Chapter 4

"Okay! We only have 3 hours before the inspector gets here and I want this place to spotless! Every floor tile mopped, every spoon scrubbed, absolutely no gum stuck under tables!"

Roma stood in front of the three workers; one nervous, one eager, and the other annoyed. Lovino and Feliciano have gone through multiple restaurant inspections, ever since their grandfather opened Cantina Vargas. But with Antonio, hopefully three hours would leave them with a little bit of extra time, 8 hands were better than 6 after all.

Roma looked at the clipboard he was reading and pointed to his newest employee. "Antonio, you work on the kitchen. I want the pantry cleaned and restocked, every single dish scrubbed clean, and pull out the fridges while mopping to really get in the gritty areas!"

Antonio nodded and did a small salute in happy mockery. "Si, Signore Vargas!"

Lovino stood beside him as his grandfather pointed to him with his pen. "Lovino, your job is the restaurant floors. Tables, chairs, floors, the fans dusted, windows washed. And makes sure every table cloth is straight. Understand?"

Lovino simply waved him off as his arms were nonchalantly crossed against his chest. "Yeah yeah, I got it…"

"Feliciano" Romas youngest grandson stood at attention at his name. "You have the most important job of all, my boy. Making the inspector comfortable. Give him coffee if he asks it, always smile, compliment him as much as you can." Lovino turned towards his brother and added his two cents. "And don't say anything stupid."

Feliciano nodded at their commands and clenched his fist as to commemorate himself. "Si! I will do everything I possibly can! Even if he's the meanest inspector ever, I'll keep him happy!"

Roma smiled and patted Felicianos head of light auburn hair. "I know you will, Feli. Alright! We have three short hours so let's get to it!"

Everyone agreed in unison and went off to work. Antonio worked on the mopping of the floors in the back and his shoulder blades were aching by the time he was halfway through. He didn't mind hard labour but man, this was a hard floor to clean. The swinging door opened and Feliciano walked in, holding some dirty dishes he found on the outside patio. "I have some more things for you to clean!"

At the mention of the "C" word Antonio cringed, standing up and resting against the fridge he was standing near. "Ah… Gracias, Feli…" He walked over to him and took the used mugs from his hands. "I never knew a health inspection could get your grandfather so riled up."

Feliciano smiled at him, shrugging his shoulders. "Usually he doesn't! For 8 years we've gotten the same inspector. Mr. Lorinaitis! He was so nice and always gave a good review to our restaurant!" Felicianos smile fell and was replaced with a pout. "But this year, Mr. Lorinaitis moved to Poland and we are getting a new inspector… and we have heard he's super duper tough! He inspects EVERYTHING! I've heard he does background checks on employees!"

Antonio hesitated before speaking, placing the glasses in the sink. "B-Background checks?" Well hopefully this inspector would have an off day and forget to do that… Roma came into the kitchen and frowned at the two. "Oi! No time for chit-chatting, let's get to work!"

One half an hour of work turned into an hour, and then two hours, and soon the three hours were up and 6:00 PM rolled its ugly head around the corner. Roma was pacing back and forth against the line up of tables, staring at the ground as he seemed too nervous to even breathe. Feliciano was waiting patiently, and Lovino thought inspections were stupid so he looked like he couldn't care less about the entire thing.

Antonio was feeling mixed, because he was both nervous and excited. He had never worked somewhere where they needed a health inspection, so he wondered how it went down. How long did it take? Was everyone on their best behaviour? He bet that was difficult with Lovino with how much of a potty mouth he was.

He chuckled at that thought and turned to the Italian, watching the way he was nibbling on his nails. He looked bored, but Antonio wondered if on the inside he really was nervous. Maybe that nail biting was a give away to people who really knew him. He wanted to be in that category.

Lovino felt eyes on his head and he turned, flushing at seeing Antonio staring at him. "Would you knock it off?! Not even on an important night like this one, you can't act normal for once?"

Antonio simply smiled at his crude words and held up a hand in apology. "Lo siento, Lovino. I just noticed that unlike Roma and Feli, you don't seem nervous."

Lovino waved off his words and smirked, almost in a cocky manner. "Inspectors don't scare me. I would yell and beat the crap out of any inspector that walked into my families establishment and gave us a bad review! But… I couldn't risk loosing the only thing that is giving us money…"

It was true. This restaurant was all they had, and it was the only thing raking in any money. Loosing the place would be loosing their home. Hell, one of the reasons Lovino questioned why Antonio was hired was because Roma hardly had any money to pay for an employee that wasn't part of the family. Roma claimed that he saw something special in Antonio, but Lovino didn't see it. He was just a stupid bastard that made stupid comments about him being cute and stared at him all the damn time! That smile pissed him off too.

He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and when he looked to the perpetrator who placed their hand there, he found Antonio staring down at him with a solemn expression. "Don't worry Lovino, you wont loose this place. I'm sure all the stories about this guy are just rumours made up to scare people."

As if on cue, the bell chime above the door dinged and all four of them looked up, seeing the inspector for the first time. As soon as he walked through that door, intimidation was the main factor of his features. Short blonde hair slicked back away from his face, a dark suit that was a contrast to the warm glow of the room, a tall muscular build, his eyes as blue as the sky itself. Antonio was suddenly regretting saying that last comment to Lovino.

As the health inspector looked at them all, he was about to speak when suddenly, Feliciano hopped in front of him. "Ciao! Welcome to Cantina Vargas! Where every dish is hand crafted with love! Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Cigarette? Oh wait, maybe you don't smoke, but if you do there's a back patio for you and you only! Would you like a table or booth?"

The blonde stepped back as Feliciano was rambling on, staring down at the hyperactive Italian with a confused expression and not really knowing what to say. "Well, I…"

Roma clamped a hand over Felicianos mouth, that seeming to be the only way to shut him up. "What my grandson is trying to say, is to make yourself welcome! Take all the time you need!"

The suited man stared at the two and the cleared his throat, looking at them. "Yes well, I'm Inspector Beilschmidt. And you must be Roma Vargas." He held out a strong hand. "A pleasure."

Roma smiled and shook his hand in a firm grip, smiling at him. "Indeed! You seem young for an inspector but I like that, means your good at your job! And what's that accent? German? How foreign! Although I'm one to talk!"

The blonde nodded down at him as the man spoke and then he glanced up, spotting a pair of green eyes and his eyes widening at the familiarity. "Antonio?"

Antonio blinked at him when his name was called and then his own expression turned into one of awe. "Ludwig? I hardly recognized you under that suit!"

The three Italians shook their head in confusion, Lovino raising a brow at the Spaniard. "You know each other…?"

Antonio smiled as he stood up, walking over to the blonde with an excited smile. "Si! He's the little brother of a close friend of mine!" He walked up to Ludwig and smiled, placing his hands on his shoulders, having to reach up since the German was taller than he was. "Last time I saw you, you barely reached my chest! What happened in that time?"

Ludwig blinked down at him but he welcomed the presence of an old friend in the room. "I grew, I suppose."

Antonio laughed and patted his shoulders. "Si, I guess you're right!" The atmosphere in the room was definitely one of a lighter tone, and tension was taken off of every ones shoulders.

Feliciano removed Romas hand from his mouth and smiled up at the German. "Ludwig… I like that name! |It reminds me of other German words! Like Schnitzel! Or Beethoven! Or Apple Strudel!"

Roma lightly but eagerly pushed his grandson to the side. "That's enough Feli! Mr. Beilschmidt and I are going to have a little talk! You follow Lovino and Antonio until we need you. Do what they tell you, okay?"

Feliciano nodded and rushed to his brothers side. As he was about to speak, Lovino smacked Feliciano in the back of the head. "Idiota! What's wrong with you?! That was twice you screwed up by opening your mouth!"

Feliciano rubbed the back of his head in pain and pouted at him. "I'm sorry! I was nervous and when I'm nervous, I talk a lot!"

Lovino sighed and crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair. "Whatever. Go make yourself useful and go check if everything is clean or something."

Feliciano nodded and quickly hurried off into the back kitchen as he followed his brothers orders. Lovino then glanced up at Antonio, his pout coming back as it irritated him how he knew Ludwig. If only they knew that a few hours ago. "You said he was a brother of your friends, Si?"

Antonio looked down at him and smiled, his eyes then returning to Ludwig and keeping his voice down to not disturb the business talk him and Roma were having. "Si, I used to visit him and his brother in Germany when I lived there for a short amount of time. I always helped Ludwig study when he was in grade school, even though I was only in high school myself. When I moved from Germany and back to Spain, I sent Ludwig gifts from my country and visited whenever I could."

Lovino blinked as he stared at the Spaniard, finding whenever he spoke he couldn't look away. "You lived in Germany?"

Antonio nodded and nostalgia seemed to fill his green eyes. "Si, I've lived in many countries growing up. 7 in total all across Europe."

Lovinos eyes went wide and he thought of all the countries in Europe Antonio could have lived in. 7? Lovino was upset when they moved to 1! He decided to change the subject. "You said he had a brother. Are you still in tough with him too?"

Antonio chuckled and he leaned back in his seat. "Si, Gilbert is one who you would call… eccentric. He thinks he's the centre of the universe but… I suppose that's the charm to him. Ever since meeting, him, myself, and a French friend of ours went to college here in Canada and, well, here I am."

Lovino stared at him and then at his lap, fiddling with the apron he wore. Antonio has been all over Europe, went to college, had a social life, and probably had a lot of people that had his eye on him! Antonio seemed the opposite of him really. Lovino wasn't social, he hated people. He thought they were greedy and selfish and just rude, although he couldn't complain seeing as that was how he turned out. Ever since meeting Antonio, he silently wished he could be like him. More outgoing, more charming, more happy with the world.

"Would you like to know something Lovino?" Lovino looked up at the sentence being spoken and he met Antonios sparkling eyes. Lovino stared at him and rose a brow in curiosity. "What?"

Antonio smiled down at him. "Out of all the places I've lived and all the countries I've seen," His eyes seemed to soften, his smile more alluring, his gaze more captivating… "I like Canada the most."

Lovino stared up in those eyes and he felt the tips of his ears go red, unable to break the contact of those emerald gems staring at them. Something in the Spaniards gaze told him that he wasn't talking about the country.

Antonio leaned a little closer to him. "In fact" Their shoulders touched since they were so close to one another and sitting side by side, Lovino flushing more at the contact. Antonios eyes seemed to darken, turning more sultry and his voice more rich. "I think Canada is my favourite"

Oh he was definitely not talking about the country.

Lovino pushed him away as he comprehended what those words actually meant and he stood up. "You perverted bastard!" He marched away and his yelling grabbed the attention of Roma and Ludwig, the senior Italian staring at Antonio in confusion and Antonio simply shrugged in response with an innocent grin on his face.