Here you go, chapter 3~ I really like this one for some reason xD
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia!
Warning: Watch out for Romano's f*cking potty mouth!
The show had opened with a magnificent start, and Lovino was determined to keep the ball rolling. A few female models were sent out and Antonio made his outfit change while the women strutted down the runway. They wore, of course, garments befitting the theme set by Antonio's first outfit Fabio.
Pirate-esque outfits complete with cutlasses and gorgeous damsels in distress enticed the audience with the feeling of romance and adventure. The music made everyone feel as though they were about to start a grand voyage, an exploration into the unknown, with the promise of precious treasure in the process – and in fact, they were. Everyone was on their way into the story of Antonio and Lovino, something so precious and so rare of a gift, that the journey was the treasure in itself. While no one in the crowd was aware of this, they nevertheless watched and waited with wonder.
Lovino waved Antonio over to him once the Spaniard was ready. They waited hand in hand until it was time for Antonio to take the runway once more. Lovino let go of his lover, patted his shoulder and murmured, "Get out there and look pretty, my damn pedo bastard."
Antonio playfully pouted, but followed his directions all the same. He set the black fedora on his head, smirked, and stalked out. There was a unanimous gasp soon followed by murmured appreciation amongst the members of the crowd.
The handsome man wore black slacks, a crisp white shirt, along with a black tie and waistcoat. If that didn't make him look sleek enough, the long, dark trench coat he wore open over it all completed the look. The coat was adorned with buckles right around the lapel and gold buttons on the cuffs matching the ones of his waistcoat. A thick brown belt and fingerless leather gloves (to match his dark boots) were his only accessories. Every woman in the crowd swooned when he peered at them from under the hat with darkly alluring eyes. He had gone from attractive hero to seductive villain.
Backstage, Lovino chuckled at the response, remembering the day he came up with that outfit for Antonio and the joke behind it.
"Ugh, I'm a designer, not a fucking babysitter, Feli," Lovino groaned into the phone. No way was his brother going to dump their little cousin on him.
"Ve, but Lovi, Marcello is famiglia!"
"I have things to do, Feliciano." Lovino said, leaning back in his chair. Sure, deep down, he loved his cousin and enjoyed spending time with him, but at the moment, he had better things to do than watch the kid. He needed to buy more fabric, not to mention the little necessities like buttons, pins, and thread. Then he had to do plain old grocery shopping because his kitchen was growing achingly bare and he did not approve.
The door opened and shut quietly and Lovino looked up to see Antonio enter the room. Antonio opened his mouth to greet him – loudly, no doubt – but Lovino glared and pointed at the cell phone he held by his ear, so the Spaniard settled for a smile, which Lovino returned with a well-aimed spool of thread. He continued his argument while Antonio rubbed his forehead.
"I told you no, dammit!"
"But, Loooooviiiiiiiiiii," his brother whined, dragging out the vowels in the most annoying fashion.
How the hell did his brother keep that up for so long? "Alright, alright, I'll watch Marcello; just shut the fuck up already!"
"Ve, really~? Yay! You're so nice, fratello" Feliciano squealed.
Lovino scoffed and said, "Sometimes I think you're the real child, Feliciano, because Marcello isn't nearly as whiny as you." He turned so that his back was to Antonio and as such, he didn't notice the way the model perked up at his words.
After a few more minutes of talk, the brothers settled on the details and hung up. Lovino set his phone down with a sigh and spun back around in his chair to come face-to-face with a way too chipper Spaniard.
"When do I get to meet him?" Antonio asked eagerly.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Lovino spluttered, trying to calm his racing pulse. Why was the bastard so damn close…?
"This Marcello kid!" Antonio exclaimed. He began firing off questions rapidly. "Is he a younger sibling? Nephew perhaps? What does he look like? Does he have a big curl, too? How old is he?"
"Gah! Shut up already!" Lovino clamped his hands over the Spaniard's mouth and locked eyes with him.
"Listen to me, idiot. I'll answer your questions – but one at a freaking time, okay?"
Antonio nodded, his green eyes wide and twinkling. Lovino dropped his hands. They tingled where they had touched the Spaniard's lips.
"First off, Marcello is my cousin. He looks like the rest of us. Yes, he has a curl thing; it runs in the family. No, you don't get to meet him."
Antonio pouted. "Why not?" he cried.
"Because I said so. Why do you want to meet him so badly anyway?" Lovino grumbled.
Antonio beamed and said simply, "I love kids."
Lovino, who had just picked up a pencil to keep his hands busy (and not touch Antonio again), set the tool back down again. He gave the other man a long look before muttering, "Fucking pedophile."
"Huh?" Antonio looked hurt by this, and for a second, Lovino felt guilty for his harsh tongue. "That's a mean thing to say, Lovino. There are lots of people who love kids, you know."
"Whatever," Lovino said dismissively.
Antonio persisted. "After all, they're such innocent little things-" He ignored Lovino's scoff and continued, "who are adorably honest and sweet, not to mention, they always manage to put a smile on my face, no matter how I'm feeling. They view things in a way that adults can never seem to see and live in their own worlds. They're just a breath a fresh air. Plus, no one can resist the giggle of a toddler or the smile of a shy little kid."
Lovino couldn't hide his surprise. The words were so sincere and even he couldn't help but notice the thoughtfully honest way Antonio voiced his opinion. He opened his mouth to make amends for his former remark when Antonio continued, saying,
"Plus, they're so much fun to play with; I don't see why no one understands that! Every time I'm at a park and start playing with some of them- you know, chasing them around, helping them on the monkey bars- people get mad at me; parents storm up and take their kids away, or just shoot me dirty looks. It's very rude, you know, especially since the kids seemed to be having so much fun with me!"
Lovino blinked and all thoughts of apologies fled his mind. "Put away your trench coat and park the white van, you fucking pedo. Good thing Marcello isn't a toddler anyway; he's fourteen. You can't lure him in with candy or lost puppies." He paused and added, "Well, I guess cute girls and video games would work."
Antonio shrugged, obviously irked with Lovino's child-molester jokes. "I'm sure he and I will still get along just fine. And I'm not a pedophile, Lovino. There is only one person I'm attracted to, and he certainly isn't a little kid," he said, gazing at him intensely; no matter how much Lovino searched, those green eyes cloaked any idea as to the identity of this person.
There he goes again… Did he mean Arthur? Lovino thought. Is this another clue as to their past? He shook his head. It's not like he really cared anyway. Not at all. He picked up his pencil and began some rough sketches as a means to distract himself.
"Hey, what time is Marcello coming here?"
"In about an hour or two," Lovino murmured, slowly becoming absorbed by his work. He began mumbling to himself about lengths and colors as he went. Antonio noticed this and decided to move to the other side of the room so as not to disturb him. From there he watched the designer out of the corner of his eye.
Time flew and before he knew it, his brother was calling him so that he could go downstairs to pick up Marcello. He set down his pencil with a satisfied feeling. He was just about done with his work. As he headed to the door, he stopped halfway and called to Antonio, "Well, aren't you coming? I don't have all day." He turned back to the door to hide his smile as he went on ahead, knowing Antonio wouldn't be far behind.
Antonio gained two new nicknames that day. One was "pedo bastard," which he really wasn't fond of – coined by Lovino, of course. But the other one was given to him by Marcello, and it made Antonio smile every time he heard it: Zio Tony.
So there you have it, folks~ What did you think? As always, please tell me in a review~ :D
Oh and here you can find the outfit I based Antonio's off of in this chapter: blazblue. wikia/ wiki/ Hazama - That guy right there is my favorite troll ever! Next to Izaya~ xD