Lovino
Three shadows picked their way around blood stained bones and rotting scraps of flesh. They pursued a rumored fortune concealed beneath a dangerous crusade, nothing more than an unopened trove of life-giving food and purified water. Soft, careful footsteps padded quickly across hard stone, each step deliberately placed on the cold rock of the cavern floor. The cave wound into a tunnel, and an unspoken hand signal gestured for a leader as they proceeded single file. A hunting rifle swung against each raider's side, held tightly and confidently as it rubbed and scraped against the rough leather scraps that clothed the three wastelanders. Each was embellished with a large burlap sack that hung haphazardly from a crudely made belt, in hopes of collecting enough spoils to sustain them for a long enough time. A heavy steel door became visible at the end of the short passageway, and at the front of the procession, a raider's hand signaled cessation. Dark eyes met between the scavengers, seeking a mutual agreement to move forward. They each nodded their conformation, and the metal door screeched with age as it jolted at the command of a button.
The room behind the aperture was rusted and mechanized. Control panels lined the walls on opposite sides, and a short set of stairs led to a platform just above the ground. The raiders slowed to a stupefied walk as worn leather soles slid over the grated floor and the steel door screeched to a close behind them. Determined eyes rested on a massive gear shape in the wall as weapons relaxed against their handler's hips. Mouths fell agape as they gazed up at the colossal mechanical wonder, and bright eyes met mischievously before they diverted back to the 27 engraved on the thick, metal door.
Vault 27
"Lovino Vargas, you watch that mouth of yours!" Lovino had to fight to keep himself from rolling his eyes at his incessant grandfather. At sixteen years old, one would think they were finished being treated like a child. That apparently wasn't the case if you happened to be one of the overseer's grandsons. Lovino folded his arms in against his chest, and grumbled a profanity under his breath. Here they were again, fighting for the third time tonight. He glanced over at his little brother Feliciano, who sat wide-eyed behind a large canvas, a red-tipped paint brush clamped between his fingers.
"What was that, young man?" Lovino's eyes shot back to his grandfather, whose fuse seemed unusually short today. He almost never yelled at the two of them, he usually just corrected Lovino's vulgar slip of the tongue, thinking nothing of it.
"Nothing, grandpa, but I think it's time we go to bed." Lovino sneered his words, and he dropped his arms to the table as he pushed himself from his seat. It was getting late anyways, and he was tired of having to sit under the bright lights of the small cafe room. The faded red colors and worn tiles were becoming quite the eyesore these days. Lovino sauntered to the heavy iron door that marked the exit to the cafe and it opened on its own, screeching away as Lovino shuffled through the opening. He turned to look over his shoulder at his little brother, who took that as his queue to scrabble after him, fumbling with his unfinished painting and nearly dropping it. He caught up with his older brother, and the door closed behind them, leaving their grandfather still sitting at the cafe table.
Feliciano scampered along at Lovino's side, carefully adjusting the wet canvas he held under one arm, and he remained awfully quiet. Heat radiated from Lovino's flushed cheeks. He was embarrassed by the display in the cafe room, and was hurried to reach his and Feliciano's private quarters. They turned to the right down a narrow metal hallway, and slowed down in front of another steel door. Lovino pressed a code into a tiny keypad set in the wall, and the door slid away, revealing their small room and shared bed. Feliciano set his painting against the wall inside their room and dropped his paints on the short table in the corner of their bedroom. His blue vault jumpsuit was stained with red and yellow paints again, and Lovino knew he was the one who would have to get it cleaned tomorrow. For the time being, however, he just strips down to his undershirt and boxers and climbs into bed. His little brother follows suit.
They lay in bed silently, Lovino curled up defensively facing the wall, until Feliciano finally speaks up.
"Lovi?" Lovino lets out an aggravated sigh and pulls his pillow over his head.
"What is it, Feli?"
"You don't like it here, do you?" At first Lovino thought that his little brother was referring to their current sleeping arrangements, which he didn't like, in all honesty. But it occurred to him that Feli was referring to his life in the vault, after what he had said to his grandfather to start the fight earlier.
His brother was just pushing buttons, now.
Of course he didn't like vault life. What was there to like? It was the same thing every day. Same rooms. Same people. Same routine. Same sickening rut that was carved deeper and deeper into the cold metal floor of the vault with every passing day. Every day held the same unsatisfactory chores and the sinking feeling of his life withering away was increasing with every breath of stagnant air Lovino took. Of course, it's not like he had any choice, the outside world was uninhabitable, they said. If you take a step outside this precious vault, the radiation would fry your brain, they told him. And Lovino believed them. Of course he believed them, what else would remain of their planet after a nuclear war than nothing but untamable wastes and mutated beasts? No one could live in the wasteland beyond the vault, it was impossible. Then why did Lovino have the feeling that there was more to life than dingy metal walls and the sound of creaking pipes winding overhead?
"Go to bed Feli." The simple reply was all Lovino could muster without losing his temper once again.
"It's not because of me and grandpa, is it brother?" It struck Lovino for the first time that it must seem that way. Of course it wasn't because of them. His knuckles turned white around his old pillow.
"No. Now go to sleep. We have to go downstairs tomorrow and check for radroaches, remember?" Feliciano nodded against his pillow and was quiet for a few moments.
"Lovi?"
"For Christ's sake, what is it?"
"If it was safe to live outside, would you leave us?" Lovino sighed again. What a silly question.
"Feli, if it was safe to live outside, then we wouldn't be living in vaults." Feliciano seemed satisfied by this point, either that or he realized that he wasn't getting anything else out of his stubborn brother. He rolled off of his back to face the opposite wall, and after a few moments, Feli's steady breathing told Lovino that he had fallen asleep. His own eyelids fell to cover his eyes, and he inhaled a deep breath and let it flow out again. His muscles began to relax, and his tight grip on the dirty pillow loosened as he fell into sleep.
The next morning when Lovino awoke, his brother had already gotten dressed and left for the cafe room. He rolled over in his bed, opening his eyes to stare up at the ceiling, groaning as he did so. Feliciano was probably waiting for him to get up so they could start on their chores. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes and excavating the sand that had accumulated in the corners of his eyes overnight. He scanned the room, noticing Feliciano's dirty vault suit laying crumpled on the ground, and the top dresser drawer was slid open. He sighed inwardly and pulled himself from the bed, his sore back only protesting slightly.
Lovino tidied the room a bit by picking up Feliciano's jumpsuit and pulling a clean one from the open drawer, and he pushed it closed. He pulled the clean jumpsuit over his body, zipped it up, and headed out the door, Feli's jumpsuit in his hand. He dropped it by the washing wing on his way to the cafe.
"Good morning, big brother! Look Lovi, I made you some coffee!" Lovino rolled his eyes at his younger brother's enthusiasm, but was thankful for the coffee. He took the small mug without a word and retreated to his regular table. A few other residents of the vault milled around the room, smiling and sending cheerful "good mornings" to his younger brother. Feli smiled and returned the pleasant greetings. Lovino never was a sociable person, he rarely spoke to anyone outside of his brother and his grandfather. He could, if he wanted to, but he preferred silence over meaningless conversation. It's not like there was a point to repeating the same "Good morning" every day of his pointless life.
He was startled out of his thoughts as Feli took a seat next to him, placing a stale muffin on the table in front of Lovino.
"Lovi, I brought you some breakfast! I already ate, but I know how you like muffins! We've got a job to do today so you're going to need to eat if you're gonna stay alert down on the reactor level!" Lovino sighed and pushed the muffin away. How could Feli be so cheerful when the grueling task of radroach control was ahead of them?
"I'm not hungry." He sipped his dwindling supply of instant coffee.
"But you have to eat something! Wouldn't grandpa be mad if he found out you skipped breakfast on radroach day?" Feli's high voice was beginning to annoy Lovino, but he put up with it regardless.
"I'm not a kid anymore, Feli. My eating schedule is none of his damned business." He finished his coffee off with a gulp; It had lost most of its limited heat by the time he had shown up, anyways. He slammed the cup down on the table, and it ended up sounding a lot more forceful than he had intended. He hoped Feli hadn't noticed.
They weren't supposed to go down to the reactor level for another couple of hours, but he figured that he might as well get it over with. Instructing for Feli to follow, the two brothers made their way through the metal hallways, equipping themselves as they went. Before reaching the staircase to descend into the reactor sublevel, however, Lovino heard his name called from behind.
"Lovi!" His head swiveled around, and he stopped in his tracks. He was hoping to avoid his grandfather today for as long as he could.
"Lovino, are you heading down already?" Lovino nodded, unsure of whether or not this encounter would turn into a fight.
"Ok, but be careful. And take care of your little brother, alright?" He exhaled the breath he was holding. Of course he would take care of Feli, he was only fifteen, after all.
"Is this your first time on radroach control?" His grandpa spoke at Felicino now.
Feli shook his head, auburn hair falling into his eyes. "Second!" He replied cheerfully.
His grandfather chuckled, patting Feliciano on the back.
"Ok, just keep your eyes open and never let your guard down, no matter what." Lovino rolled his eyes, something he seemed to do quite frequently around these two.
"They're just radroaches, grandpa, it's not like we can't handle the bastards."
His grandfather laughed again, but his eyes were serious. "Of course Lovino, I know you have this under control." He clapped his hands together. "Well, you best be moving on, you don't want to keep the radroaches waiting, do you?"
Lovino furrowed his brow, and his lips twisted into a snarl. "No, of course not." He turned back around, pistol in hand, and began down the stairs, his boots clinking on the metal. "C'mon, Feli."
Feliciano wished grandpa a cheerful goodbye and scampered after his brother, also armed with a small pistol. It wasn't much, but they didn't need any real firepower to fend off a radroach. They reached the bottom o the stairs, turned a sharp corner, and passed through a door that was activated by the press of a switch on the wall. Bright lights flickered on before their eyes could adjust to the darkness of this level. Not many people came down here. With the exceptions of a weekly radroach team, it was typically only entered when there was a problem with the machines that ran the vault. This time, however, the machines worked flawlessly judging by the sounds of fans whirring and pistons moving.
The brothers proceeded carefully, guns drawn in front of them as they clanked over the grated iron floor. No signs of any radroaches yet, however, the vault was a deep one. They passed through door after door, carefully searching the empty rooms for any signs of life. Lovino began to grow weary as his fingers itched to pull the trigger on his pistol, training it on every movement he thought he saw. So far, the two hadn't encountered anything to shoot. The lack of roaches wasn't surprising, though, it just meant that the weekly radroach patrols were working as planned. They only started performing these expeditions a few years ago, when the local roach population was begging to become a problem. They would venture to the upper levels of the vault and scrounge around for scraps, sometimes attacking an unsuspecting vault-dweller in the process.
Lovino and his brother passed into a large chamber, his favorite chamber in the whole vault. A smile nearly fell over his lips as he entered the room, his eyes falling to the large centerpiece. 27. The engraved number stood out on the massive vault door. He had seen that number his entire life. It was everywhere in this godforsaken vault, from over the doors to printed on his very back, and there it was, plastered across the only exit he knew of.
The sight grew familiar, and after a moment of looking, he decided it was time to get back to work. Before he could turn away, however, an unfamiliar red light started flashing above the vault door, accompanied by a shrill siren. Lovino jumped at the sudden commotion, and Feli whimpered and hid himself behind his older brother as he kept his eyes on the massive gear. Fear shot through Lovino's body. This never happened, and he didn't have a clue as to what was going on. A thick, robotic arm swung down from the ceiling and clamped itself over the 27 in the steel gateway. A brief pause, quickly followed by the loud sound of flowing air and screeching metal as the robotic arm pulled the vault door forward told Lovino exactly what was going on. Panic sunk in as the severity of the situation became evident and a simple fact hit Lovino.
The vault door was opening.
His eyes were wide by the time he turned around to tell Feliciano to run. He ushered his little brother back through the door they came from, dropping his weapon on the ground in the process. Neither of them heard it clatter to the ground over the sound of the blood rushing in their ears, the radiation was going to get in and they were going to die...
They bolted through the door, not bothering to shut it behind them as they ascended the stairs through their panic. Feliciano dropped his weapon at the top of the stairs and raced to grandpa, who could be seen running toward them with a confused look to his face.
"What's going on!?" He has to shout to be heard over the sound of the sirens.
Lovino nearly crashed into him as he halted in front of his grandfather. "The vault door," he panted, pausing between words to breath, "It's opening!"
Panic and anger was obvious in his grandfather's descriptive eyes.
"Did you do this?!" He screamed at Lovi, but the only reply he could give was a shake of his head as he panted for breath. His grandfather seemed to understand now, but his panic only escalated.
"Feliciano, Lovino, you have to do exactly as I say, do you understand?" They both nodded their answer.
"Run to the cafe, and hide, hide under the counter, you might be safe there. Go! Go now!" Lovino didn't question it, he just took Feli's arm and ran. He ran all the way to the cafe room, sliding behind the counter and shoving Feli beneath it. He followed after his brother, scooting in next to him. The counter top was above their head, and there was a wall behind them. The wall was the front of the counter, the part that kept the floor of the kitchen out of view from the rest of the cafe. Unfortunately, the space in front of them was open and they could see the kitchen clearly.
It wasn't until they were tucked under the counter that Lovino started to question his grandfather's orders. How was cowering under a counter going to save them from radiation? It wasn't going to do a damn thing, that's for sure. They were as vulnerable here as they were anywhere else in the vault. Lovino scoffed, and Feliciano whimpered. This was dumb. His grandpa obviously wasn't concerned with the radiation, so why the hell did he tell them to hide under the counter? The answer hit Lovino when he heard the door to the cafe slide open. Someone had to have opened the vault.
He hugged his brother close to him, trying to calm him down. They both held their breath as footsteps padded over the kitchen's hard tile. They watched fearfully as the intruder's legs came into view, the top half of his body was obscured from sight. The clothing he wore was dirty and unfamiliar, dirt was caked around the rims of his worn leather shoes and leather plates were haphazardly strapped to his shins and thighs. His belt was visible hanging down to his thigh on one side, and a knife hung down in a sheath. Something clacked against the counter opposite them. A burlap sack dangled from above, and boxes fell into it as the mysterious man started clearing out the cabinet. Lovino silently prayed to every god he knew that the man would have no reason to look beneath the counter and discover him and his whimpering brother.
A sack of rice thumped against the floor.
No. The man's hand chases after the fallen rice, and as he grabs it, his emerald eyes turn and meet Lovino's under the counter. Lovino's shallow breath catches in his throat, but this time, it wasn't out of fear. His eyes are a dazzling green, and something about his tanned skin and messy hair chased the fear right out of Lovino. He didn't look surprised or angry, his stunning eyes didn't portray any evil intent; he just looked... Desperate. Desperate for his next meal, desperate for his own survival.
Those eyes studied Lovino for a few quickening heartbeats, and Lovi remembered where he was. He remembered that this beautiful man in front of him was still armed and dangerous, despite his pretty face. In a fit of confidence, he decided he would try to lash out in the only way he knew how.
"Who do you think you are, damn bastard? Do you think you can just walk in here like it's free picking?" The man's face contorted into confusion as Lovino spoke. Lovino's Italian switched to fluent English.
"Che palle! Do you not speak Italian, idiota?" Lovino left his brother under the counter as he clambered out from beneath it.
The stranger placed a hand over his sheathed knife, and Lovino let out a high pitched squeal as he jumped backwards into the counter. He noticed a long rifle resting on the counter on the other side of the kitchen, and his eyes darted to the stranger and back to the rifle. He had put himself in a very dangerous position. The intruder didn't move to draw his knife, and went back to work collecting all of the food from the cafe's small kitchen.
Lovino watched the raider carefully, afraid to move for fear of provoking this olive-skinned man. He pressed himself into the counter, his heart racing and fear pulsing through his veins. He hoped his face didn't show as much fear as he felt. The man danced around the perimeter of kitchen, so light on his feet that Lovino thought he might float away as he gathered the food into his sack. The refrigerator door swung open forcefully. He grabbed a few of the chilled items before pausing. Eyes wide, he scrambled for a bottle of water.
"Dios mio, would you look at this water?" He proclaimed to no one in particular. His voice was heavily accented with a sing-song sound that Lovino had never heard before. It was shockingly beautiful. The man quickly unscrewed the plastic cap from the bottle and poured the contents down his throat and over his face. "Muy bueno!" His words came out in a language Lovi didn't quite understand. Despite his situation, Lovino quirked an eyebrow.
This man must be from outside, from the wasteland. A smile crossed over the strangers lips as he poured the water over his dry mouth. But that's not possible!
"It's so clean!" He actually laughed. This strange man, coming into Lovino's vault and stealing his food, found the situation joyful and uplifting.
"What's so damn funny, bastard?" Lovino snapped at the man.
He stopped laughing, and turned his head to Lovino. "If you spent your whole life drinking irradiated water from a shoe, you would laugh too." There was that accent again. That beautiful, foreign accent. Do all wastelanders speak like this?
His question was answered when heavy footsteps halted their brisk pace on the other side of the cafe door, triggering it to open. The man it reviled had silver-white hair and was similarly garbed. He had the same burlap sack strung over his shoulder, packed full of what Lovino presumed to be food.
"Antonio! C'mon, we're moving out!" This man's voice was completely different, not near as beautiful or breathtaking, but still intriguing.
"Wait a minute, what are you..." He shuffled into the cafe, not even sparing Lovino a glance as he let his sack drop to his side.
"Look Gilbert, water!" Antonio's face was beaming, while Lovino stared at the two of them with a look that conveyed both confusion and disgust.
"What? No way!" Gilbert snatched the water from Antonio, emptying it into his own mouth. He broke into a coughing fit, having inhaled some of it. The coughing quickly formed laughter.
"Is there... Is there any more?" He said between coughs. Antonio chuckled.
"Sí! There is much more!" Gilbert's face lit up and he ran to open the refrigerator wider, shoveling the pure water bottles into their sacks, distributing them somewhat evenly. Lovino had never seen someone so damn excited over water. His water.
When they were done looting, Gilbert pulled the rope on his bag, closing it tightly. Antonio did the same.
"Francis is waiting by the entrance," Gilbert reported, "so we really need to get outa here. Grab that bag and let's- Antonio?" Antonio had picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, but his eyes rested back on Lovino. Gilbert's gaze followed Antonio's, and Lovino's face contorted into a scowl. Maybe if he showed a little teeth, he would appear more menacing than he actually was.
"Kesesesese, oh I see. Are you thinking of looting more than just food this time, Antonio?" Lovino would have been repulsed by that remark had he not been so confused over this "Gilbert" character's obscure laugh. Antonio's face dusted pink, but he laughed along to Gilbert's remark.
"No, no of course not, mi amigo. But I do agree. We have spent much more time here than we need to. Francis won't be too happy if we keep him waiting." Antonio reached for the weapon he had left on the counter. Gilbert nodded and lead the way out of the room, and Antonio padded swiftly after him. He paused on the other side of the metal doorframe, flashed his bright emerald eyes over his shoulder at Lovino, and winked. The door slid shut behind him and the handsome young raider was gone.
Lovino stared at the door for a few moments, dazed over the events that had just transpired before him and his brother. Feliciano's weak whimper could be heard underneath the counter. Lovi gathered himself enough to check on his whimpering little brother; he knelt down on the tile to come face-to-face with a wide-eyed Feli.
"Are they gone?" Feliciano's whisper was in Italian. Lovino nodded.
"Did that man, Antonio, did he really have to drink from a shoe?" Lovino had to suppress a laugh. Instead, he furrowed his brow.
"I doubt it, Feli. But we'll never know will we..." He knew he would never see that handsome stranger ever again. He should feel relieved, yet, that's not quite the feeling that was bubbling beneath his skin. It was something deep, something unfathomable, something...
That's a problem for another day, he decided.
A/N: Vault 87 is indeed a canon vault. This vault was intentionally meant to be overcrowded, allowing 2000 residents instead of the standard 1000. In this AU, the vault was contaminated with a virus shortly after closing, killing a good lot of the residents. The remaining inhabitants had a mutated immune system, allowing for more exposure to disease than the average human. This vault is also built a little backwards, compared to the average vault, seeing as the entrance is deep underground to hide this vault from the outside world.