Chapter three out already? Whaaaat? I spent all day writing this, haha. If you could by chance leave a review a comment, or just a simple "hi" to let me know that I'm not the only one who is reading my fanfiction, I'd be so happy! Even just commenting about what you're doing while reading it would make my day. Thank you, and enjoy!

"Hey, Lovino? I'm bored."

Feliciano poked his head out to look at his brother from behind his artist easel. The two had been confined to their small home for the past three days, and despite the younger Italian's love for art, he found it to be quite burdensome after doing it constantly. Lovino had been reading during that time-reading and trying to overcome his embarrassment and anger for having to refrain from taking on missions. He wasn't used to going to bed early. Usually, he'd be up late roaming the streets of the town as a thief.

"So? What do you want me to do about it?" Lovino retorted. His eyes looked up from the dull book he was reading.

"Well, I've been sketching you for three days, and I have to say...you don't move around too much, Lovi. I've drawn you in the same position every time. And now I'm bored. Let's do something fun instead!"

Easier said than done. "Feliciano, we're stuck in this god forsaken house. We can't go out as long as Grandpa lives."

"Don't be so dramatic! We're not in jail, fratello!" Feli grinned. Lovino, annoyed, chucked a pillow across the room and it hit the other square in the face. The younger Italian laughed, falling backwards onto the bed. "C'mon, I'm booooored! Let's go outside, to the marketplace!"

Lovino raised an eyebrow in confusion. "But we're not allowed to go outside."

"No no no, we're not allowed to go outside on missions! But we're just going outside to stretch our legs! Nonno didn't say we needed to stay in the house the whole time. Besides," Feliciano pushed the pillow aside and sat back up, "we need to grab ingredients for lasagna if we want any tonight."

That was good enough reasoning for Lovino. A small smile played on his face as he eagerly put down his book and jumped to his feet. "Alright, but I'm blaming this on you if we get caught."

The smell of fresh-caught fish filled the air of the marketplace Lovino and Feliciano sauntered in. It was no surprise since the town resided right along the coast, but Lovino still wrinkled his nose at the unpleasant smell. The younger Italian seemed to pay no mind to it, but instead skipped ahead of his brother, stopping occasionally to mingle with shop owners and flirt with pretty girls he saw. Lovino was left to be his grumpy self in the background; he couldn't help but mutter quiet insults at his socially adept brother.

Come on Feliciano, we're supposed to be looking for cheese and crap for the dang lasagna, Lovi thought with a scowl on his face. Flirting with girls and making light conversation with people who sold food for a living wasn't getting anything done. But he had to consider that it had been days since Feli had socialized this much-he had to give him some sort of break.

Groaning after his brother stopped for the umpteenth time to chat with a pretty, tall, and blonde woman, Lovino decided to take the matter into his own hands and browse the market's food instead. He avoided the fish, glanced at the cheeses, made small conversation with the shop owners, and felt himself beginning to drool at the big, red, ripe tomatoes that almost sparkled in his sight. He stepped towards them in excitement.

"...capture...Vargas family."

Lovino froze in his footsteps. Had he heard that right? His head twisted to the direction of the conversation. What appeared to be two wealthy merchants conversing with one another caught the thief's attention. They were talking loud enough for him to hear, yet he made his way slowly down the line of shops to grab every word that fell from their mouths.

"The king finally decides to request help get rid of the Vargas family? If you ask me, he should have done that sooner. No use in letting them wander around stealing whatever they want to." Lovino rolled his eyes at the comment as he pretended to shop through a pile of vegetables.

"Oho, but my friend, this isn't just any help! It is the help of..." the plumper man covered his mouth from the general public and leaned in to the other, whispering something. Lovino cursed under his breath when he couldn't hear what he said.

The other man let out a hearty chuckle. "Ah, is that so? Well, I look forward to having a town without those filthy rats!"

It took everything in Lovino to hold back from saying something. He instead bit his tongue, and ran a hand through his dark auburn hair. The plump man continued: "But do you know what the best part is? They claim they only need to catch one Vargas to take them down! One!"

Instantly, the Italian thief raised his hazel eyes to the men. His face whitened in realization. Feliciano.

Adrenaline pumped through Lovino as he ran through the crowd. He didn't care if he caused a scene. He needed to find his brother. Even if the two men had been going on about rumors and gossip, it wasn't worth the risk to push the possibility aside that there had been someone watching them. How else would mister fancy-mask find them? They were being followed this whole time, and Lovino was stupid enough to not catch it.

Seconds went by. Minutes. Even an hour passed while he searched frantically for Feli. He was overcome with panic. Feliciano wouldn't run off like this. As air-headed as he was, he would always stay put and wait for his brother to return. Lovino had searched the marketplace thoroughly over and over, but there was still no sign of the social butterfly he had been with earlier. Spinning around to the direction of his home, Lovi resolved to notify his grandfather.

It wasn't a pretty sight, watching Grandpa Rome comprehend the situation. He became a flurry of anger and worry that it frightened Lovino. He immediately called for a meeting of all Vargas members.

"We don't know for sure if Feliciano is in the hands of the enemy," Rome announced, "but he is missing. Heracles, search the north side of town. Emma, watch the coast on the east. Lovino-" he paused when he reached his last grandchild and released a sigh. Lovino stared into his grandfather's old brown eyes. "-continue searching the marketplace for any suspicious activity."

Lovino didn't know if he should have been happy that he was allowed back in on the action, or if he should have been angry that he was placed into the same exact location that he had searched and searched earlier. But the plump man's words repeated in his mind: They claim they only need to catch one Vargas to take them down!

At this point, the Vargas family needed every pair of eyes they could get, so he refused to complain.

Lovino settled himself onto the roof of a nearby house to keep watch over the marketplace. He slipped on black gloves, and adjusted the hood atop his head once again. He had to do everything in his power to be invisible. Too much would be on the line if he was spotted. He crouched on the edge, eyes scanning the abandoned space back and forth. It was close to two in the morning, and the Vargas thief had seen nothing noteworthy yet. But with every passing second, his anxiety and worry for his brother grew.

A sudden shadow raced across the cobblestone ground below. Lovino's awareness increased, and he shifted his body to the direction it ran off to. Not just anyone would be out at this time of night. He swung a leg over the edge, then the other, and used the help of windows to climb down unnoticed. He refused to step out into the candlelit streets, and instead followed in the shadows.

It wasn't long until the Italian paused against a building's wall and allowed his thoughts to settle. The shadow was leading him away from the marketplace, where he was supposed to keep watch. Suspicion grew inside him. Lovino inched backwards, taking one last look before he snuck back to his post. "Screw that," he huffed.

But only a few steps were made until a gloved hand covered his mouth, and an arm wrapped around his torso tightly. A shriek of surprise came out from the hazel-eyed Italian, yet it was muffled under the enemy's hand. He squirmed underneath the constraints-automatically, he drove an elbow into the stomach of the man behind him. It weakened the attacker and threw him into a short coughing fit; the thief took his chance and darted forward, drawing out his dagger and whirling around to face none other than the fancy-masked idiot. A growl escaped his lips at the realization.

"You son of a-" he began in a hiss, but he had no time to finish when the Spaniard lunged himself forward and tackled Lovino to the ground, pinning his wrists above his head with one hand, and placing a finger to the Italians lips. "Be quiet, mi príncipe de la noche." Their faces were now closer than ever before, and deep green eyes gazed into hazel.

Lovino's eyebrows furrowed together. "I can only guess what you just called me, but never do it again." He then proceeded to spit on the assassin's mask. The Spaniard let out a small laugh at his opponent's attempt of intimidation. "What the-hey, stop laughing you idiot! Tch, let go-!" he snapped and struggled against the force that restrained him to the ground.

Antonio became concerned at how loud his target was. For a thief, he wasn't doing a very good job at being sneaky. "I told you to be quiet before, did I not?" the masked man warned. He glanced upwards onto the buildings and around him curiously. "Ah, where is your partner in crime?"

"Shouldn't you know?! You've been watching us, you should know where he is! Didn't you take him? Huh? Huh?!"

Antonio raised his eyebrows under his mask. That must have meant one of the other assassins took the second Italian he encountered before. He definitely misjudged their abilities. "Ay, no bueno..." he sighed. If another rival snatched a Vargas and brought them back to the king first, Antonio's efforts would be in vain and his reward would be lost. Perhaps he needed to stop his rivaling assassin first. In the moment of silence he had, he weighed out his options.

Lovino studied the Spaniard closely as he was in deep thought. With one hand, the assassin stroked his smooth caramel-colored chin, the other hand still holding down wrists. This idiot was strong, and as stupid and oblivious as he seemed, he was full of surprises. Maybe if he was able to free his hand that still clenched the dagger...

He made no hesitation to break his right hand free from the strong grip. With success, Lovino drove the dagger down to hit whatever he could with the weapon-whether it be the alluring green eyes, the taunting lips, or even the covered neck.

But the green-eyed assassin was paying more attention than he anticipated and caught Lovino's dagger-wielding hand with his. The dagger dropped to the ground. In one swift motion, the man in black swooped down to his target's neck and gently bit onto a small area. Lovino reacted with a gasp and his face heating up. "A-Ah, what are...are you doing? Stop!"

Biting turned into sucking. Oh Dio mio, he's- Lovino groaned and writhed beneath his assassin. Why?!

Lovino quieted at the sensation, especially when he felt hot breath escape down his neck while the other man continued his task. He tightened his hands into fists, feeling his nails dig into his palms. He bit down on his lower lip-and hard-to keep any noises of pleasure from escaping. He refused to give the other any satisfaction.

The green-eyed man pulled back and examined his work, content. He peered at Lovino under his black lashes. A mischievous smirk tugged the ends of his mouth. "I'll be able to find you easily now. You have my mark." He abruptly stood, and dodged one of Lovino's immediate punches.

Lovino was back up on his feet. His glare burned into those despicable green eyes. "I'll kill you for this!"

"Silly Italian. The Vargas family doesn't kill. I do."

Oh.

Antonio turned his back to Lovino and flashed another grin over his shoulder. "Until next time, mi príncipe."

And he was gone. Just like that. Lovino dropped to his knees in disbelief and ran a shaky hand onto his neck where the assassin had violated. A love bite.

Great.

Oh man, I'm sorry that was so long. I just had to add the interaction between Lovino and Antonio this chapter. I hope this is satisfactory for all of you!

mi príncipe de la noche: my prince of the night

no bueno: no good