They say that dreams are a reflection of your true self, and they also represent your inner desires. If that were true, then I must have been craving tomatoes. Yay for tomatoes!

To appease my grumbling stomach, I stood out of bed and walked over to the kitchen to snack on the delectable red orbs. A lot of people thought I was obsessed since childhood when it came to my favourite fruit, and frankly, I couldn't blame them. Although I never placed the reason of why I loved them so much, only that I did it with a passion.

My dreams weren't always about tomatoes. Recently I had been having dreams that turned into nightmares very quickly, though I don't exactly remember how. All I know is that one moment I feel like I'm on top of the world, and then suddenly I feel broken and misplaced. I really didn't like feeling that way because it made my gut hurt and then I couldn't eat. Which would be a terrible experience!

There were a few things I remembered from these 'visions', like being surrounded by tomatoes. Okay, so I may have dreamt about them nearly every night, b-but there's a reason why they were always in this particular dream! And that's because deep within the throngs of tomatoes and snow [I don't know why it's always snowing in those dreams] is a person waiting for me. Well, I didn't really remember what this person looked like, but I did know that they were shorter than me. And apparently, the stranger was breathtakingly beautiful.

I mean, that has to be the reason! was the sort of logic I used at the time, but who could blame me? Whenever I turned to look at their face and their everything my body would go numb and I'd feel blush rise to my cheeks. I knew that I blushed even in my sleep during these dreams because my best friend Gilbert told me that I was "smiling like an idiot and blushing". Err, that was embarrassing.

Anyways, even if the dreams unnerved me and left a metaphorical cloud of dread over my head after waking up, I still wanted to relive it over and over again. I suppose that my wishes had something to do with that mysterious person who was always under the cover of shadows, well, not ALWAYS. There were several instances during different dreams when the stranger would reach out a hand and gently stroke my face. I had noticed that their skin was a magnetizing olive that outshone the snow with its glow.

Other times, the person would turn their head a bit and I'd catch a glimpse of gold sparkling in their eyes. I often wondered how my imagination could create such a perfect being, because I never remembered meeting anyone with such enchanting orbs on an apparently flawless face. I knew that due to the fact that I once gathered all my courage and touched their poorly-lit profile.

Immediately, the curves of a unique nose, small [and delicately smooth] lips and round, squishy cheeks met my skin. Not a single blemish or imperfection could be found. My heart beat anxiously and all I could hear was the soft pattering of snow hitting the ground and the pounding of blood in my ears. Then, at that very moment, the stranger's eyes were lit and I could see the colours that swirled in those enchanting orbs.

Green rimmed with hazel and gold flecks, along with long eyelashes that fluttered with each blink.

It was then that I became aware of the fact that I was in love.

Now, I had gone out with a few girls and guys back in my school days, but after all of them proved to be unsatisfactory, I decided to just wait for the right one.

Who apparently lived in my dreams. And that sucked.

It wasn't that I had given up on going out with other people entirely; it's just that all of my relationships were always missing something. The people I went out with were nice and cheerful so they were easy to talk to, but they all lacked depth and fire that I was looking for. I had no idea why I searched for someone with a unique personality, only that the prospect of meeting a person like that made my heart pound frantically.

And finding out that I was in love with a dream wasn't exactly icing on the cake, no, it was more of an insane revelation that I liked to forget. But I was in love, and I knew it.

However, the stranger was the only thing I liked about the dream; everything else made me uncomfortable. Like how the ending would always be in flames. I had assumed—at the time—that it had something to do with my irrational fear of fire. My aunt had helped me get over a little bit of the phobia after she taught me how to cook and comforted me until I could go near a stove with ease. So maybe it wasn't strange for a nightmare of mine to end in flames, I had thought. But the fire wasn't the scariest part of the vision; it was when the mysterious person disappeared.

My insides coiled at the thought of that enchanting personage disappearing, and suddenly, I didn't feel hungry anymore. After checking the time [1:43 pm] and dressing myself in some warm clothes, I opened my front door and stepped out, feeling the chilly November air.

I was supposed to go to the laboratory for work on that day [I was a herpetologist] but two of my co-workers—marine biologists Marchello Vargas and Michelle Francois—accidently messed up one of their experiments, causing smoke and stench to fill all the rooms. The head of our Environmental Research division—ecologist Matthew Williams [I think]—thought it would be best for a cleanup crew to come in and clear the areas. So I basically had the entire day off.

Gilbert was an ornithologist at my work place and he had the day off too, so we decided to pay a visit to our good friend Francis, who owned a prestigious restaurant that had recently opened. The establishment wasn't far from where I lived so I decided to walk instead of taking my car. Walking through the door I spotted my albino friend right away as he was busy grooming his pet chick, Gilbird. The adorable creature followed him everywhere and I wished that my turtles could do the same… but they can't, they're too tiny for that.

After some small talk with the Prussian [he hated anyone who called him German] and a nice glass of tomato juice on the side, Francis finally left the kitchen as he walked over to our table and took a seat. We talked for awhile until the topic of my dream came into the conversation.

"You know, mon ami, I have a friend named Hercules who's a psychiatrist and I think that he could really help you with your dream problem," he told me, and then took a bite out of his croissant. Gilbert nodded in acknowledgment of the plan, followed by him stealing a sausage from Francis' plate.

"It's not really a problem, guys, just a dream," I tried to say in a comforting tone, though the looks on their faces read doubtful.

"Anton, I see how shaken up you get after waking up, and we'd be un-awesome friends if we were to just do nothing about it!" Gilbert argued, and I couldn't help but be grateful for the caring buddies I had that would do what they did to help. On one hand, I became addicted to the stranger in my dreams. Yet on the other hand, it always ended up in flames and fear. So even if I didn't want to, I nodded my head in defeat.

"Okay, I'll think about it."


Francis suggested that all three of us visit the newly opened park near the border of the city, so after signing out of his work around four in the afternoon, we jumped into his car and drove off. I had read about the fruits that they had grown during the construction and such, and I wondered whether or not they had tomatoes. If they didn't, I planned on suggesting that they start growing the delicious fruits!

Suddenly, Gilbert's phone rang and the albino picked it up immediately after reading the caller id.

"BIRDIE~!" he shouted, making me smile a bit. Matthew [or something like that] was going out with my best friend, and because the guy didn't seem half bad, I wasn't worried in the least. Francis and I gave each other knowing looked as we watched the super happy grin that Gilbert was wearing.

"Really? We're heading out there now, coincidently enough! … Huh? Oh, that'd be awesome! Don't worry about a thing, mein vogel, I'll be there!" he sang, and then hung up.

"Guys, Mattie wants to meet at the park. That cool?" Gilbert asked, though he really didn't have to, he was just doing it to be nice.

"No need to worry, Gil, Frannie and I are fine with it!" I answered cheerfully, because I knew that my friend needed support. Despite how confident he is, the guy had a hard time expressing his feelings for the Canadian before they started going out.

"Oui, you should have fun with your petit ami, and then maybe you two can get it on later, ehh~?" Francis asked with a suggestive manner, making me laugh with hysteria. When it came to getting touchy with his lover, Gilbert could be… a prude on certain occasions. He told us that kissing and a bit of biting was fine, but when the other started to get panty and moaning, he just didn't know how to respond. Because apparently, it turned him on a lot. Ah, my friend could be adorable at times~!

When we drove through the gates of the park, I spotted a co-worker of mine, Mei. She was one of the zoologists at my workplace and had a heart of gold when it came to animals, so we got along well. I waved to her as she got out of her car, and after spotting me, she waved back. Next to her was an Asian boy with choppy hair that sort of covered semi-thick eyebrows, and he had a face that looked as expressionless as a stone. The person that got out of the driver's seat was Elizaveta, a childhood friend of Gilbert's, and I waved to her too.

Unfortunately she didn't notice me because she was busy talking to another person that stepped out of the car they seemed to have all arrived in together. The man was turned around, so I couldn't see his face, but he had a strange curl sticking out from his hair. It was really weird and the only other people I had met with a curl similar to that was Marchello and his cousin Feliciano [he was Gilbert's younger brother's boyfriend]. Shrugging, I turned to the other window and admired the greenery that surrounded a vast lake.

There weren't a lot of people in the area, and I supposed it was because of the fact that the park hadn't officially announced that it was open. I had visited the place while it was still under renovation so that I could assist in calculating the demographics for the amount of wildlife they would keep in the park, therefore I was very familiar with what places had the best scenery.

After parking near the lake and exiting the car, I watched as Gilbert wordlessly waved us goodbye and ran towards a red-faced Martin… no, Matthew… maybe. While Francis and I were walking around and admiring the background, a group of attractive girls passed us by. Almost immediately, I think his 'pervert' switch was flicked and the Frenchman was flirting and hooking up with them faster than I could eat lots of tomatoes. He was definitely something, alright.

"Ah, Antoine, is it alright if I accompany these lovely ladies through the park?" he asked while stroking the arm of one of the tallest girls. That's Francis for you. I smiled and gave him a thumbs up, after all, I suddenly felt like being alone. When his back was out of my sight, I turned around and walked towards the vegetation area to search for tomatoes.

It was late in November during that time and the newscasters said that the weather would be mildly cold, so I brought a scarf just in case. After securing the garment around my neck and fastening my gloves I continued my stroll. There was a calm and quiet air that the trees mysteriously gave, and the cool gusts of winter air really reminded me of something… something I'd experienced before. I shrugged, believing that the feeling could have been déjà vu for all I cared. But it wasn't just that.

While walking through an archway that had flowered-vines decorating it in an artistic kind of way, I spotted them. There they were, right under the canopy of a large oak.

Tomato plants.

They were in between the stage where they had just sprung from the ground and when they would be growing tomato flowers soon enough. With that in mind I was put at ease knowing that, soon enough, my favourite food would be present in the beautiful garden. I could just picture the throngs of tomatoes everywhere, and I wondered whether or not the officials would let me grab some when they grew to be edible in the future.

While deeply in thought, I hadn't noticed that the sun was nearing a sun set. That day had been cloudless while the air was cool, creating the perfect atmosphere of warmth. My favourite feeling was having cold skin heated by the sun, so I was particularly happy to be in my position. But then I noticed that the sun had disappeared behind a sudden bunch of clouds that covered what was once a blue sky.

The chill was icy by then and I shivered vigorously. It was then that I detected the lack of warmth around my neck, and I reached for my scarf, but it wasn't there.

And then something soft and wet evaporated on my skin. I looked up to the white blanket that covered the firmament and watched as small white specks began to descend from upon the upper atmosphere.

It was snowing.

Lost in the sight before me, I watched as the beautiful flakes made their way down to earth, turning to water as soon as they touched something solid. It was breathtaking. And then the sound of ruffling leaves from behind caught my attention.

"Hey, forgetful bastard, you dropped your scarf," a soft yet gruff voice said, and I sharply turned around in alarm when I caught sight of a man [judging from his voice] shadowed by the canopy of the trees. And he was holding my yellow and red scarf in his hands. He walked closer, stumbling a bit over the roots of the trees that hid beneath the grass [which was kind of cute], until he finally walked into view where there was adequate lighting.

The first thing I noticed about him was that curl. He was the one from earlier that Elizaveta had driven over to the park, so I immediately thought we could become friends [naturally, I think that of all friends of my friends due to my personality]. And then my eyes shifted to where his was, and I heard a sharp intake of breath come from myself.

Because they were exactly like the ones in my dream: in colour, in shape and even with the same long eyelashes. The man's eyebrows were furrowed a little, but that was probably because I was staring at him intently like a curious child. The truth was that that was exactly how I felt; curious.

"Um, yeah, so here's your scarf," he mumbled and handed said garment to me. I took it from his hands and secured it comfily around my neck. Ah, the sensation was wonderful~! Then I gave him a bright smile and shook his hand with the same amount of charisma that I greeted everyone with. It was warm and felt very soft.

"Thank you very much, sir, I guess I'm just clumsy~!" I said in a cheerful voice and laughed a bit; watching with wonder as his face suddenly turned a shocking crimson. Can faces even do that? I wondered. His eyes widened and it looked like he was scanning my profile or something with doubt—though I couldn't imagine why—but that was fine with me since I was observing him too, but with interest. Getting a better look at the guy, I noticed that he had olive skin and wasn't very tall for a man.

He had a young sort of face and couldn't be past nineteen at the very least, but the way he was dressing said otherwise. Wearing a trench coat with a button up dress shirt underneath and ironed trousers, the stranger looked like the average working man, not to mention the fact that he had a mature sort of air to himself. Ah, but that blush was enticing to me for reasons I hadn't known. I mean, I had just met the guy, there was no way I could have been attracted to him so easily.

But the snow landing on his sun-blessed skin and clashing with his red face made me feel like jelly on this inside. The guy was handsome, okay? I mean, there was nothing wrong with blushing a little, which was what I did, until I reminded myself that it was stupid to feel so charmed by someone I hadn't known for an hour.

Then again, he had the same eyes, height and skin colour as the person in my dreams, but there could have been so many other people in the world that fit that description. Yet he seemed different, and the way he looked at me made me believe that I knew his face from somewhere.

But where?

"Um, I'm leaving now," the man suddenly said, and turned to leave. I watched his back as it became smaller and smaller, and moments later I felt panicked. I wanted to stop the man, but at the same time I didn't. After all, what would I have said to a total stranger? True, I piped conversations with random people all the time and had no problem doing so, but he seemed different.

Like he was in a league of his own. Unique, I think, would be the right word for it.

As I watched the mysterious guy leave, I felt as if I had lost something and the feeling of emptiness made my stomach feel sore. Then again, that happened to me when I was anxious or distressed, so why would I have been in that state after watching him leave? Was it because I felt guilty for not thanking him properly? In that case, I should have just followed him and returned the favour; that would be my normal move in those sorts of situations. Yet I couldn't do it.

My body was frozen stiff and I couldn't move my feet in the least, to my great displeasure [mostly because it was starting to get freezing cold]. After a few minutes of continuously staring in the direction that the man had walked to, I finally got a grip and ran to the place where Francis' car was parked.

My mind was racing with questions, and I couldn't believe that the short encounter with the stranger would leave me so intrigued and curious. Not to mention the tiny details like the fact that my heart was beating furiously, my chest felt heavy and my face was warm; the cold no longer bothered my body. He was a mystery, yet he also struck me as…

Familiar.

Ah, how contradictive of me.

And for some reason, I couldn't stop beating myself up for letting him walk away like that; I had just stood there and watched him go! The opportunity was right in my face, but I just ignored it! Sometimes I grew sick of myself. I sort of understood why, though.

Because I didn't see a good thing until it was gone.


A herpetologist is like someone that studies reptiles and amphibians, and an ornithologist is someone that studies birds :)

Soooo they met, but Lovino got away! ... That's pretty much it. Yeah, I feel like throwing rocks at Antonio for just standing there like an idiot, but then again, I'm the one that made him do that~! ahahahah... =_= but the reason he didn't 'fall in love at first sight' and some shit like people usually make him do in other fics is because I don't believe in love at first sight, nor do I think it's very realistic. And I WANT to make this story realistic, which was why I let Lovino get away. But don't worry, because I don't plan on leaving things like this, and neither does Antonio ^w^

Next chapter is Lovino's POV~!