their girlfriends well that they speak highly of them."
"How do you say so?" Lovino enquired, eyebrows raised.
Before the Hungarian answered, Bella timidly spoke.
"Actually, I was hoping to confess as well…"
"What?" Feliciano asked excitedly.
"What?" Lovino whispered, dumbfounded. Elizabeta's eyes glint.
"You see, it's my birthday this Sunday so I'm hoping that I could be his girlfriend until then…" Bella's eyes were far away and dreamy.
"Oh! That would be lovely," the younger Italian giggled. ("Feliciano, for God's sake, boys don't giggle!" Lovino poked his brother in the eye. "Eyouch!")
"But really, I don't know if I could do it…" the Belgian blushed at her dilemma. Dammit, Lovino found it very cute.
"Well, you better do it quickly before anyone else gets first!" Elizabeta said urgently, shaking the blonde ("Uhm, Liz, the blood is soiling your dress," Bella said.)
"But it's really embarassing…"
"You're not even trying. You go girl, you have nothing to lose!" Feliciano cheered her on ("Feli… you sound too girly, dammit!").
"But what if he got confessed to before I can even…"
"You have a point. It seems the other two who has arrived was already taken even before they set foot in the campus," Elizabeta said.
"Hmmm… aren't you friends with Antonio, Lovino?" Feliciano asked. "You can help Bella corner him, right?"
The other three eyed the uneasy Italian. "W-Well…"
*Bell Rings*
Their activity for the day would be by pairs (Pizza Siciliana). Elizabeta immediately got a hold of Lovino. (As for Feliciano, he went to the arts department and Bella, she went to the other classroom – the pastry room)
"Hiya, Lovino."
"What do you want?" the Italian asked as he placed a pizza stone, on the lowest rack of the oven. He then turned the heat on its highest.
"I'm going to be blunt. You like, Bella, don't you?" Elizabeta took the dough and patted it.
"W-WHAT!" Lovino was caught off-guard that he almost dropped the tomatoes he got from the fridge. The whole class glanced at him. ("SHHH! Quiet while cooking." "S-Sorry.") "How did you know?" he added in a small voice that was almost drowned by the sizzling of garlic from his pan.
"It's written all over your face, my dear," said the Hungarian foxily. She smirked at Lovino before returning to kneading the dough.
"Hmp. So what now? Gonna blackmail me or something?" the Italian huffed, now mashing the tomatoes in the sauce pan with brute force. He then let the juice come out, sprinkling salt and pepper and some basil on the fluid afterwards.
"How mean. I'm not that kind of evil person, you know," she said in a mock-hurt voice while brushing some olive oil on the dough.
"So what do you want?" Lovino jeered. He placed the immersion in a blender.
"I'm just asking if you're okay with her going to be taken away," Elizaveta's voice was almost unheard by the noise of pureeing the tomato sauce.
"Well…" Lovino turned the blender off. "Whatever makes her happy," he said off-handedly as he pour the sauce over the dough. Besides, it'll only be for a week, he added to himself.
"I never knew you had this side of you! You're making me cry."
"Why the hell are you chopping onions?"
"But really, Lovino… you've been with her for a long time. Why haven't you confessed to her yet?" she speckled anchovies, olives and capers onto the dough.
"I don't think I'm ready for her yet…" Lovino shredded the cheese over.
"Why is that?" she drizzled olive oil some more. Lovino gulped and carefully placed the pizza in the oven. He watched it from the glass silently.
"Well… you told me that I was a swindler or something about my face so… I wouldn't want Bella to just leave me like those girls. At least not Bella," he mumbled after a while.
"Such innocence. How cute," Elizabeta commented while she's cleaning their mess.
"Shut up…" he opened the oven and the delicious smell of their freshly baked pizza filled the room. Heads turned at the aroma. Lovino placed it over the counter as the chef comes to judge their food.
"But really… with things going on like this, you'll meet a very sad end," the Hungarian whispered to Lovino as she sliced the pizza.
Despite Elizabeta's words, Lovino still found himself walking towards Antonio's table during lunch break. It seems he has just arrived to school (and the late-comer award goes to…) and has not been confessed to yet. The Italian quickly sat with the Spaniard, eye-ing the nearing girls away.
Meanwhile, Antonio was curious at the sudden friendliness of Lovino. It's not like they are very close to begin with. There had just been a time when they became partners in the culinary department. But it was a long time ago since Antonio dedicated himself with the sports department and started being a soccer star. But it's not like anyone gets close with the Spaniard these days because he has a definite girlfriend to attend to every week, after all.
"Ciao Antonio," Lovino greeted as he munches away his lunch. He grimaced at the tastelessness of the bread and decided to attack his parfait instead.
"Hola!" the Spaniard greeted fondly. Well, he is just fond with anyone.
Am I really gonna do this? He glanced at Bella. He saw her staring hopefully at them for a moment before returning to chat with Elizabeta. It seems the Hungarian is introducing her to some Japanese guy.
"Oh, you look tense, Lovino. Are you feeling alright?" Antonio peeked at him up close.
Well, I'm already here, ain't I?Better get on with this then. "I-I'm fine!"
"Oh… okay," the Spaniard said and went back to eating his food. He also shuddered at the blandness of the soup and just focused on his sundae.
"So…"
"Hmmm…?"
"Uhmmm… I-I heard you'll accept just any girl who confesses to you."
"Yep. It's the rule," the taller guy said proudly.
"A rule?" Lovino inquired. He shoved some ice cream to his mouth, making a very contented expression.
"Well, the BTT wants to give everyone a fair chance to date us so, Francis came up with this plan," Antonio said matter-of-factly. He too seems very happy with his dessert.
"What are jerky plan…" Lovino murmured. I should have known that that bearded bastard was the root of all this evil.
"Did you say something?" asked the Spaniard who has brought his face inches away from the flustered Italian to hear better.
"N-No…" Lovino coughed to regain himself. "I mean, just anyone?"
"Just anyone."
That's too many, Lovino thought. There should be a boundary for that 'just anyone' rule, right? And I've got to know that limit so I could scare away the persons who will be nearing this jerk.
"Even that one?" Lovino pointed randomly.
Antonio turned to look. "Definitely not my type, but yeah."
"That one?"
"She looks old but still, of course."
"That one?" Lovino's finger point landed at Bella. She was now blushingly reading a book from the Japanese guy, Elizabeta cooing at her in the background.
"She sure is pretty so, definitely."
Somehow, Lovino felt a pang of anger at the guy. His hand reached for his fork and somehow, it accidentally slipped form his grip and flew to the Spaniard, missing him by a fraction of centimeter. It made a crack on the wall behind him. ("Sorry." "…")
"Is this some kind of a game?" he whispered icily. Antonio pulled off the fork from the crack and handed it back to the Italian. ("Here…" "…Thanks.")
"Actually, it's more serious than you think," Antonio answered with a seriousness in his voice. The Italian learned that perhaps, this one-week date is really a grim business.
"But really… just anyone?" He still hasn't find the margin he was looking for.
"You make it sound cheap," the Spaniard lamented.
"Well… isn't it?" Lovino snapped.
"You have a point but it still is insulting…" Antonio pouted.
This is getting nowhere. I have to make a certain borderline to follow.
"So… this 'just anyone' rule… will it also include me?"
What the fuck brain. Really, what the fuck…
Lovino turned to look at the Spaniard. He looks stunned for a moment, as if thinking about somehing deep. But then realization seems to settle down and he made an 'Aha!' expression.
"I'm here for your bill, misters!" suddenly, a wild waiter appeared.
"Hang on," Lovino held out his hand and scrambled in his pocket. However, Antonio was quicker than him.
"It's my treat," Antonio announced, handing the waiter the money.
"Huh? Wh-What?"
"I said it's my treat," he smiled gorgeously at the confused Italian. Lovino would've find that disgusting, if only he wasn't that amazed at the moment.
"So, you are treating him sir? Did you know that treating your friends originated from Korea?" the waiter proclaimed but as the lunch bell rings, Lovino quickly rounded on the Spaniard.
"Okay, see here Antonio. I have a favor to ask you. Don't ever accept any other girl's confession today. Then, after class, there's somebody I'd want you to meet behind the music room," he told the Spaniard urgently.
"Of course~" Antonio said cheerfully.
After the Spaniard's words of acceptance, Lovino immediately made a run back to his room to tell Bella the news.
"Hey, Lovino, wait! I'll walk you to your room~" Antonio yelled from behind him, his soccer skills making him able to keep up with Lovino's natural Italian speed.
"W-What the heck, Antonio? W-Why are you following me!"
NOTE: Erm… what do you think? There's not much of a story yet… I'm still experimenting in writing stories so my writing style is inconsistent. As for the Hungary-Romano friendship… I just can't find anyone else who could pose as a mother-figure to Lovino except Elizabeta. She just seems the one who understands him most in some other fanfics I've read. And she's also the only one who seems to be always scheming in the background… He he he…
Romano has a crush on Belgium! It's canon, right? But really, I'm not very fond of that pairing (or anybody else for Spain or Romano in any way) so expect this story to be very Spamano all the way.
Edit: Disclaimer: This story may look very familiar to those who have read Seven Days (its a very beautiful manga. Too bad it got licensed though I think there are still some sites hosting it). Yes, this is a slight rip-off. But the next chapters would definitely be different :)
