"Hey Lovino…?"

Lovino looked up from his coffee as Feliciano sat across from him, "What is it?"

"Well, I was just thinking…" Feliciano started tracing circles on the table with one finger, "What if we hired some help around here?"

Snorting, Lovino went back to drinking his coffee, "Why would we do that? I can handle most of it myself."

"But just barely!" Reaching over Feliciano grabbed his arm, "And I'm going to be in school for another two years so I can't help out as much! And you do everything else around here so why not?"

"Because, dammit! Why do you care so much anyway?"

"Um…" Feliciano looked at his hands, "Because I already hired him…"

Lovino's eyes filled with anger, "You did what?" Standing, he grabbed Feliciano's shirt, "You idiot! We can't afford that!"

"Wah! Don't hit me!" He relaxed his grip a tad and Feliciano sniffed, "He said he'd work really cheap if he could stay here and we've got a loft in the barn. So please brother?"

Scowling, he ground out, "Fine. But if he's some lazy-ass bastard who doesn't do anything around here then you'll be the one sleeping in the barn!"

His brother brightened, flinging his arms around his neck, "Thank you thank you! I'll go let him in~!" And with that Feliciano ran out of the kitchen.

Lovino gaped after him, "He's already here and you didn't know if I'd say yes?"

"But you did didn't you?"

Grumbling, he sat down again, finishing up his coffee in an angry swig. Stupid brother…

A few minutes later Feliciano came back into the kitchen, towing someone behind him, "And this is my brother, Lovino! Lovino, this is Antonio!"

He looked up at the man who was standing at the entrance. He waved, smiling brightly, "Hi there! I'm Antonio Fernandez Carriedo from Spain and I love tomatoes and I-"

"I couldn't care less about your life story," Lovino scowled, "Can you work?"

Antonio nodded, "Oh yeah. I love farming and working in the fields, and I can even cook and do handyman work. Anything basically!"

"Then get to it!"

"Okay~!" Lovino watched as Antonio hurried outside. Feliciano came up behind him and hugged him.

"See? Doesn't he seem nice?"

He clicked his tongue, picking up a newspaper, "Whatever. Seems like an idiot to me."

"How can you tell that?"

About to say Because I hang around you he bit it back, "I just do. Now go do your homework or something."

"Ve~ Alright. I'll go over to Ludwig's!"

He slammed the paper down, "How many times have I told you not to hang out with that stupid potato bastard!"

Feliciano grabbed his bag of a kitchen chair and ran out, "But he's really nice and helps me with my science!"

"So what? He's still a-!" He was cut off when he heard the front door slam closed. Groaning he rubbed his eyes, then stood and put his mug in the sink. He would wash it later. Or maybe get Feliciano to do it.

Snagging some work gloves from the coat rack Lovino slipped them on, picking up the clippers from where they were leaning against the wall. Walking outside he tossed them at the closest tree, hauling the stepladder out from under the porch. On his way he passed Antonio, the man already hard at work and hoeing up weeds from the rows of tomato plants. He waved. Lovino didn't acknowledge his presence.

Setting the ladder up close to the old peach tree he climbed up and started to trim off the branches. He let out a sigh, quickly falling into a familiar rhythm. At least this was something he was good at. Sure, his brother might be good at all the household stuff, but this was real work. Leaning forward he reached out to clip one stubborn twig…

"Mr. Vargas?"

And almost fell off the ladder. Dropping the clippers he snarled down at the new hired help, "You bastard you almost made me slip!"

Antonio grinned sheepishly, "Sorry. But I just wanted to ask you something."

"Bathroom's inside on the left. Now leave me alone."

"No that's not it!" The Spaniard laughed, as if he found everything in the world immensely funny, or someone had just told him some private joke, "I was just wondering if I could plant a small garden of my own. For vegetables."

"Yeah, sure. Just use real seeds bastard."

"Real seeds? Are there fake seeds?"

Lovino rolled his eyes and started heading down the ladder to retrieve his clippers, "Idiot. First of all there are-!"

When the rung below his foot snapped he closed his eyes shut tight, ready to meet the ground. He knew he should have replaced that ladder. But the impact never came. Carefully he opened one eye, then the other to find himself in Antonio's arms. The man smiled down at him, "You okay, Mr. Vargas?"

He blushed, "I'm fi-!" Again he was cut of as pain rippled through his body. Rolling out of Antonio's arms and onto the ground, he clutched at his chest, gasping for air. Goddamn, it hurt! For a second he thought he was going to die and as suddenly as it had come the pain was gone. He gasped, finally able to suck enough air into his lungs and fell back onto his side, eyes closed.

"Lovino!"

There was a hand on his back, and before he could comprehend what was happening he was being lifted into the air. Putting a hand over his face he winced, his head starting to hurt from the suddenness of… whatever that was.

When Lovino opened his eyes he found himself lying on the porch swing, two worried green orbs staring back down at him. He scowled, sitting up, "Bastard, you didn't have to carry me. I'm fine."

"But Mr. Vargas…" Antonio wrung his hands, "You looked like you were in real pain! There might be something wrong!"

"Look!" He stood up to his full height, cursing inwardly that Antonio was taller than him anyway, "You work for me! So don't go telling me what I should do!"

Antonio bit his lip, silencing himself from speaking again. Lovino crossed his arms, "Now what did you want?"

"Oh. Right!" Antonio smiled, "I was wondering about a garden…"

"Sure, whatever. Come on, I'll show you where you sleep."

As he crossed the field to the barn, Antonio following close behind, Lovino couldn't help but rub at his chest where the pain had tore through everything in his conscious. It seemed fine now, except for the dull ache of memory. His fingers felt warm against his shirt, but he couldn't figure out if that was from his hand or his chest.

Walking into the barn he hurried across the hay-strewn floor to a stair at the opposite end. He pointed, "You sleep up there. There's a bed and bathroom and electricity too."

Antonio beamed, "Great! That's great."

"Whatever. Just get back to work already."

But as he started back out he felt a hand on his arm. Lovino turned, face heating at the sight of Antonio's warm smile directed exactly at him, "Thank you. It really means a lot that I can stay here."

The skin on his arm in contact with Antonio's hand flared up in white hot pain. It rushed up his shoulder and back down to his chest where it stayed, tearing into him. Life was a blur as he pushed past Antonio, ran outside and emptied the contents of his stomach. What was this? It hurt so goddamn much!

Breathing hard he wiped his mouth, leaning against the barn for support. Reaching up he pulled apart the buttons of his shirt, looking down at the source of his agony.

Lovino was shocked to find twenty seven pinpricks surrounding his heart, throbbing with every beat.