Lovino smiled at Ludwig as he watched the blond man walk down the steps of the stage, walking towards him to take his seat next to him.
"Congratulations," he whispered, keeping his eyes on the stage.
"Congratulations to you to," Ludwig whispered back.
Lovino tried to keep a straight face despite the warm glow in his chest; finally, through the years of studying and pain, they were able to call themselves 'historians'. Ludwig had his degree in military history, and Lovino had his in art history.
All the pain and sleepless nights felt worth it. This was probably the happiest day of his life.
They listened to the lectures and then filed out of the hall. Lovino glancing over at Ludwig repeatedly as they walked out; the good thing about being friends and roommates with one of the tallest guys in the year was that you could always find him in a crowd.
He and Ludwig stood out the front of the hall, chatting as they waited for their families who had been watching from the balcony seats, let out after all the graduates.
"Lovi!" Lovino's younger brother shouted, flinging himself at him and hugging him tight.
Lovino let out a small yelp, "Fuck, Feli," he gave the boy a slap on the arm, frowning at him, "Don't fucking jump on me like that, you'll wrinkle my suit."
Lovino looked up to see Ludwig had moved off to talk to his older brother.
Feliciano smiled, following his gaze over to Ludwig, "He looks so handsome dressed like that don't you think?" he giggled slightly.
"What?" Lovino snapped, suddening frowning. "No Feli, I mean, yes, he looks handsome, but you shouldn't be talking like that, you're underage, and he's almost 5 years older than you."
Feli huffed, "Just because I'm young doesn't mean I can't find people attractive Lovi. Just because I think he's attractive doesnt mean I want to do anything with him."
"Hey!" Ludwig's brother called as he walked up, Ludwig in tow, "Congratulations on not falling down the stairs," he chuckled, patting Lovi on the arm.
"Thanks, I think," Lovino said softly.
"So do you wanna go and get drunk?" Gil smirked, aiming a wink at Lovino.
He let out a small huff, glancing over at Feli. "That's what I want to do, but you can't let my brother have anything alcoholic, he's only 17."
Gilbert smiled softly, raising an eyebrow, "Oh? Jailbait, huh?"
Lovino grit his teeth and gave Gilbert a hard thump on the arm, "Don't talk like that about my brother you bastard, he's a kid, leave him the fuck alone."
Gil laughed loudly, his head tipping back with the effort, "It was a joke lovi!" he leant forward to ruffle his hair "You're so easy to wind up, I love it." he pulled back, smiling between Lovi and Feli. "I'll make sure he doesn't have any, don't worry."
Lovino swallowed hard, suddenly feeling self conscious over snapping. "Ok," he said a little quieter, "Yeah, lets find a place, I'm kinda hungry too."
The four of them wandered down the road, looking into a few pubs before finding one they liked. Lovino was too giddy to be too concerned about anything at the moment, he offered to buy the first round of drinks for everyone, making sure Feliciano only got a coke, and Ludwig insisted on buying them a sandwich each.
"This is so nice of you Lud," Feliciano cooed as the sandwiches were brought to their table, "I hope it didn;t cost you too much."
Ludwig smiled, not noticing the glare Lovino was giving him. "It's fine, I have a job, I can afford it Feli."
"You have a job?" Feli smiled, shifting his chair closer, "That's so good," he glanced at Lovino, "You don't have a job yet do you?"
Lovino frowned, taking a much needed bite of his sandwich, "Shut up and drink your juice Feli," he pushed the glass closer to him.
"Yeah," Gil sneered playfully, "It's not little Lovi's fault he can't get a job, Ludwig cheated anyway, he knows the guy who runs the place."
Lovino smirked, "Yeah, see?"
"Then maybe you should have been more friendly to people when you were younger, Ludwig's nice to everyone that's why he was given a job," Feliciano retorted.
Lovino shook his head, taking a long swig of his drink, "Shut up you idiot, I wouldn't want to work with any of them anyway, they're even dumber than you."
Ludwig frowned softly, "You shouldn't be so rude to your brother Lovi, but he's right… but I don't think this is a good time to talk about job stuff, we should be focussing on getting drunk and having fun. We just graduated for god's sake!"
They lifted their glasses in cheers and began to drink more feverantly, Lovino found himself feeling tipsy after one drink which wasn't unusual for him, he was a lightweight and proud of it; he could get drunk on less than half what it took to get Ludwig or Gilbert drunk, it made his nights out a lot cheaper, any student would be happy for that.
He walked slowly to the bar, trying not to give away how drunk he was, and ordered shots for the table. He watched him pour them but somehow it didn't register that the man had poured four not three.
Feliciano grabbed one before he could be stopped and downed it, laughing in Lovino's face.
"What the fuck Feli?" Lovino frowned, "You're underage you idiot."
"I know I know," Feliciano cooed, patting Lovi on the arm, "I just wanted one to try. This is a celebration fratello, it's not fair if I don't have one."
"Feliciano no, you're underage, no drinking." He looked over to the bartender, "Make sure this boy doesn't get anymore alcohol, he's only 17."
Feliciano's jaw dropped slightly, "Lovi!" he whined, "That's not fair, I thought we were going to have fun together, you're being so mean today."
Lovino shook his head, he didn't understand why Feliciano didn't get that he wasn't meant to drink? He didn't have the best judgement anyway, being drunk would be awful for him, especially in a college town with tons of older men who'd take advantage of him in a drunken state.
Lovino let out a huff, "No you idiot… Fucking idiot. Don't have anymore or I'll cut off your fucking balls, I mean it Feli."
Ludwig looked up at them as they returned to the table, "You don't need to threaten him Lovino, he's a big boy," he smirked, "When you were his age you and Fernandez used to go out drinking every week."
Lovino felt himself blush, unable to hide it due to the liquor in his system. "Shut up, he was my boyfriend, and he was a very bad influence on me, I'm just trying to save my brother from the same mistakes," he smiled weakly, squinting slightly at the larger man.
Feliciano scoffed, "Let me make mistakes Lovino," he leaned over the table, a soft frown coming to his young face, "I didn't know you used to go out and get drunk. Is that why you were so loose with him? You were always drunk?"
Lovino's blush deepened, "Shut up Feliciano," he snapped, frowning, "I thought I was in love ok? At least you've never had to go through that."
"Yeah because you scare off every boy who so much as fucking looks at me!" Feliciano said, his usual happy air gone from him.
Lovi looked him up and down, an almost tangible tension between them.
"... Well now, let's not get in a fight you two huh? Brotherly love and everything right?" Gilbert said with a chuckle, putting his now empty shot glass back on the table. "Hey do you want to see me do a trick with this glass? It's really awesome."
Feliciano let out a huff, and got to his feet, looking Lovino in the eyes and taking his shot from the table, downing it and turning to walk off.
"Feli?" Lovino asked after him, an angry tone to his voice. "What the fuck was that?"
Ludwig huffed, shaking his head, "It's clear to everyone except you Lovi. He wants to be treated like an adult, and you're treating him like a child. He's almost 18 and you won't let him try one drink."
Lovino frowned and huffed, shaking his head and getting to his feet, "He's a fucking idiot, Ludwig. Now I've got to go and fucking..."
Ludwig stood up, shaking his head, "No, Lovino, I'll go, he'll just get more upset if you chase him. I can calm him down."
"...Ok, ok fine." Lovino said dismissively, shaking his head and sitting back down, "Fucking have fun…"
Ludwig gave a nod before walking off. At least this way Lovino could still sit and get drunk, he knew Feli would be safe with Ludwig at least.
"So, what was that about?" Gil asked softly, sipping his drink and pushing one towards Lovino that seemed to have magically appeared while they'd been arguing.
Lovino shook his head, taking the drink in his hands and having a long sip. "I don't fucking know… He used to be fine before I left for college, but since then he doesn't listen to me, he's so persistent on being an adult that he's not enjoying being a kid."
"He's not a kid though," Gil responded, "He's 18 in a few weeks, he'll be leaving for college soon too." he smirked, "Are you sure the problem's not with you? You still see him as how he was before you left, so you're not used to treating him like an adult." He took another sip of his beer, "He was what, 14 when you left?"
Lovi chewed his lip, tapping his glass absently, he gave a small nod. "Yeah he was... " he huffed, tipping his head back slightly, "I guess I was a lot more grown up than he is when I was 17," he grit his teeth, "He still shouldn't act like such a fuck-head."
Gilbert nodded, letting out a soft chuckle, "I agree he is acting like a fuck-head Lovi, but he's doing it because he wants your respect, he doesn't know how else to get it."
He nodded, looking down into his glass, "I guess…" he let out a deep sigh, "I should go and see if he's ok."
Gil shook his head, "No, let Ludwig calm him down first. You should sit and finish your drink first."
Lovino let out a soft sigh, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them and taking another sip of his drink, trying to not seem like he was rushing it.
"I'm a fucking idiot," he mumbled as he reached the halfway point of his glass.
The German man nodded, smiling weakly, "Why do you think?" he asked, an odd tone to his voice that sounded to Lovino almost like condescension.
"I still think of him as my little fratello," Lovi frowned, "He's almost 18, I'd already had sex with two guys when I was his age."
"Aww," Gilbert cooed, smiling, "Only two?" he chuckled, "That's so cute."
Lovino frowned, "Shut up," he huffed, "My point is that he's still a virgin, and I wasn't, and it's probably because of me."
The man nodded again, "Yeah, probably… But do you know he's a virgin Lovi? You don't live at home anymore, how do you know that he doesn't go out drinking and getting fucked all the time?" he let out a soft chuckle, "Maybe part of the reason he's so annoyed at you is because everyone apart from you treats him like an adult."
He let out a growl, looking down at his glass before getting to his feet, quickly gulping down the rest of his drink and pushing himself away from the table, willing himself to walk somewhat normally down the corridor that Feliciano and Ludwig had gone down, he looked in and out of the rooms, beginning to think that they may have gone into the street.
A frown came across his face as he heard what he recognised instantly to be Ludwig's voice, speaking rapidly in German.
Why would he be speaking German? There was almost no one else he knew who did.
As he walked towards the source of the sound, towards one of the store cupboard doors, his nose wrinkled, his teeth gritting slightly, the sound of pitched moans and grunts coming from behind the door.
He couldn't be hearing what he thought he was hearing, maybe it was just Feliciano crying, the noise was being distorted by the door, that was all.
He forced the door open, his face going white and his eyes widening in shock at the scene before him.
He shrieked in shock and slammed the door closed, standing and staring at it for a moment, what he'd seen not fully registering.
They'd been…
He'd…
He couldn't think.
"Fratello?" Feli's voice came through the door.
He snapped back to reality, instantly filled with rage, he grit his teeth and opened the door again, looking Ludwig in the eyes, "If I ever see you again I will fucking kill you!"
He looked at Feliciano, the boy's face red though Lovino wasn't sure if it was from being upset or… the other thing. He let out a growl and turned on his heels, slamming the door again as he walked out.
His face was turning red, tears coming to his eyes, he could feel it but he didn't know why, he wanted to be angry not fucking cry. What the fuck was wrong with him?
He walked through the bar and out the front door, a mist of anger and tear behind him.
"Lovino?" Gilbert questioned as he saw Lovino pass, his eyes widening slightly as he saw the look on the man's face.
"Lovi?" he hopped to his feet and followed him out, on his heels in seconds. He walked alongside him, able to feel the heat of fury on the shorter man.
"What happened?" he asked after a few moments when Lovino didn't acknowledge his presence.
Lovino raised a hand to wipe the few stray tears from his eyes, his entire form shaking. "H-he, they…" he shook his head, "That fucking bastard, I h-hate him, fucking German piece of shit! I can't believe he'd … He'd…."
"What did he do?" Gil asked softly, part of him not wanting an answer, he'd never seen Lovino trip over himself this much.
Lovino paused, looking over at Gilbert, visibly shaking, his breath quivering slightly, "L-ludwig and Feliciano were... " he let out a small whine, not sure if he could get the words out, "They were having sex!"
Gilbert's eyes widened slightly, "Sh-shit," he said, frowning quickly and shaking his head, "I'm sorry Lovi."
Lovino let out a strange noise almost a sob, shaking his head, "He's a fucking bastard, f-fucking potato headed piece of German shit. How could he do that to me?!"
He let out a whimper as Gilbert pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tight. He stood still, continuing to shake, "He's a bastard," he said weakly, "He's my best friend, how could he fucking do this?"
"I know I know," Gil cooed, rubbing his back and closing his eyes, "I'm so sorry Lovi."
"Shut up," Lovino almost growled, "Fucking shut up, you're just as bad as him, all of you, I fucking hate you! I hate him… Why the fuck would he do this?"
Gilbert pulled away after a moment, "I'm going to go and talk to him, you wait here ok?"
Lovino felt Gilbert maneuver him, sitting him on the half-wall that ran along the side of the path.
How could this happen? Ludwig was his best friend, he'd known him for years, he knew Feliciano was underage, why the hell would he do this?
He was so angry.
After a few minutes, after he'd begun to calm down, he head Feliciano call him from a few steps away, Gilbert following him.
"Lovino," he said as he walked up, tears dripping down his face, "I'm s-so sorry Lovi."
Lovino pulled the crying boy into a hug, slapping his arm as he pulled away, "Why the fuck were you letting him do that to you?"
"I-I don't know Lovi," he said quietly, stumbling over himself, "I was upset and he was nice and I kissed him and-and I don't know what happened."
"You shouldn't have done that Feli you fucking idiot!" Lovino sniffled, half-shouting. "You shouldn't have fucking-" he let out a growl, "I shouldn't have let you drink, I-I shouldn't have let him go after you," he held his hand to his face, "Oh god, I can't believe this…"
Gilbert swallowed hard behind them, "Ludwig's still in the bar, he said you wouldn't want to speak to him."
Lovino growled loudly, "Fucking right I wouldn't want to talk to that fucking potato-bastard, piece of shit. He fucked my brother! He fucked an underage, drunk child! I never want to see him again! I don't fucking want to see him ever again!"
Feliciano bit his lip, pulling away, "...Lovi I'm sorry, I-I just… I like him and it just happened. He's your best friend Lovi, I don't want you to hate him because of me."
Lovi scoffed and shook his head, "Hell will fucking freeze over before I call that fucker my friend. And shit like that doesn't just happen, it doesn't there are two people, you were fucking drunk, Lud only had three beers, that wouldn't get him drunk, he did this knowing perfectly fucking well what he was doing."
"Fratello…"
"No," Lovino snapped, "Ludwig is dead to me."
He turned his head to Gilbert, the man looking slightly paler than usual, "Can you move my stuff out of Ludwig's apartment?"
"Uh," he said, sounding shocked.
"Can you?" he said loudly.
Gil nodded, "Yeah, Lovi, sure… But what about us?"
Lovino frowned, "What do you mean us?"
"Well," Gilbert glanced away, "We're still friends, right? I'm sorry for what Lud did and…" he shrugged, "You said you hated me."
Lovi scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Don't be a dumbass," he gave Gil's arm a shove, "Who the fuck else am I going to get to move my stuff out? I'm not leaving my tv with him, he'd probably fuck that too," he let out a soft growl, "I'm just fucking mad at him."
Gilbert smiled softly, "Yeah, ok…" he nodded, "Ok, I'll go take him home and I'll bring your stuff over tomorrow."
"Thanks," Lovino said, his voice softening slightly, "Feli, let's go home ok? I'll sleep on the sofa tonight."