Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
I'd like to go on record as to say that this is one of the longest things I have ever written. This was a request done for the Spamano secret valentine on tumblr a few months ago and I finally am getting around to putting it up here. It's a school AU and contains some intense moments, so brace yourselves but please enjoy~
Warning: this story contains a sensitive situation regarding assault and attempted rape. It also contains a few steamy moments (but it has nothing to do with the previously mentioned situation!). If you have a triggering problem with either, I strongly advise against reading.
AP Hetalia Academy is one of the most prestigious schools a person can go to. Like any school, they have math, English, a science class or two, but it is most famous for the history classes. In each class, separated by country, you learn the culture, the language, the war history, and more. Those who attend are guaranteed to become experts in whatever country they plan to study.
While it is a marvelous school, it's hard to get into since there are only so many people who can afford it. The best way is parental connection and a very good scholarship. Therefore, each class is small. Thankfully, that's what makes this school a very homey environment for its inhabitants. Everyone can get to know each other and compare interest within a small class. They even have housing facilities to help.
The dormitories are separated by gender, like any college, and is shared by no more than two people, either randomly or by family ties. Today, the boys dorms are buzzing with life. Alfred Jones, a senior in American studies, has recently got an apartment of his own. He is throwing a housewarming party with his brother, Matthew, a sophomore in American studies. Everyone in the dorm is invited. Unfortunately, not everyone is necessarily going to be there.
"Veh, Lovi, are you sure you don't want to come?" Feliciano Vargas, a freshman in Italian studies, was getting dressed and looking at his older brother through the mirror. Lovino Vargas, a junior in the same class as his brother, scowled back.
"I'm very sure, Feli. I don't know why you're even going. That Alfred guy is a loud class A asshole."
"Don't be mean, Alfred is nice enough to have invited everyone to his party and I want to go. Kiku and Ludwig will be there, too. I don't want to miss out on a chance to hang out with them." Lovino rolled his eyes. As soon as his brother said 'Ludwig', he understood. Feliciano has been crushing hard on the stern German studies student ever since Francis, their childhood friend of French descent, introduced them.
"Fine, whatever. Go woo your German." Lovino picked up a magazine from the floor next to his bed and flipped through it.
"I—I wasn't gonna—" Feliciano became flustered.
"Don't explode, Feli, I'm only teasing you." Lovino spared a wry smile for his brother before going back to the magazine. Feli laughed nervously and shoved his phone and wallet into his pockets.
"Lovi, won't you be lonely here all by yourself?" Feli fussed, now looking for his keys. "And have you seen my key?"
"No, I'll be fine. Antonio is coming by to study. Your key should be on the hook."
"Oohh. Is it a date~?" Feliciano eyed his older brother suggestively as he went to the hook by the door.
"Wh—No! I fucking told you, I don't like that bastard in that way!" Lovino barked, hiding his blushing face behind the magazine he was holding like a vise.
"Mmhmm~"
"I'm serious, I—"
"Loviii, the key isn't here!" Lovino glanced up to see Feliciano pointing to a bare hook. "I can't find it anywhere!"
"Tsk, you always lose that fucking key. I'm going to make you wear it on your neck!" Lovino got up off of his bed and started rummaging through his drawers for his key.
"Veh! Oh no, I'm late! Lovi, can you just please leave the door unlocked so I can come in?" Feli grabbed his jacket and fled the room before his brother could answer. "Thanks! Ciao, big bro!" He called behind him over his shoulder.
"Just be back before 10 or I'm locking you out for the night!" Lovino called back at him and closed the door behind his brother. He sighed and looked around absentmindedly. Now it was time to wait for Antonio. The mere thought of him made Lovino's stomach flutter. Like Feliciano, Francis introduced them, but it wouldn't have been hard to meet him without Francis' help, since they have every other class together.
Recently, the study of languages in different courses had become available. Feliciano and Lovino both jumped at the chance. Lovino had chosen Spanish and, just his luck, he was in the class with Antonio. The poor Italian thought it would be an easy grade, since Italian and Spanish aren't so far off. He learned the hard way that he was so very wrong. Antonio told him that he was happy to help if Lovino needed it, so Lovino grudgingly agreed to some tutoring and homework help. Since Antonio wasn't going to the party either, they agreed to kill some time with some review before the next big test.
Lovino started picking clothes up from where his brother threw them and tidying up in general. He didn't really know why he was cleaning up. "It's only Antonio." He thought to himself. "What do I care if my room is messy? I'm just… keeping my hands busy. Yeah, that's what it is." He decided and kept straightening up, turning on some music to work to. He hummed along to "That's Amore" when it came up on his MP3 and paused to read some more of his magazine.
Meanwhile, outside of his dorm building, a mysterious man had entered. He spotted someone walking along the hallway on the first floor, so he snuck up to the second floor quickly. Once there, he went to the first door he saw and tried turning the knob. It was locked. Trying not to look suspicious, he kept trying each knob. Locked, locked, locked. One of them was open, but there were 3 black-haired Asian boys in there. None of them noticed him, thankfully, so he managed to sneak back out undetected.
He continued trying knobs until he turned a corner and, to his right, heard some faint music coming from the first door. He tried the knob and found that it turned. The man quietly opened the door and peeked in. He saw a brown-haired man, no older than a sophomore or a junior, standing there and reading a magazine with his back to the door. The stranger smiled to himself. Perfect. He snuck in and closed the door tightly behind him.
Lovino heard his door close and blinked, looking up and looking at the clock off to his side. "Well, you're early, bastard. I wasn't expecting you for a while. How about you try knocking next ti—" He didn't get to finish, because as he turned to face who he thought was his Spanish friend, a hand clamped over his mouth and forced him back into the wall. He stared wide-eyed at an older man he had never seen before in his life. The stranger stared back with a crazed glint in his eyes.
"Don't make a sound. Be a good boy, or else…"With his other hand, he pulled out a box cutter from his pocket and flicked the blade up. Lovino eyed it fearfully. With it in his hand, he brought the tip of the blade down and used it to lift up his shirt. Lovino trembled and shivered at the coldness of the blade. He had heard about this recently, of campuses where random horny bastards would sneak into unlocked rooms and rape the girls in their own dorm. He never thought that would happen to a boy, even when Ludwig got paranoid from the news of a rape happening nearby and making him and Feliciano take self-defense. He regretted not paying a bit of attention now.
He started panicking when the strange hand replaced the blade. "Antonio is coming." He remembered. If the door was unlocked, then Antonio would walk in and help him right away. His eyes darted to the clock. 15 more minutes, unless he came early. "Fuck, I can't wait that long!" He whimpered slightly and tried to struggle, but froze when he felt pain in his side.
"I said be good. Just relax now, sugar, and it'll be over before you know it." The man cooed. "Sugar? What a creep." Lovino then felt the cold hand trying to slip into his jeans and knew he definitely had to do something right now. Not even thinking, he opened his mouth to bite the hand over his mouth. The attacker pulled away in shock, giving Lovino the opening to grab the back of his head and knee him in the face. The man crumpled to the floor with a groan and Lovino moved to run away when he felt a hand grab his ankle.
"You little shit!" The man growled. Lovino turned his leg and kicked him square in the jaw. The stranger stumbled back and Lovino almost fell as well before the attacker let his leg go. He wasted no time in running to rip his door open and get out of the room. Meanwhile, three students were turning the corner to go down the same corridor.
"It was really nice of you guys to come with me to Lovi's room." The tanned and handsome Spaniard, Antonio himself, smiled at his two best friends.
"Well, it's not like I had anything better to do." Gilbert, the albino brother of Ludwig, shrugged with a wide smile.
"Well, I have to get back to the party, but I am always fashionably late." The Frenchman, Francis, purred and flipped his hair back.
"I thought it was because Arthur couldn't be there until later?"
"Well, that too. Besides, I can never pass up a chance to see either of those cute Italian brothers." He cooed.
"I heard from my lil' bro that Feli was going to the party." Gilbert nudged his Spanish friend. "Looks like you have the grumpy older one all to yourself." They laughed when Antonio turned red.
"Oh, speak of the devil." Francis nodded when he spotted Lovino running down the hall toward them. "Guess he couldn't wait to see you."
"Lovino, hey!" Gilbert called out.
"Hi Lovi~! I was just about to go to your roo—oof!" Antonio stumbled a bit when Lovino ran right into him and clung to him. "Lovi, careful! Heh, I didn't think you'd be so happy… to… Lovi? What's wrong?" He suddenly realized that Lovino was sobbing into his shirt and shaking. He tried to pry him away to look at his face. "Lovi? Lovino? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"Mein gott, you're bleeding!" Gilbert noticed the bleeding cut at Lovino's side. All three students suddenly became increasingly concerned.
"Lovi? Talk to me, what happened?" Antonio combed at his hair, trying to calm the poor boy. Lovino swallowed a bunch of times, trying to speak.
"A-a m-m-ma-man. B-broke i-i-into m-my room. T-tried… tried to…" He couldn't go on, his crying overtaking him again and his face pressing deeper into Antonio's chest, wishing desperately to just hide here forever. Even with Lovino's vague recounting of the events, the three boys understood. They exchanged a knowing and dark glance. There have been reports all over the country about campus break-ins. Gilbert's friend Eliza had a close call when she was walking to work once, in fact, and her friend Bella had once been followed to class.
Antonio couldn't hold back the rage boiling in his stomach now. Someone had just tried to violate one of his friends, not to mention a friend he dearly liked and cared about. He even dared to hurt him, make him bleed. "Whoever this asshole is, he is going to pay dearly." Seeing red, the man started making a beeline for the dorm room. He could just barely hear Francis and Gilbert walking in the same direction. However, he couldn't go 3 steps before he felt something pull his shirt and make him freeze.
"N-no! Don't go. P-please don't go Tonio. D-don't leave me. Please don't leave me!" Lovino cried, practically glued to his side. Antonio frowned down at him and held him gently. "Right, I can't just leave him." He thought to himself. "And I can't bring him back there, not now. But I can't leave that rat there and let him get away!"
"Toni." He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Gilbert. "We'll take care of it, no worries."
"Oui, you just stay here and phone the police." Francis suggested, looking at Lovino pointedly. "You have more important things to tend to." Antonio bit his lip. He really wanted to give this guy a piece of his mind, but Francis was right. He needed to stay here.
"Okay. Gracias." He smiled wistfully at his friends as they departed.
"I'll give the guy one extra punch for you!" Gilbert promised, making Antonio chuckle a little. When his friends were gone, his attention went right back to the traumatized Italian still sobbing in his arms.
"Shh, it's okay, cariño. Come, sit down." Antonio gently led him to the wall and they both sat down against it. He kept one arm around Lovino's shoulders, soothingly rubbing his arm as the boy cried into his shoulder. He used his other hand to pull out his cell phone and dialed the police. "Hello, I'd like to report a break-in and assault. I'm at AP Hetalia Academy, the boys dorms. The victim is a friend of mine. Mmhm. Second floor. Okay, I'll be waiting here. Thank you." He hung up and slid his phone into his pocket.
"A-are they coming?" Lovino sniffled.
"Yes, they're on their way. Hopefully, Gilbert didn't damage him enough to let him go on a technicality or something." Lovino couldn't help but snort softly at that, making Antonio smile at the sound. "Are you doing okay?"
"I almost got raped and you're asking me stupid questions like that?" Lovino grumbled, but still curled up closer to Antonio and buried his face in his neck. "I-I feel fucking violated. I was so scared that you wouldn't show and… and…"
"Oh, Lovi." Antonio gently scooped him up and held him in his lap, his cheek pressed to Lovino's head. He couldn't even begin to think about that. "If Lovino hadn't gotten away or if I had just been minutes late…" He shook his head at the thought. "I'm here now. I won't leave you." He murmured, more to himself than to Lovino, but the younger male still nestled closer and hummed in answer.
They held each other until the police arrived. Antonio had to detach the Italian from his chest to show the police to the attacker, Lovino complying only because he doesn't want to see that bastard's face again. A police officer kindly escorted Lovino downstairs to get some water. Meanwhile, Antonio showed two other cops to Lovino's room, where Gilbert and Francis were keeping an eye on the injured but still conscious attacker. They explained that he already had a broken nose and bruised jaw when they got here. No one bothered to say anything about the black eye slowly forming.
The police took the man away and gathered all four boys together to question them. They tried to get a clear view of what happened, but Lovino could barely get anything out before his voice would catch in his throat and fresh tears stung his eyes. After a while, the police got the gist—the door was left unlocked and the attacker got in and touched Lovino without consent. He found an opening to force the attacker away and escaped to run into Antonio in the hallway.
"Have you taken any fighting classes?" The police wondered.
"Um, his brother made me and my brother take a self-defense class." Lovino nodded to Gilbert.
"Well, it's very lucky you took it. You had a pretty close call, Mr. Vargas. As you have seen, even boys are in danger of these kinds of attacks. If you're in a situation where you can't run, you have to make sure to know how to get into the situation where you are able to run. Even the smartest student can forget that if they are frozen in fear.
"We'll call you with more details, but I suggest that you spread the word—never go anywhere alone, keep the door locked, and make sure to have a weapon to defend yourself with, as well as a phone for contact."
"Thank you officer." Antonio looked at the man seriously. "Make sure that guy gets put away where he can't hurt anyone else."
"Don't worry, he'll be in jail away from this campus for quite a while before he gets put on trial." The cop tipped his hat to the group and headed downstairs to join his partners. Many curious bystanders in the building swarmed the students suddenly and asked for information. Francis and Gilbert took the questions while Antonio moved Lovino back to his room.
"Oh Dios, what a mess." Antonio chided, stepping over a pile of books that fell over and leading his friend to the bed before sitting beside him. Almost by instinct, Lovino melted against his side, not even saying anything. He didn't want to. He finally felt safe and warm with Antonio, like he always had since they became friends. Even in the presence of his brother, he never felt the comfortable feeling he felt with the Spaniard. Now that Antonio took care of him at his most vulnerable, he almost felt like he could hand over ownership of his own thoughts, his own heart to him. Unfortunately, his insecurity and shyness held him back. It was simply his nature.
"Lovi!" He didn't realize he had been drifting off until his eyes shot open at the familiar sound of his name. An equally familiar bronze-haired Italian flew at him and tackled him in a hug.
"F-Feli?!" Lovino squeaked. He faintly noticed that Antonio stood up to give them space.
"Are you okay, big bro?! Gil called and told me what happened! Oh no, you're hurt!" Feli cried, looking fearfully at the blood stain at Lovino's side. He nearly forgot about it. "Oh heavens, this is all my fault! If I hadn't asked you to keep the door open—"
"Feli, Feli, calm down!" Lovino petted his brother's hair. "I'm fine, really. I got away, didn't I?"
"Veh, yeah, b-but—"
"But nothing. I'm alive and being taken care of." Both pairs of golden eyes flickered to Antonio and back. "This is just a scratch. It doesn't even hurt. You don't have to worry."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm fucking sure. Now, don't you have a party to be at? You shouldn't keep that kraut of yours waiting."
"H-he actually escorted me here." Feliciano blushed and giggled, but quickly frowned in uncertainty. "I feel like I should stay here. You've just been violated and I'm about to leave to go to some silly party—"
"Feli, don't let me keep you from fun." Lovino looked at his brother seriously. "I couldn't bear to see you miserable at my expense, dammit. Now, go back to your party. I'll be here tomorrow. You can owe me a dinner."
"Okay, Lovi! Yeah, I'll take you out for some Italian tomorrow!" Feli jumped up excitedly and bent back over to give his brother a kiss on the cheek. "Grazie, fratello! I'll see you later!" He skipped out the door, only turning his head to shoot a meaningful look at Antonio before he disappeared. They could still hear his voice and Ludwig's just outside the door. Antonio sat back down next to Lovino.
"That was very nice of you, Lovi. Letting your brother go like that."
"Yeah, well, I do that sometimes. Be nice and all." Lovino shrugged and yawned.
"We should get you cleaned up before we get you to bed."
"I'm not even tired!"
"Riight." Antonio chuckled when Lovino yawned again and grabbed his hand to lead him up to the showers, not noticing when Lovino turned completely red from having his hand held.
X-X-X
After assuring Francis and Gilbert that it was okay to go back to their rooms, they headed to the unisex bathroom, pausing right outside the door. "I'll wait out here, you can go ahead and shower." Antonio smiled reassuringly.
"Erm…" Lovino fidgeted. "Could you… come inside with me?" Now it was Antonio's turn to blush.
"You mean… come into the shower with you?"
"You don't have to make it sound weirder than it already is." Lovino snapped, flushing deeply. "I'm still a little freaked out about being alone right now, that's all. You know those old movies where a person gets killed in the shower? What if that happens and you are standing out here not knowing what's going on until I'm dead?!" Antonio tried his best not to laugh at the silly notion, since Lovino looked completely serious.
"Alright, I guess I can understand that." So they both went in. Antonio averted his eyes to let Lovino undress and get in the shower in peace, waiting right outside with a towel while he showered. He could hear the younger boy hiss and grumble about something hurting. "There's a first aid kit in here, so we can bandage your side once you're clean."
"Okay. Th-thanks." Lovino let the water wash away the suds on his body. "For everything. Being here, helping me, looking after me. I know you have better things you could be doing than taking care of me…"
"It's no problem, Lovi, really. There's nothing I'd rather be doing. I really care about you, so I want to make sure you're safe and happy." The Italian could've sworn his heart skipped a beat.
"He cares about me? Did I hear him right? He… actually cares?" "Y-yeah right, bastard. You're really expecting me to believe that you're not annoyed about helping me at all?"
"That's exactly what I want you to believe, since it's the truth." He laughed wistfully. "If there's anything I'm annoyed about, it's that I didn't get to punch that asshole myself."
"Y-yeah." Lovino swallowed, having never heard Antonio swear let alone encourage violence, and on his behalf. "Is this what those girls feel like when their boyfriends punch out villains for them?" He mused, recalling Spiderman when it was playing on TV last night.
"So are you done yet?" He jumped a bit when Antonio spoke again.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm done!" Lovino quickly scrubbed the shampoo from his hair and turned off the water. Carefully, he poked his head out. The bathroom was partly foggy from the steam. He looked around and saw Antonio just next to the shower, looking in the opposite direction and holding out a white fluffy towel for him to take. He took the towel and wrapped it around his waist.
"You can look now." Lovino snorted when he stepped out of the shower and still saw Antonio staring hard at a fixture in the wall. The Spaniard blinked and smiled at him softly.
"Just making sure. Let's bandage your side now." He kneeled and looked at the long line along Lovino's side. It looked bigger than the Italian had thought it'd be. He flinched a bit when Antonio brushed it, not because it hurt but because of the pleasant feeling of those fingertips. Antonio misinterpreted the flinch. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Lovi!"
"It's fine, really. You… your stupid hand is cold, that's all." He looked away.
"Ah, really? Sorry." Antonio looked sheepish and eyed the cut for a moment before making a face. "Mio dio, what has that scum done to you?" He murmured under his breath. "I'll go get the first aid kit." He told the boy and quickly rushed to get the box where he remembered seeing it. He came back and pulled out a roll of gauze, some cotton balls, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol.
"It's just a cut, Tonio. I'm not dying." Lovino eyed the stuff in slightly amusement.
"Well, there are no bandages big enough and I don't want to use up the little ones up and down your side." Antonio shrugged slightly sheepishly before he wet a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and rubbed the cut with it. This time, Lovino winced and hissed from pain. He recoiled and pressed his hand to cover the cut.
"Ow! Shit, that burns!"
"Lo siento, Lovi, but it doesn't hurt for long, I promise." There was a moment of hesitation before Lovino nodded and removed his hand. Antonio continued to clean it, doing his best to ignore Lovino's wiggling and hissing. Finally, when he felt satisfied that the wound was disinfected, he padded it with a big but thin wad of cotton and wrapped the gauze around Lovino's waist three times before ripping and pinning.
"Great, now if I ever lift my shirt, it'll look like I've been cut open or some shit." Lovino rolled his eyes.
"Ha ha, don't worry, you can just wear it for the weekend." Antonio laughed, gently sliding his hand along the cloth to make sure it's flat. Lovino shuddered at the touch, his hand almost hurting from holding the towel up. They both looked up at the same moment and ended up locking eyes. An impassioned moment passed between them before one of them leaned in and their lips pressed together.
The kiss started off slow and soft, just their lips gently brushing against one another. Then their arms moved, snaking around each other and deepening the kiss, lips overlapping. Lovino's hands gripped at the tanned boy's shirt while Antonio's hands rested calmly on the Italian's back. Their heads tilted, noses bumping a bit, and the lips parted slightly, enough for their warm breaths to mingle. The sweet taste caused them both to tense but continue with intensity.
It felt like forever, but they eventually pulled away in favor of catching their breath. Hearts fluttering, skin tingling with every touch, skin heated and red. Their eyes were glazed over when they opened slowly and stared into one another's, dazed emerald admiring the sparkly gold. "This must be a dream." Lovino idly thought. He often had dreams like this, and cursed himself for it because he still tried to convince himself that he wasn't attracted to Antonio at all. A few seconds of staring and they slowly came to their senses. Antonio dropped his hands and backed away, eyes wide and his whole face red for a change. "It's not." Lovino realized.
"Lovi, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to kiss you so suddenly!" The Spaniard became flustered while Lovino frowned at the words. "You just came out of a situation like that and I go and kiss you. N-not that it wasn't… nice. It was very nice!"
"Antonio…"
"Ah, I'm being so insensitive and selfish. Stupid, stupid Tonio! Worse timing in the world! You were violated and I go and do the very same thing. Ay, I'm so ashamed!"
"Antonio!"
"I don't blame you if you want to stay away from me. You don't have to yell at me, but if you think it's necessary—"
"ANTONIO!" Lovino grabbed the rambling boy's shoulders and stopped his frantic pacing. "I'm not mad at you!"
"Y-you're not?" Antonio sighed and clutched his heart. "Thank goodness. But really, I'm sorry for—"
"For kissing me?" He raised an eyebrow. "Is it really just because you think you've violated me? That's not even fucking true, so unless there's something else…" Lovino trailed off, looking away. He had never kissed anyone before, other than his family. Antonio has probably kissed tons of people. It's unlikely he lived up to his expectations.
"It's not?" Antonio smiled in relief before nodding. "I'm glad." Lovino slowly dropped his arms from his shoulders.
"You should be, bastard." He huffed. Antonio smiled softly at the cute face he was making and reached over to capture Lovino's chin and turn his head back to look at him.
"Would it be too much to ask for another?" He murmured gently, leaning in until his lips grazed Lovino's. Lovino's breath got caught in his throat, staying very still. He wanted to say 'do whatever the fuck you want' or something along those lines, but it came out more like 'k-kay'. Nevertheless, Antonio complied and they kissed again, a shorter kiss but it still made them short of breath and their hearts start racing. "You kiss wonderfully, Lovi." Antonio sighed, sounding love-struck. Now it was Lovino's turn to be flustered.
"B-bastard, saying things like that. You do all the work."
"It's not like Spanish homework, cariño. It takes two to kiss."
"Are you implying something there?"
"Not at all~." The Spaniard hummed and they both ended up laughing softly, dissolving into a nice but slightly awkward silence. "So," Antonio began, ending the silence. "You don't mind? Me kissing you, I mean."
"No, I—" Lovino cleared his throat when his voice came out too soft. "I've… liked you for a while, if you must know. So it doesn't bother me." The words hung there for a moment before Antonio stole another swift kiss, bring a sound of surprise from the Italian.
"I-I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear you say those words, mi querido." The older boy smiled, his eyes happily gazing at Lovino.
"Why?" He guessed the answer, but still wanted to know for sure.
"Because I like you too, silly. I've liked you for a very long time and I've always wanted to tell you, but I could never tell how you think of me no matter how much our friends encouraged me."
"F-funny." Lovino managed a small smile. "They did the same thing for me." Antonio happily kissed that smile once more.
"Would you like to stay in my room?" The sudden question that slipped from Antonio's mouth surprised them both.
"H-huh?" Lovino's brow furrowed.
"I wanted to ask you earlier. You didn't seem comfortable in your room, a-and Francis is probably at the party right now and he said he's staying over at that apartment for the night with Arthur. We'd have the place to ourselves and if you needed someplace safe for me to stay with you…?" He let the sentence wander off into a question. Lovino bit his lip as he considered it. He really didn't want to go to his room. It was way too soon. He had hoped Antonio would help him past that, but there was a chance he couldn't. Plus, his brother WILL be returning from the party (or so he hoped, but with that German, who knows what could happen?) and if he walked in to see him in bed with Antonio at his side, he won't hear the end of it.
"Ok." Lovino decided, setting his mouth stubbornly. "I'll stay at your place for the night."
"Are you sure? You don't have to if you don't want t—" Lovino put his finger to Antonio's lips, shuddering when he pressed a kiss to it.
"I'm sure, dammit. It's my choice. I want to stay with you, away from my room."
"Okay." Antonio nodded and smiled widely. "But first…"
"What?"
"You might wanna pick your towel up."
"…shit!"
X-X-X
So after Lovino got dressed and yelled at Antonio for being a pervert and not letting him know that he dropped the towel ("I didn't even notice until now!" "You still looked, don't fucking deny it!"), they headed toward the far side of the 2nd floor dorms to Antonio's room. Lovino had visited only a few times. It was a similar setup to his and Feliciano's room, with beds and desks on either side of the room. Only with this room, it looked like it used to be two halves of different rooms. One side was completely blue and white, bed made but with clothes strewn about. The other side was red with a bit of green and yellow, neat in a messy 'I'll just throw this wherever I like' way.
Lovino went to sit on the red side, on Antonio's bed. He used to sit here often, with textbooks around him and Antonio helping him recite his Spanish. Now he was here for a completely different reason, and somehow this bed seemed so much more inviting. He waited until Antonio was done changing; he tried to look away but unable to keep his eyes from the tanned and slightly muscular back and that fine backside only a Spanish descendent could have. Luckily, the boy's nightwear was just his boxers, so a few pieces of clothing came off and he was crawling into the bed with the Italian.
"You must be tired. You've had such a long day." Antonio gently stroked his cheek. Lovino had settled on his back and Antonio was propped up on his elbow so they were looking at one another. Lovino shuddered at the touch and leaned his cheek against his hand without knowing he was.
"I'm fine, you don't have to treat me like some damsel in distress."
"I'm sorry. I can't help wanting to protect you, Lovi." He smiled gently. His words warmed Lovino up more than the blankets ever could and his lips curled into a small smile as well.
"Toni, were you ever going to tell me that you liked me?" He wondered.
"Of course. I wanted to today, even before this whole mess happened. That's why Gil and Franny came along, to encourage me."
"Are you sure it wasn't just to annoy the hell out of me?"
"Gil might've mentioned something about that, yes." Antonio poked at the smaller man's sides, making him snicker.
"F-fuck, stop that!" He snickered and shoved his hands away.
"Aw, but you make such cute sounds when I do."
"Record them, they'll last longer."
"The original always sounds better than any copy." He began kissing softly at the Italian's cheeks and nose.
"Toni? Do you think we're going too fast?" Antonio paused. "I mean, we just found out today that we l-like each other." Lovino looked nervously at him, wary that he upset the boy. Antonio bit his lip slightly.
"I don't know, Lovi. I didn't think about that. All I know is that you like me and the only thing I want to do now is hold you and kiss you until we're both breathless." He gave the boy a small squeeze and planted quick pecks on his lips, making Lovino laugh again and push his face away lightly.
"Calm down, you idiot. I'm not sure about any of this either. Right now, I'm… happy with this, but I'm still not sure if this is because you helped me today or not. I don't want to wake up tomorrow and find that I don't want to be kissed by you." Antonio frowned. He had never considered that.
"Okay, then tomorrow we'll study as planned, just friends, and plan a date for later."
"Sounds fine." Lovino yawned between his words and Antonio glanced up at his alarm clock.
"Let's go to sleep for now." Antonio let go of him to pull the covers up and readjust the pillows.
"B-but, um… even though we're toning it down, i-it doesn't mean you shouldn't… hold me and… k-kiss me a little." Lovino's voice faltered and he played with a button on the pillows shyly. Antonio resisted the urge to completely squish the boy and coo about how cute he was. He settled simply for taking Lovino into his arms and kissing him, as lovingly and gently as the first time. Lovino was quick to cling to him and kiss back. They continued to kiss, in a passionate way that made their heads spin and in a sweet way that made them laugh quietly, until their eyes couldn't stay open even to see one another.
They fell asleep in each other's arms and didn't wake up until it was almost noon with the help of Francis, who wouldn't stop squealing over how adorable they looked. The rest of the day was peaceful. They studied as planned, although they couldn't help glancing more at each other than their Spanish books. Feliciano took Lovino out to a quick dinner. When they got back, Antonio was waiting and asked Feliciano to borrow his brother for a quick walk around the park. Feliciano gladly agreed and they left for a brief but lovely time at the local park.
They sat by the fountain and talked for hours before they walked back in the darkness, staying close but not at all scared of what may lurk in the darkness. It didn't matter how many rapists are living nearby. It didn't matter if they were being watched by a pedophile right now. There is safety in numbers. Even though it was Lovino's memory of self-defense that got him out of that attacker's grasp, it was Antonio who gave him a place to be when his own home was no longer safe, which makes it worth escaping the danger.
He can always feel safe and loved when the Spaniard is around, and he would love to see what idiot would dare mess with his love when he's around. Lovino is the one who broke the attacker's nose, after all~!
PSA: Rape and assault happens several times each day and very many women and even men are at risk. Always be careful when walking alone at night. Never leave your doors unlocked if you're alone. Carry keys or some small weapon around if you HAVE to walk outside alone, day or night. If you have the time and resources, invest in a self-defense class. It will come in handy- attackers only persist in attacking those they know they can overpower.
Stay safe, fellow readers.
-NatD