KerfuffleBunnykins420: I can't say for sure if this is going to go the way you think it will, but I can tell you that there will be a bit of angst. Not to give too much away, but it really kicks off in chapter 9. And then it just goes downhill from there.

This chapter is character development! Also, bonding! Yay!


CHAPTER 7

After the café closed that Friday, Romano went straight upstairs into the apartment and collapsed on his stomach upon the couch. He lied there for an hour, barely stirring, while Feli and Gilbert whispered audibly to each other in the hall. They talked about how he was depressed because of Antonio, which wasn't true. Romano wasn't depressed. He just felt sort of...listless. He was tired, that was all. Like hell Antonio could make him depressed.

"Romano!" He turned his eyes up without moving his head to see Gilbert standing over him. "Ever since I got here, all I've seen you do is work. It's not good for you. You have to mix work and play. So, I've decided that you and I are going to go out and have fun tonight!"

"Don' wanna," he said, burying his face into the cushions. Gilbert grabbed his arm and tried to lift him off the couch, but he fought back. "No!"

"Get up!"

"Leave me alone!"

Then, Feliciano got in on it.

"Fratello, you really should go!" he said. "I don't want you to stress yourself out too much."

He gave Romano those sad, pleading eyes in that cute way that Romano could never compete with. That was just dirty. Neither his brother nor Gilbert were letting up, and Romano didn't have the strength to keep resisting them. They wore him down until he begrudgingly relented.

Gilbert had long since changed out of the formal clothes he wore in the café and into his typical jeans, t-shirt, and hoodie, and yet he still made Romano wait for him before he was ready to go. Romano shot a poignant look towards his brother, who only gave him a grin and a thumbs up. What the fuck was that all about?

Romano grabbed his olive peacoat and waited nervously by the door. He shouldn't jump to conclusions. There was nothing significant about Gilbert trying to spend time with him, or about Feliciano trying to get him to loosen up and let people in. Hanging out for a little bit away from the apartment and the café didn't necessarily insinuate anything beyond the tangible facts, but something was unmistakably off in the way Gilbert beamed like he'd just won something. And Feli, as he pushed them out of the apartment with a too innocent smile, was suspicious as well. When the door closed behind them and Romano found himself alone on the steps with Gilbert, it really did feel like...

No. That's not what this was. With Gilbert? No. That was impossible. Why the hell had he agreed to this?!

Gilbert tugged on his sleeve. "I like that coat."

"Don't touch me," he said, pulling his arm away. "And don't compliment me, either."

"Technically, I was complimenting your coat." Unable to come up with a quick retort, Romano turned and descended the stairs into the café with Gilbert close behind him. They went out the back door into the dark, narrow alley, and then Gilbert asked, "So, where do you want to go?"

"You're the one who's making me go somewhere, and you don't even have any place in mind."

"I don't know this town," he argued. "I figured you could give me the grand tour. What's there to do around here?"

That was a good question. Romano stopped to think. Where could they go?

There was this art museum that Feli had taken Romano to a few times. Even though Romano wasn't very well-versed in art, it was alright. He enjoyed looking at some of their pieces. And there was a mall that Romano liked not too far from the museum. Both were within walking distance, but by now they were closed. Most places were bound to be closed at this hour, aside from the cinema and a few restaurants, which were not options. If Romano took Gilbert somewhere like that it would be very difficult to keep telling himself that this wasn't a date.

They started along the street, passing all the small, cramped businesses that lined their path and searching for one that was open. Romano altered his pace, always pulling ahead or lagging a few steps behind, so long as he and Gilbert weren't walking side by side. He crammed his fists into his pockets, too, as a precaution. Gilbert probably wasn't going to try to hold his hand, but Romano couldn't help being paranoid. A sense of dread settled in his stomach as he wondered how long this night was going to last.

It wasn't guilt that predetermined he would have a terrible time. Romano was done beating himself up because of Antonio. In fact, it pissed him off when he thought about it. Why should he be feeling bad? He and Antonio just had sex. Romano had been certain that Antonio was going to ask him to be his boyfriend back when it had all started, but two months had passed since then and Antonio had never once asked. He didn't want commitment. Fine then. He didn't get to say shit if Romano decided to date someone else.

Not that this was a date. It wasn't. Romano didn't want to be on a date, and certainly not with Gilbert. Dates had their own special etiquette that Romano neither believed in nor fully comprehended. And Gilbert was...well...

Gilbert dashed excitedly down the sidewalks dimly illuminated by yellow streetlamps. The light reflected off his hair and his face, setting him aglow. Being with Gilbert was like being a scrap of paper caught in a hurricane. Romano didn't have much choice but to be swept up by him. He just had to hold his breath and persevere in Gilbert's dizzying, inescapable wake.

They came across a bar that radiated life behind classic red bricks and a black awning. Though Romano made it plain to Gilbert that he didn't really do the whole bar scene, Gilbert still wanted to pop in for a bit. He promised that if Romano would stay for one drink that he could pick the next stop. Romano consented without having a particular place in mind to go to afterwards. He figured that at least one of them should enjoy their night, so he followed Gilbert's lead.

It was a nice place—cleaner and less seedy than Romano had prepared himself for, with a pungent, bittersweet smell wafting from the alcohol. The waitress who approached them once they took their seats on a couple of black, padded stools at the front was friendly, especially towards Gilbert. She kept shooting him this playful smile, showing off her white, straight teeth. Gilbert's obliviousness through it all surprised Romano. She had a very pretty face and was openly flirting with him, yet he hardly looked at her. Romano felt sorry for the girl, and so he showed her the little extra affection that she clearly wasn't going to get from the man who sat beside him.

"Well, that was completely unnecessary," Gilbert said once they'd finished and paid for their acrid refreshments. Romano didn't know what he meant at first, but as they went back to the street and Gilbert chided him further he found that he was having to justify being nice to the lady bartender, which confused him.

"You were ignoring her," he said.

"Because I wasn't interested."

"You crushed her."

Gilbert stared at him in disbelief. "Are you blaming me for your flirting?"

Romano didn't think either of them were at fault here. It was only flirting. It didn't mean anything.

"I just can't stand it when girls get embarrassed and they make that face that looks like they're going to cry," he said.

"That doesn't explain why you still have her number."

"I couldn't get rid of it while we were inside the bar. She might have noticed."

"Uh huh," Gilbert huffed. "Okay, Casanova, just keep it in your pants, alright?"

He didn't bring up the issue again, so he must not have been too angry about it. Romano didn't understand why there was any contention to begin with. Gilbert couldn't be jealous. It didn't suit him. He had this gloomy look on his face, though, and Romano wasn't sure what to do about it.

"Hey," he said, trying to be accommodating. "There's a park nearby. Let's go there."

"A park?"

"Yeah. You said I could choose the next place, so I choose the park."

"Alright," Gilbert muttered, distracted.

That dopey expression was going to make Romano sick if he didn't do something about it. There were trash bins lining the sidewalks, and he made sure that Gilbert saw him walk up to one and toss the napkin that had the waitress's number scribbled in the corner. He didn't have a habit of keeping phone numbers when he got them, so it wasn't a grand gesture. It perked Gilbert up anyway, and they continued with Romano assuming the lead.

Just a block away with the park in view, treetops outlined in a pallid gleam, Gilbert stopped to admire the wire bird cages hanging in the dusty window of a run-down pet shop. Yellow finches and sky-blue budgies were clustered together on their perches. Some were twitching their heads and fighting each other over seeds, others squatted in corners with ruffled feathers, trying to ignore the racket and go to sleep. Romano withheld any interest in the animals while Gilbert pressed his face to the glass with the dorkiest grin. "Birds are great, aren't they?"

"What's so great about them?"

"Well, they can freaking fly, for one thing. That in itself is amazing!"

Romano shrugged.

"Also, they're super cute."

He had plenty of counter arguments to Gilbert's logic. Sure, the ability to fly was remarkable—enviable. Cute was pushing it. Besides that, birds were just dumb. They never shut up, they made a mess wherever they went, and they were annoying as all hell. Romano had never cared for birds. More than that, he couldn't be attracted to someone who liked birds so much. Yes, that was where he drew the line, because...well, he needed there to be a line somewhere.

It was a bad idea to go to the park, Romano realized once they were strolling along the deserted path with the gravel crunching underneath their heels. Absolutely terrible. It hadn't occurred to him just how romantic it would seem walking with someone here at night, when everything was veiled in misty shadows. The glassy pond shone with the cool light of a half moon. No one else was in sight. Romano hated this. He wanted to die.

They ambled towards the water and Romano plopped down on the grassy slope. He just hoped that Gilbert would get bored of this place and suggest they go somewhere else.

The stars were fading as clouds gathered overhead. Gilbert ventured closer to the edge of the pond and skipped rocks, the ripples he made rolling slowly over the water, distorting the moon's image. "Tell me something I don't know about you," he said over his shoulder.

"We met five days ago, you don't know anything about me."

Not that there was much to know. Romano hadn't done much in his life worth mentioning. He was exceptionally plain.

"That's not true. I know lots of stuff about you," Gilbert said.

"Oh, really?" Romano raised an open hand to him. "Name five things."

Gilbert immediately stepped up to the challenge, leading Romano to wonder why it felt like he was constantly trying to prove something. "I know that you love to cook," he began, tossing a pebble, "and you're really good at it."

It was a poor start. Way too easy. Romano only counted it because he liked the compliment.

"I know that you're a huge flirt when you're confident enough for it, but you don't generally flirt with guys because they intimidate you." Romano insisted that he was not intimidated, but Gilbert went on, "I also know you're a compulsive liar. Which maybe should bother me more than it does, but I've gotten really good at figuring out what you mean regardless."

Romano narrowed his eyes at him. "You're an idiot."

Gilbert was not dismayed. He smiled at Romano like he'd just proven his point. "You're actually impressed with me. Admit it."

Never.

Romano held up three fingers. "You need two more."

"Well, really, I should have four."

"You have three."

"Actually, the first couple were both in two parts, so it should be five already."

"I'm not going to count the second part about the flirting thing. You still have one more." Gilbert opened his mouth to speak, but stopped short. "You can't think of one, can you?"

"I can," he claimed. "But I'm not going to say it. I'll save it for later."

That was an obvious excuse. Just a way to buy time to come up with something. Romano lied down on his back and folded his arms under his head. "I don't care if you can't think of another one." He hadn't been testing Gilbert. Not really. He was just curious about what he'd have to say. "I hardly know anything about you, so..."

"If you want to know about me, all you have to do is ask," Gilbert teased.

"I don't really, I was just—"

He rushed over and dropped down next to Romano, startling him with a resounding declaration. "It was divined that I be born to two awesome, but tragically unwealthy parents!"

"Are you writing a fucking novel, what the hell is this?"

"I've had to work hard for anything I wanted since I was fourteen. So, you're not really that much of a challenge."

One corner of his mouth turned up as he said that second part. Romano wished Gilbert didn't have to refer to him in the context of wanting.

"The last job I had was as an engineer at a power station. Since there aren't really any of those near here, I'll need to find another way to employ my talents. I earned my way through all of high school and college. I was kind of a troublemaker in my classes, but I got decent grades." He used his shoulder to nudge Romano, who'd fallen silent as he'd talked on. "What were you like in school?"

Romano forced a brusque, airy laugh. "Take a guess."

"I bet you were the shy chic guy that all the girls secretly wanted to bone."

"Nice try. Not even close." He'd been more like the brooding loner that half his classmates openly despised and the other half willfully ignored. How Romano had hated high school. "But I can definitely see you being the troublemaker. I bet the teachers loved you."

He chuckled. "They did, actually!"

That wasn't surprising. Gilbert spread brightness and energy wherever he went. Of course they had loved him.

"It's your turn to ask a question."

Romano hesitated. "I can't think of one."

"Just say whatever. Ask me anything."

He swallowed a nervous lump in his throat, hardly able to think with the way Gilbert was staring at him. "Uhh...what's your favorite color?"

"Pfft. Laaame."

Romano's face flared. "You said just say whatever! So, that's my question. What's your favorite color?"

His smile was unwavering. "Blue."

"Blue?" Romano echoed. "Really?" With Gilbert's intense personality, he would have guessed red.

"What's yours?"

"Um." He pulled on the collar of his olive-green coat. "Kind of like this."

Gilbert nodded appreciatively. "It's a nice color. It's almost the same color as your eyes."

An unwelcome warmth flooded Romano's chest and he turned away from Gilbert's lingering gaze.

As gallant as his efforts were, he had to know that Romano did not plan on giving in to him on this one. He didn't trust Gilbert (or himself) when it came to his emotions. He had no idea what Gilbert's objectives were in flattering him and treating him nicely, but it was making him increasingly uncomfortable. He needed to stay guarded.

Gilbert leaned over and put a hand on Romano's cheek to turn his face back to him. "Romano?"

"Take me back," he blurted, knocking the hand aside and getting to his feet. "It's...it's getting late. We should go back."

The clouds aggregated as they started to head home. Gilbert turned his face to a rumbling sky and stretched out his palm.

"I think it's going to rain."

A light drizzle became a roaring downpour in mere minutes. There was no shelter, save for what the occasional tree could offer. Water was gushing along the sides of the streets through the gutters. The rain pelted against them and soaked their clothes through, slowing them down and making the return much longer and more difficult than it should have been. It was cold, violent, and miserable. Romano wrapped his coat tighter around himself, but it did little good. He trudged along behind Gilbert, until Gilbert reached back and grasped his hand, urging him to run.

Romano did run, as well as he was able to, considering he could no longer feel the ground beneath him. Everything else fell away as he held tightly to Gilbert's slippery grip—the rain, the wind, the cold. None of it weighed on him anymore. He was soaring.

They burst into the café as desperately as near-drowning victims clawing for land, and just as drenched. Romano's chest burned as he tried to catch his breath. Gilbert rested wearily against the door and struggled with a fit of giggling whilst choking for air. Despite Romano's complaints towards how he was shivering as he removed his heavy, sopping coat, he had to purse his lips into a tight line to prevent himself from smiling.

Gilbert bated the chill by rubbing his hands fervently against Romano's arms, up and down. The warmth only lasted for as long as he did so before stopping, and then Romano felt bare on top of frigid. He was caught between wanting Gilbert to hold him and knowing that he would push him away if he dared.

"So, was I successful in cheering you up?" Gilbert asked.

It wouldn't do either of them any good for Romano to encourage him. He tore away from Gilbert and climbed the stairs. "It's not your responsibility, you know. To make me feel better."

"I don't like seeing you look unhappy," Gilbert said, hurrying after him.

Romano glowered at his shoes. "I always look unhappy."

Romano figured Gilbert should know that about him. He couldn't always be trying to brighten his mood. That was too big a job for anyone. It wasn't that Romano never enjoyed things, but his mind occupied itself with finding endless reasons as to why he shouldn't.

"Well, then," Gilbert said. "You're just going to have to get used to me trying to make you smile."

Gilbert stopped him at the top of the steps, just outside the door to the apartment. Romano shrunk against the wall away from him and kept his eyes downcast. When Gilbert whispered his name this time, Romano realized why he was doing it. He said it like a request, or a warning. He was trying to kiss him. Romano pushed past him and grabbed the doorknob.

"Oh," Gilbert put out his hand, "Romano, wait—"

Romano opened the door and froze, slowly processing what he was seeing in his living room. Why was Feli sitting in Ludwig's lap? Why were they scrambling off the couch and looking so embarrassed? Why was their clothing rumpled? He looked to Gilbert for some answer to the questions running through his mind and saw a sheepish, but blatantly amused grin slapped across his face. It brought back to Romano's mind how Gilbert and his brother had been whispering to each other in the hall before Gilbert had decided to get him off the couch, how determined they'd been that he leave the apartment.

Gilbert and Feli had orchestrated this. This entire night had been a ploy, and Romano had been gullible enough to fall for it. He had never felt more betrayed.

Feliciano attempted to explain as Romano recovered from the initial shock. Romano didn't want to stand there so his brother could spell it out for him and make him look like the idiot he knew he was. He ran straight to his room, ignoring the three voices calling him back, and slammed the door behind him. He couldn't sit, or lie down, his chest was hurting too much for him to even think straight. He buried his face in his hands, because now the tears were coming.

He wanted to hit his head against the wall for crying over something like this. Why was he letting this get to him? He didn't even want Gilbert to like him.

Well...that was a lie...

There was a banging at his door, and Gilbert was shouting for him. That fucking bastard. He acted like he knew Romano so well, yet he didn't realize that the worst thing he could have done to him was fooling him into believing that he cared.

Gilbert came in without permission. Romano should have locked the door.

"Hey, don't just storm off like that." Romano kept his back turned as Gilbert went on. "Look, okay, I wasn't completely honest with you, but...hey..." Romano covered his mouth to stop the sobs from breaking through, but his shoulders wouldn't stop shuddering. Gilbert's voice became concerned. "Hey, are you crying? Why are you crying?"

"Why do you think?!" Romano snapped, casting a glare over his shoulder.

Gilbert frowned apologetically. "I expected you to be a little mad. I didn't mean to make you cry."

He really didn't understand Romano at all.

"You thought I'd be 'a little mad' that you lied about wanting to hang out with me so that our brothers could make out on the couch?!" He was beginning to question every nice thing that Gilbert had ever said to him. Had all of it been just to distract him? That sounded too elaborate, but the floodgates were open now and all the doubt just kept pouring in.

"Is that what you think?" He knitted his brows together. "I admit, Feli wanted me to get you out of the house so he and my brother could have some time alone together, but I didn't lie about wanting to go out with you tonight."

Romano ignored the way he said, "go out with you", because he was far too pissed off. "Yeah, sure," he snarled. "Why should I believe anything you say after you tricked me like that?"

"Jesus," Gilbert groaned. "What do I have to do to get through to you?"

"What are you—"

He didn't get to finish speaking before Gilbert seized him by the shoulders and brought their lips crashing together. The kiss was so rough and forceful that Romano thought his mouth was going to bruise. It was terrible. He used all his strength to push Gilbert away from him. Gilbert stumbled backward and stared at him, a wounded expression on his face.

"Um," he mumbled awkwardly. "Maybe I should start over."

Romano rolled his eyes at him. "Yeah. Maybe you should start over from outside the door."

"Oh." Gilbert tilted his head in confusion. "Uhh. Okay?" He gave Romano a look before stepping out of the room. Before he had time to turn back around, Romano went forward and closed the door on him, making sure to lock it this time.


You people have no idea how many times I've edited these chapters, especially the first seven, AFTER the initial upload.