"Do you remember those three idiots from last year? The ones who wanted into that vault?"

"Tch, vaguely. What of it?"

"Well from what I've gathered, they went in again just the other day."

"Is that so?" The strange man sat in a large, comfortable chair. He traced his fingers in circles on the arm of the chair out of boredom. "Why do I care? If they want the Enclave on their asses, then who am I to hold them back?"

"Well, you see, I think they've got someone with them, had that vault suit."

Now his eyebrows shot up, and he looked away from the arm of the chair to meet the eyes of his informant.

"You mean they've taken a vault-dweller out of there? These guys are even dumber than I thought. Oh well, that sounds like more caps in my pocket. Do you even know how much I can get for a little vault-dweller out here? Those things are collectibles"

"Yeah, that's why I'm here, boss. I thought ya might be interested."

"Heck yeah I am interested. So, gimme the deets. How does it look?"

"From what I hear, it's quite the looker. Young, too, but talks a lot. We can fix that in a heartbeat, though."

"It sounds like a good investment to me. Do you want to round up your team and go get 'em?" It was more of an order than a question, and the informant had been down this road enough times to know that by now. He grinned.

"Yeah, whatever you say, boss. It's all the way down in Radwater, so it'll take a few days. But you can count on me and my boys to get the job done."

"Good. So what are you waiting for? They'll be gone if you don't hurry. Go!"

The informant grinned and turned around without another word, and he headed out through the double doors of the large building. As much as he hated taking orders from that man, the pay was good for such a simple job. He was going to round up his misfit friends and head down to Radwater to collect that vault-dweller. An easy job, he thought, and for such good pay. But he had to hurry, it wouldn't be long before those idiot raiders had left that tiny town and the vault-dweller would be lost to them. He broke into a brisk pace, heading for the shabby saloon where he knew his team would be drinking.

Lovino

Lovino sat alone on the hard, dry ground. He leaned back against the long-dead log behind him, tilting his head skyward to gaze at the couple of stars that had started to appear. The air was growing cool with the night that engulfed the riverside town, and Lovino felt amazing relief from the hot summer sun. He had shed his leather padding that Arthur had fit him with, and the feeling of it pressed against his body was finally gone. Where the leather was, his skin would burn the hottest in the summer heat, deeming the armor highly unpleasant. However, Antonio would rarely let him take it off unless he was sure there was no local threat to be wary of. This, after much persuasion, was one of those times.

Lovino watched the bonfire in front of him burn brightly, it illuminated the nearby area while the darkness shrouded nearly everything else. The tall flames danced wildly to the music that played over the radio. Lovino couldn't feel the heat of the fire from the distance he was sitting, but he could certainly hear the voices of the three nutjobs that sang loudly to the sounds from the radio. He watched Antonio, Gilbert, and Francis sing song after song, he saw Arthur contemplate joining them for a few, and he saw grandpa Beilschmidt sitting quietly on the other side of the bonfire cleaning a weapon of some sort. It was a gun, the likes of which Lovino had never seen, and was large and very deadly-looking. He and Lovino had not said a word to each other since Lovino had crawled out of his vault four days ago, and he liked to keep it like that for now. Maybe forever, if possible.

However, his relationship with Gilbert's grandfather was probably literally the least of his concerns. His head rested against the thick, dry wood of the log and he let his eyes close. He silently recapped on the events of the last four days, the unreal memories played over in his mind as he realized that the days that he had spent outside of the vault were the longest days of his life. He had gotten more done before noon than he would normally have completed in a week's worth of work down in the vault. All of this moving around was exhausting, but even after only a few days, Lovino's muscles were beginning to adjust to the sudden strenuous labor that he put them through. His legs still ached, but the screaming agony he had endured only two days ago had quieted to a manageable level. Lovino might go as far as to say that they were chatting with each other with a somewhat appropriate tone of voice. In other words, he wasn't having any problems walking anymore.

Antonio had been showing him the way of the wasteland, which didn't entail as many serious skills or situations as Lovino had initially anticipated. They spent most of their time goofing around with Antonio's friends, but Lovino figured that that was the only way he was going to learn anything. Even though Antonio treated the lessons with humor, he did tend to make them educational, as silly as most of it was. Lovino had learned many things, from keeping silent while walking to preparing food out on the wasteland. He learned to observe the land around him, and to heed any and all hints that his life may be in danger. He learned about proper weapon maintenance, and that he was never, under any circumstances, allowed to be without his rifle. He was to carry it at all times, even if he was just heading into Radwater. Out of all of the rules laid before him by the Spaniard, Lovino found this one to be the most tedious and pointless. Not once had he ever needed his weapon in the last few days, but he decided that it was better to mind Antonio's few rules. They weren't many, and most seemed exceedingly useless and dumb. Some had made sense, such as "watch your mouth around strangers; most around here won't take kindly to that vocabulary of yours, Lovi." Lovino could hear the Spaniard's voice as he repeated the rule every time they were in vicinity of someone unfamiliar. But the majority of the rules seemed like nonsense to Lovino, despite Antonio's constant reassurances that every rule was important. "Gilbert doesn't mix well with classical music, try not to bring it up." was one of the strange rules that stood out in Lovino's mind. What was that even supposed to mean? He found himself shaking his head.

He was so lost in his thoughts over the recent events that he didn't even notice when Antonio sat down on the log above his head. He jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Lovi, what did I tell you about being aware of your surroundings? Are my lessons not teaching you anything, cariño?" Lovino wasn't entirely sure what that last word meant, but he had an idea, and he didn't like it. Especially the way the Spaniard said it so easily. Lovino tried to tell himself that the Spaniard's strange terms of affection didn't make him melt into the dead tree behind him.

In between the swooning, he found time to roll his eyes. "I knew you were there, I just didn't say anything," he lied. He knew his sarcastic eye-roll would probably be lost in the dark, but it was fueled by habit over the desire to mock the Spaniard.

"Well, then why did you jump when I said something?" Lovino couldn't help but blush, and this time he was glad that it was dark enough outside to go unnoticed by the older man. The flames from the nearby fire had already tinted his face with an orange glow, so flushed cheeks would hopefully blend in. Lovino fumbled for an answer.

"I just... I wasn't expecting to hear your voice, Spaniard! It caught me a little off guard, but I still knew you were there." It wasn't a complete lie.

"Never let your guard down, Lovino. Because the second you give your enemy a moment to attack," Antonio moved like lightning, and before Lovino could react, the Spaniard had moved from one side of Lovi to the other. His knife had been drawn from its sheath as he darted over the log behind Lovino, and now he could feel the cold metal blade pressed against the soft skin of his neck. He squeaked out an embarrassing sound. "could be the last second you ever see."

Lovino's eyes widened considerably and his breath came in shallow puffs. He didn't dare move for fear of the blade cutting into his neck.

"But you're not my enemy, b-bastard." He gritted his teeth. The smooth metal blade felt dangerous pressed into his neck, and Antonio's breath felt hot against his ear as he whispered his warning. An unfamiliar feeling shot through his body that made him somewhat disappointed as Antonio's knife pulled away from his throat. He watched Antonio's movements carefully as he resheathed his knife.

"Not today, amigo, but one day you will have people who would like to see you dead, especially if you stick with us. It's amazing how much someone will fight for what is theirs out here, and don't really take too kindly to raiders trying to steal precious food. Well, I say raiders... I hate the word, honestly." Antonio sat down as he spoke, lowering himself to the ground instead of perching above Lovino on the log. He leaned his head back on the log, putting his hands behind his head to protect it from the rough feel of the wood.

"Raiders are merciless, Lovino. They kill for what they want. I like to think that we aren't like that." Lovino looked over at the other man, curiosity ignited in his eyes.

"So you never kill anyone when you steal?" Antonio shook his head.

"We try our best. Sometimes a death cannot be helped... We do value our own lives over the lives of the strangers we... borrow... From." He paused, thinking back. "And Gilbert tends to be a little trigger-happy sometimes, but don't tell anyone." He chuckled out the last sentence.

Lovino stared at him for a moment. He was glad that he wasn't going to be traveling with ruthless killers, that's certain. But so many questions burned in his mind, questions that he hasn't had the opportunity to ask. One inquiry flared above the others.

Lovino spoke slowly and carefully. "When you go on raids... Do you ever take more than food? Do you ever take people? I mean, from the way you talk about me..." Lovino sort of trailed off as he spoke, realizing how silly he must sound. He hoped the Spaniard had understood what he was asking, though.

Antonio's eyebrows knitted and his lips curled into a frown. He rolled his head over to Lovino, gazing at him with uncertainty.

"Lovi..." He thought before he dared to tread further. Lovino could tell that Antonio didn't quite know how to go about answering his question. His heart sank.

"I see. Say no more, Antonio." Lovino averted his look from Antonio's dancing green eyes. He stared down at the ground, trying not to think about things they might have done to unwilling people of his own age. It was only natural, he tried to tell himself, these were raiders after all. He should have expected as much, but for some reason he was still a little shocked. He should have known that he was probably no different from any other boy or girl that they deemed pretty enough to take.

"No! Lovi, it's not that bad, see? I know it sounds really bad.. Oh goodness... Well," he sighed, "I think you will understand one day." Lovino didn't really want to understand.

"So, am I no different from those people?" Lovino hadn't meant to utter the question aloud.

"What!? Of course you're different! You came with us all on your own, and we haven't even touched you!" Lovino looked at Antonio with a disgusted expression. All on his own? That just confirmed his suspicions that Antonio would take people against their will. Lovino got up from the ground. "Okay, I think that came out a little wrong. Lovino, where are you going?"

"For a walk," he muttered over his shoulder, gripping the rifle that was leaning against the end of the thick log.

"Lovi it's not really like that! I mean... I never.. It's usually just Francis and Gilbert! I've never really been that interested, you see? That's why Gilbert's making such a big fuss about you, it's because I never take anyone for myself!" Antonio certainly was not helping his case. The more he opened his mouth, the more Lovi wanted to snap rude words at this man. Instead, he just kept walking. Behind him he could hear Gilbert and Francis walk up to where Antonio sat on the ground, confused and shocked.

"What's his problem?" came Gilbert's obnoxious tone.

"I think I may have offended him," Antonio answered.

Francis spoke up, and Lovino could imagine the blond man flipping his long hair with one hand as he spoke in his continually dramatic tone. "He is definitely a tough one, ami, this is true."

"You sure know how to pick 'em." Gilbert's voice sounded sarcastic as it faded the farther Lovino walked. Lovino could still feel Antonio's stare on his back and he thought he heard a sigh as he clicked the radio of his pip-boy to the only station that broadcasted in this area. He hoped to forget about the Spaniard's words as he listened to the cracking music that would flow from the shabby speakers on his wrist. It wasn't the worst quality, he thought, it was still better than some of the radios he had heard since he left the vault.

There was a large flat rock that overlooked the embankment that Lovino had come to enjoy in the last few days. He even fell asleep out on the rock last night, which turned out to be a big mistake the next morning when he was scolded by Antonio. The rock was massive by a rock's standards, and it jutted out just over the low tide of the water. Antonio said that this rock would be nearly submerged if the river wasn't so low, which sort of disappointed Lovino, in a way. He figured it wouldn't make much of a difference if they were leaving tomorrow anyways.

Yep, that was the plan. They were heading for the big city tomorrow afternoon, which would mean that they would make it there just before nightfall if all went as planned. Sticking to the roads and keeping to themselves would probably get them there safely, but traveling across the wasteland was always a risk. Lovino hoped that the party wouldn't run into much trouble as he sat down on the flat rock, his feet dangling over the edge but not quite reaching the flowing water. He watched for a while as the current lapped leisurely at the edge of the bank and the bright moon overhead gleamed with a growing intensity as Lovino's eyes began to adjust to the fireless atmosphere. Cracking music sounded over his small radio and a sense of peace washed over him. He felt happy. He forgot about the heat of the sun, he forgot about the dangerous land. He forgot about the dull life he had recently escaped, and most importantly of all, he forgot the massive weight on his shoulders placed there by this infatuation he held for Antonio. He had never been more confused in his life over a single man; he couldn't tell if Antonio was being flirtatious when he gave Lovino that look, or if the passionate Spaniard was just being himself. He didn't know what to think when Antonio would address him with words that he did not understand, words he knew to be terms that you would call your lover. He racked his brain trying to understand the unfamiliar confusion that had settled into Lovino's mind. It was all just a single question that was killing him slowly: Am I more to Antonio than just a pet? He desperately hoped he was. If he wasn't, well...

He forgot about that. Now he was at peace, listening to the sound of the crickets and the frogs and the noise emitting from the contraption on his wrist. He completely lost himself in the sound of the gentle current pushing around rocks.

"I swear, you aren't learning anything from me, querido."

Reality slammed into Lovino at the unexpected Spanish accent coming from beside him. He nearly fell off of the rock when his head swiveled around to meet Antonio's worried green eyes beside him. He had managed to sit down on the rock right next to Lovino without him noticing. Sneaky bastard. After getting over the initial heart attack he had been given, he cursed himself for getting so into the atmosphere. Why couldn't he do anything right? All he wanted was to show Antonio that he would be well off on his own, but he couldn't even sit alone right. Then he remembered to be angry at this bastard.

"Will you shut your face! No one is going to come out in the middle of nowhere to kill me!"

Antonio sighed. "That's not the point, Lovi. The point is that you need to be aware at all times, regardless of whether or not you think anyone is around. What if you get attacked by an animal, huh? Or kidnapped? I don't know if you know this, but you'd be worth quite a bit out here. A pretty face like yours is hard to come by."

Behind the wall of anger, Lovino couldn't help but think that Antonio was lying to him. Lovino could see a pretty face staring right back at him. He growled in acceptance of his mistake and fell back against the stone. He lay there quietly in the Spaniard's presence for a few moments.

"Why did you follow me?" He asked, the anger had fled his voice. "I think I'm supposed to be mad at you right now."

Antonio ignored the question, and fell back against the rock to join Lovino, sighing as he did so and letting the silence linger a few moments more. He seemed to think carefully about his words before he spoke them.

"You know, I was seventeen when I left my home as well." Lovino had to admit that he didn't see that one coming.

"Really?" He questioned, glad that Antonio had once been in the same boat that Lovino was in now. Lovino was slightly relieved, he was beginning to think that he was too young to be leaving his vault, but maybe he wasn't.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't really much of a home. We traveled a lot, and there were twelve of us when I left. People would come and go, people would die, so is life. But for the most part, we stuck together, like a family."

Lovino kept his eyes fixed on the starry sky. "Why did you leave?"

Antonio sighed a breath. "I guess... for the same reason you left your own home. I met this crazy German, and well, he made me realize exactly how much there was to the world."

As Antonio talked, Lovino heard his chuckle, heard the blatant nostalgia that echoed in his words. He suddenly wondered about the Spaniard's history, and desperately wanted to know more.

"He showed me adventure and adrenaline, and we had much fun that day. That day that we met. And I just had to know that feeling all the time... so when he offered to let me travel with him, I couldn't refuse."

"So you left your family for a complete stranger? That sounds a little familiar." Lovino realized that he and Antonio had a lot more in common than he had originally thought. Not only had he left the only life he'd ever known, but he did so with someone that he had just barely met. Lovino figured that he might be the only other person who could relate to Antonio's story, in a way.

"Sì, indeed it does. Of course, I'll never see my family again, unlike you, amigo. They would be long gone now, in faraway lands selling goods or something boring like that. I'm glad I left though, as much as I loved them, leaving with Gilbert was one of the best decisions of my life. For a spur of the moment choice, it turned out to be one of the most amazing things I've ever done, and maybe the most stupid."

Lovino felt a little heartbroken by Antonio's past. Lovino never agreed with his grandfather or his annoying brother, but he didn't know if he would be able to abandon them forever.

"How could you do that? How could you leave them knowing that you would never see them again?" Lovino's eyes remained pointed skyward as he thought on Antonio's words. He thought about never seeing little Feli again, and a lump formed in his throat. He pushed the lump back down, refusing to get this sentimental. This was silly. Of course he would see Feliciano again, he knew where his little brother was, and that was safely in the vault. Unlike Antonio's family, whose whereabouts are unknown.

Antonio shrugged. "Meh, what is life without a couple of risks? If we are going to live in this broken world, then we might as well live, yeah? We don't have much time on this world, so I want to make the best of it." Lovino understood. Lovino understood that statement more than anything.

"But... but how did you know that going with Gilbert would turn out to be a good idea?" Lovino knew the answer, of course he knew the answer. But he had to ask anyways.

"I didn't! But it turned out to be for the best, didn't it? Sometimes you just have to take the big risks in life, even if they don't turn out the way you had hoped. I could very well have made a terrible decision, joining Gilbert, but you can ask Francis about that one, I'm sure he'd be willing to share a tale or two of his own."

Lovino's curiosity for the Frenchman sparked suddenly, and he wondered what that was supposed to mean exactly. What kind of life-altering decision had Francis been forced to make, and had chosen poorly? He figured that he would never know; he found Francis to be a little scary, being completely honest with himself.

As for himself, Lovino couldn't tell if the decision he had made was a good one. For him it didn't matter as much. If he missed his family, he could stroll on back to the vault, crawl inside, and hide in there for the rest of his life. Antonio didn't even have that simple luxury. He must be a very brave man, Lovino thought.

They sat in relative silence for a while as Lovino elaborated on his thoughts. The sound of the music flowing from his radio and the liveliness of the nocturnal wildlife echoed around them as they lay against the stone. Lovino kicked his legs gently through the air where they dangled over the edge of the massive rock, his hands sat restlessly on his chest.

A light, swaying tune fell around them as the radio started playing a different song. Lovino could see Antonio's head roll toward him out of the corner of his eye. The Spaniard had immediately recognized the fluctuating rhythm of the light-hearted piano keys.

"Hey, I love this song!" Lovino let his head roll to the side and his eyes met Antonio's bright green ones. He scrunched his mouth to one side of his face questioningly. It took him a moment to recognize the song that played over his radio, but when it registered, his expression conveyed even more question. This sappy love song didn't seem to fit this fiery raider's personality one bit. The tempo was slow and smooth, but the singer did have a certain passion to his words that Lovino could see dancing in Antonio's emerald eyes as the music sounded around them. Lovino actually listened to the lyrics for the first time, despite having heard this song numerous times over the last few days.

Love me, as though there were no tomorrow

Take me out of this world tonight

"Really? You like this song?" Romano had to admit, it wasn't bad for a cheesy love song.

Antonio nodded. "Sí! Do you not like it, Lovi?"

Lovino waited for a few seconds, listening to the soft male voice drift from the small speakers of his radio.

Take me, make me forget my sorrow

So when I wake tomorrow, I'll know our love was right..

"It's ok, I guess. Nothing special. Don't you think it's a bit... sappy?"

Antonio looked a bit disappointed. "Lovi, I think you will understand one day." He turned his head back to the stars, and Lovino did the same. Antonio dropped the topic. "Tomorrow, before we leave, Francis, Gilbert, and me are going to go out for a bit. Are you going to be okay while we're gone?"

"Is that what you followed me out here to ask?" Lovino was slightly disappointed for reasons he didn't understand, and even more so confused by the Spaniard's words. What did he mean by that?

"Partly, yes. Well, will you?"

"Of course. What do you take me for, a child?" Lovino found himself hoping once again that Antonio wouldn't decide that Lovino was indeed a small child.

"No, no... quite the opposite." Antonio stopped talking right there.

What.

Lovino just listened to the flowing sound of the song that was playing.

kiss me, as though it were now or never

Silence settled between the two of them as they gazed up at the stars. The lyrics bounced around in Lovino's head as he thought of the older man that lay beside him. Antonio was only a few inches away from him, if he wanted to, he could reach out and touch him...

Teach me, all that our hearts should know

The words coming from the radio still swung to and fro in his mind, somewhat meaninglessly as he concentrated on the Spaniard that was so close to him that he could nearly feel the heat radiating from his body in the cool night air...

He was surprised when Antonio sang out the next verse of the song.

"Love me, as though there were no tomorrow. Oh my darling, love me, Don't ever let me go..."

Lovino froze every function that his body was performing. He stopped breathing, and his heart stopped beating as the Spaniard's smooth voice sent understanding coursing into his body. Antonio's voice was soft yet powerful, he sang the words as if he meant every syllable that left his lips. Every beautiful note was fueled by passion as his voice cut through the silence between them, and Lovino understood what the other man had been trying to tell him this whole time.

No, that was a silly thought. Antonio couldn't possibly mean the words that he sang. Lovino was simply getting his own feelings confused with reality. My own feelings. The slow tempo of the instrumental flowed around Lovino as his heart slowly started beating again. He listened to it with his eyes wide and directed at the endless abyss that was the night sky. The stars blurred away as he sunk into the scratchy sound, he let it's legato rhythm envelop him.

"Love me, as though there were no tomorrow. Oh my darling, love me," Antonio's head rolled back over onto its side. Lovino followed and brown eyes met green once again. Lovi could just make out the shape of Antonio's lips as they mouthed the last few words of the song.

Don't ever let me go.

No. Antonio's soft voice gave away everything. His feelings were made certain right there on that rock as he mouthed the last few syllables of the song. Lovino's thoughts narrowed into this moment, into the last twinkling sounds of the song that he never wanted to end. He wanted this song to continue on forever as he looked on into Antonio's eyes, laying here under the moonlight on his favorite rock with his favorite person. The entire scenario seemed to be unreal as Lovi listened to the sound of his radio fade out. The only sound that he could hear now was the pounding of the blood in his ears. His lips fell apart as he gazed back at the Spaniard, sifting through the flickering emotions that were blatant in his eyes.

Lovino felt the words of the song weighing him down now. Love me as though there were no tomorrow. That was it. There very well could be no tomorrow, and they both knew that. Lovino shook that thought away. He had just started this new life out of the vault, and Antonio would be there to protect him all the time. He had nothing to worry about. Still, anxiety pricked at him through the very few emotions he was feeling right now, it throbbed in his core as if it were the only constant in his shifting life right now. It was layered beneath an indescribable feeling that shone brightly beneath his skin, dawning over his body and shedding light where there was none before. It filled his body completely, and forced any of the anxiety to retreat deep within him for the time being. It raced through his limbs and even extended into his fingers, and the fluffy feeling took him over as he gazed into his Spaniard's eyes. He wanted to stay this way forever.

Lovino's world could have ended right there, and he would never have noticed. Neither one of them spoke as the lay there on that rock, and after a while Lovino found out that he was sitting up. He wondered when that had happened, but brushed it off as unimportant as he noticed that Antonio was leaning closer to him. Every heartbeat that pounded in his chest and every shallow breath he took was building into this moment, Antonio was so close now. Just a little bit closer...

"Would you look at what I've found, Francis. A pair of Lovebirds!" Gilbert's voice crashed into the moment like a derailed train. Lovino's head jolted to the source of the sound to see Gilbert standing triumphantly at the edge of the stone overhang. He was accompanied by a facetious looking Frenchman who snickered like a schoolgirl next to him. Antonio clenched his eyes closed and let out a hum of frustration. Lovino scrambled backwards, thankful for the darkness that hid his spreading blush.

"Toni and Lovi sittin' in a tree~" he sang.

"Gilbert, don't you dare." Antonio said the words as if he was actually frustrated with his friends' antics.

"K"

"Gilbert."

"I"

"Gilbert no."

"S"

"Gilbert, I swear to god."

"S"

"Gilbert I'm going to hit you."

"I-N-G"

"Oh my god, Gilbert I can't believe you."

At this point, Francis burst into laughter. "Ahh, l'amour." He looked as though he was trying his hardest to contain his laughter.

Antonio's lip twitched up. "I'm serious, you two."

"Tweet tweet tweet! Kesese!"

Lovino's eyes flew back and forth between the three raiders. He felt like Francis and Gilbert were laughing at him; he wanted to melt away into the stone beneath him, to escape from the embarrassment that was creeping over his body. He and Antonio had almost kissed; he knew it was too good to be true. Lovino raised himself from the ground, clicking off the radio on his wrist with a swift flick. He picked his rifle from the stone as he stood.

"Lovi? Don't listen to them, they are only messing around." Lovino frowned at Antonio's words.

"Yeah, I know," he scoffed, blushing and embarrassed. How could he think that he and Antonio could ever work anyways? Between Antonio's friends and their ridiculous age gap, Lovino wondered how he had ever thought that he could actually have this Spaniard to himself. He wanted to run away, but instead, he kept calm and walked away from the situation with a false amount of dignity. He figured that he was pulling off a calm composure somewhat believably.

"But it's getting late." He looked to the sky and noticed that moon was nearly directly overhead. "I think I'm going to get some sleep."

Antonio looked a little bit sympathetic from where he sat on the rock, his legs still dangling over the edge. "Sí, I guess it is. Lovi, I'll catch up with you later, yeah? I'm going to have a word or two with Gilbert and Francis here." He gave his two friends a glare as Lovino started walking away, stepping off of the rock and padding in the direction of the little hovel.

He didn't realize just how tired he was until he was on his way back to the house. His limbs felt tired as they swung against his sides, and his legs felt like lead as he trudged the short distance to the house. He could no longer hear the voices of the three friends bickering behind him, but upon turning around, he did notice the fire blazing high in the distance.

When he made it through the doorway, he stumbled over to the couch and collapsed onto its cushions. Lovino didn't move once he was down, he just let his eyes close and he lay there for a few seconds. He attempted to reopen his eyes, reluctant to succumb to sleep before Antonio could return. He tried staying alert and awake, but to no avail. Just before he truly lost consciousness, however, he heard he soft, sing-song voice on the edge of his awareness.

"Sleep well, mi corazón."

And with that, a peaceful sleep overtook him.