Tienimi Stretto (Hold Me Closely)
Chapter 7
Lovino lazily plopped down in his desk chair the next morning. There was a hazy layer of tiredness covering his eyes as he looked over the day's to-do list. Look over files…Collect some data… Call some witnesses… It was an average workload that would allow him some extra time to fit his brother's investigation in his schedule.
A couple of dark dots in the worn ceiling of the office drew the attention of his eyes while his mind floated back to his conversation with that old man in the alleyway. He shivered—disgust filling him as he thought about how the fucker had looked at him. He always hated using the appeal of his body in order to get information, but sometimes it had to be done in order to isolate the target.
And what he had discovered… only confirmed his suspicions.
"What do you know about Feliciano Vargas?"
The man shook his head violently, the name seeming to not register in his brain.
"I-I don't know any—" Lovino cut him off with a threatening growl.
"That's a damn lie. A couple years ago, you were a suspect in his case due to your relations with the De Lucas. Don't you dare tell me that they didn't have it out for the Vargases." He took a step forward towards the quivering man, who was starting to hyperventilate.
"I-I…haven't been part of the De Lucas in years! After the whole fiasco with that missing kid, I got out. I—" A hard smack against his head caused him to yelp out in pain and clutch at the throbbing area.
"I didn't ask for your life story, bastard. I asked you to talk about the missing kid. Was it the De Lucas who took him?"
Still clutching his cranium, he straightened up a little. "No, are you kidding? You couldn't even get close to the Vargas brats. You think me or someone from the De Lucas could snatch one of them with that much security around? Yeah, right."
Grabbing onto the man's arm, Lovino twisted the appendage behind his back and slammed him into the wall. Hisses came from both the pinned man and the Italian. "They did once, when they were eight. You fuckers practically traumatized them! Why wouldn't they do it again?"
"That was before the De Lucas made a peace agreement with the Vargases. As far as I know, it's still intact to this day."
"So you had nothing to do with Feliciano's kidnapping? You better not be lying otherwise I will not hesitate to put this bullet in the back of your balding head." He demonstrated the threat, digging the metal object snuggly into his exposed skin.
There was a new wave of panic in his voice. "N-no! I was just in the area, I swear! I don't know any more than that. Please, let me go!"
"If I find out you ever were somehow involved with my brother's disappearance, I will find you and personally make sure you vanish off the fucking face of this earth. Got it?"
"Y-yes, I understand. Please—" The man paused for a moment in realization, "'Brother'…?"
Feeling the hold removed from his back, the old man spun around—only to face an empty alley filled with steam, scattered trash, and a few rays of moonlight.
The pencil Lovino had been brutishly tapping against his desk snapped between his fingers. Tossing the broken, useless instrument in the trash can, Lovino pushed back his auburn locks in an attempt to cool his head as he leaned back in his chair. Ok, he had to think this through.
Well, he hadn't known that there was an agreement between the two families. It had to have been done privately without Feli or Lovino knowing about it. The De Lucas were one of their greatest rivals at the time, and they were the only ones with the power and resources enough to challenge the Vargases. But if they had really negotiated a peace treaty, neither side would dare violate it. Broken agreements were as bad as breaking the law or betraying your own kind; it was unacceptable by any standards. If their agreement was still valid to this day, that meant that the De Lucas had done nothing to break it.
Which also meant that they didn't take Feli.
The man had also made another good point. If any other people had tried to take one of the grandsons, they would have had to face security systems and countless guards. This would have made it almost impossible for an ordinary person to get passed. Unless… the person that took Feli didn't have to get through all those precautions.
Lovino groaned, throwing his head into his lap. So it was true then. He had spent years denying it and trying to push the thoughts away—somehow hoping he was wrong. But with the facts laid out in front of him, there was no doubt about it.
It had been an inside job. And he had a good idea about who the culprit was.
"Shit." Lovino muttered under his breath.
"If you're cursing this early in the morning, either you must have had a hard night or you haven't had coffee yet."
The Italian looked up towards the voice to see his blonde assistant, who wore a pleasant smile and held out a mug of the steaming liquid gold.
"Both, actually. Thanks." He took the cup from Matthew's hand, making sure to grip the handle in orderto avoid burning his fingertips. The smile faltered for a moment in the Canadian's (it was hard not to know he was from Canada with the amount of red and white maple leaf ties he owned) happy expression as Lovino took a sip of the caffeinated drink.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Lovino stared down at his reflection in the dark liquid, pondering whether he was actually in the mood to talk or not. Although Matthew was his assistant and came in to the office only three times a week, he found the blonde a good person to talk to—whether it was complaining or taking his stress out on someone. The Canadian didn't seem to mind, and even shared some of his opinions. Personal issues, however, were not big on Lovino's list of things to talk about with co-workers. Or with anyone, for that matter.
"Not really," he decided. Matthew nodded silently, but still didn't move away.
"Does this have anything to do with Antonio?"
Now, that caught Lovino's attention. A nicely arched eyebrow greeted the Canadian. "Why would you think that?"
"Well, after you guys returned from your last job, he was sulking around the station like a lost puppy. All the girls were trying to comfort him. Did you yell at him?"
The good thing about last night's mission: it had succeeded in taking his mind off his overbearing partner. The bad thing: now that he was reminded of what had happened in their last assignment, he felt the extent of guilt and irritation rush back to him ten-fold what it had been before.
"I might have… a little."
Had he been that much of an asshole to Antonio? It was his fault for hounding him! He should just stay out of his business. And he shouldn't be so sensitive! Those women were like vultures. If you show weakness, they'll—
Lovino swallowed, not too sure he liked the idea of Antonio crying on someone else's shoulder. Maybe he should just get it over with and try to talk to him. Standing up out of his chair, Lovino looked directly at a surprised Matthew.
"Fine, where is he?"
After he had shot him a knowing smile (which Lovino really didn't appreciate), Matthew took a moment to think before shaking his head. "I didn't see him come in this morning, actually."
"What? Well where else would the bastard be?"
"No idea. Maybe Chief had him do something? I have to go print some labels for these files." He lifted the stack of beige folders up for emphasis before pressing them to his chest again, "Good luck."
Lovino huffed in frustration, deciding to see if Antonio's desk area looked used. Walking over to his cubical, he realized that this was the first time he had actually seen Antonio's work space. Antonio had usually come to him—not the other way around.
He first looked over the walls, which were filled up with mini posters of sceneries in Spain, pictures of tomatoes (Lovino approved of this) and other vegetables, and inspirational quotes. His desk was littered with a variety of notepads and writing devices that weren't the most organized, but somehow weren't considered messy either. The last significant thing he noticed was a lone plant next to his computer, still living off the previous day's water. After taking in the decorations, Lovino looked at the computer screen, only to find that the bastard wasn't even logged in.
Why wouldn't he be there? Could something have happened to him? Lovino had been so focused on getting home that he didn't even know when the Spaniard had left. The people that were out to get Lovino…wouldn't have targeted his partner as well, would they? An unsettling feeling began to make its home in the pit of his stomach. Lovino knew the hard answer to that question.
Spinning on his heel, Lovino jogged over to the secretary area, heading straight for the secretary who would be in charge of setting up their schedules. He stopped in surprise when he saw at the specified desk Michelle, who was busy talking on the phone with a client. He hadn't really been over to this side of the office, so learning that Michelle had been in charge of scheduling this whole time was a bit of a shock. Her dark brown pigtails seemed to bounce every time she spoke—something Lovino found youthful but also strangely annoying. When she finally put down the phone, she looked up at Lovino and flashed him a smile.
"Hi Lovino! What can I do for you?"
Lovino tried to ignore the three pairs of eyes watching their exchange, eager to have new material for gossip. Women.
"Uh, can you see if Antonio checked in today?"
Leaning her chair a bit more towards him, she shot him a questioning gaze. "Checked in? What are you talking about? Antonio has the day off."
He blinked, a twitch forming in his left eye. "What?! Are you kidding me?"
Michelle's eyes fell to her computer, her fingers quickly gliding over the keyboard before she pointed to the screen. "Yeah. He requested to have this day free," Her gaze was back on Lovino, "Did he not tell you?"
He clicked his tongue. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he tried to look like he didn't care. Who did that bastard think he was? Making him panic and worry like that? When he saw him, he was going to—
Lovino froze. What? What could he do?
He thanked and flashed an appreciative smile at the confused secretary before turning away. As soon as he was facing the opposite way, three heads dove down behind the safety of their cubical wall. He mentally registered the fact that they were eavesdropping, but at that moment he didn't care. He quickly walked back down the hall, making sure to glare at the women if they dared to sneak-a-peak at the Italian.
Why was he getting so angry? Lovino had no right to be—what Antonio did in his free-time was his business, and if he decided to take the day off, he didn't need to tell Lovino a thing. They were partners for work and that was all, yet somehow he had a hard time convincing himself that that was all they were.
"Damn it all." He whispered to himself, an apprehensive feeling coming over him as he went back to work.
~x~
As the last employee left the building and the lights automatically shut off, Lovino reminded himself that there were no such things as ghosts or demons and went back to gathering up his things.
He quickly put his belongings in his messenger bag, leaving his packed up bag to rest on his desk seat. He headed down the hall, coming to a stop in front of a locked door. With his trusty key card in hand, Lovino waited for the green light to flash before he heard a click and pushed the door opened. His footsteps echoed against the concrete as he walked alongside the narrow black wall that separated him from the large expanse of the room. Grabbing a pair of headphones, goggles, and a gun from the supply cabinet, the Italian positioned himself at his favorite stall—the third to last one.
Once all preparations were ready and he had the protective gloves snuggly on, Lovino loaded the gun and raised it to adjust his aim. His eyes zeroed in on the faceless cardboard silhouette across the room that hung quietly in the air, taunting him. A few seconds passed by before a loud crackle sounded through the air—the force sending the Italian a step back. Lovino smirked, lowering the gun to see that he had hit the cardboard man just where he wanted: squarely in the head.
Ah, there was nothing like staying late at the station and honing your shooting skills. It may have been a little bit creepy, but it was one of Lovino's favorite forms of stress relief when he had a problem he couldn't solve or just had a lot on his mind. To him, practice shooting beat the usual forms of stress relief, such as calling someone or listening to music. Who would he call, anyway? It wasn't like he had any friends.
Lovino fired a couple more shots at the cardboard cut-out, hitting it's stomach, feet area, and lastly, it's heart. He felt like the cardboard man was too easy to defeat, so he moved on to the more advanced zone, in which he was supposed to hit a moving target. Adjusting the level of difficulty and pressing the 'go' button, he trained his eyes on the zig-zagging motion of the 'man'. The grip of his hands remained in a steady position—never moving until he saw that right opportunity.
There. His body shifted downwards as he shot the bullet, watching a dark hole form in the shoulder of the moving silhouette. A 'tch' came from the Italian. Well, that was to be expected. It was on the hardest level of difficulty after all.
He restarted the machine, firing again and again until he finally hit the cardboard man in the heart and head. He mentally cheered for himself, guiltily imagining applause to support his achievement. Yet when his mind had calmed and he lowered his gun, he still heard the muffled noise of applause. Lovino whipped his head around in confusion, stopping once he saw a familiar figure standing away from him.
He pulled off the headphones, a sense of noise clarity hitting him instantly.
"Antonio?"
The Spaniard was wearing dark blue jeans and a loose purple V-neck with short sleeves. This was probably the first time Lovino had seen him in casual wear, and he had to admit—it really suited him. Antonio always gave off a sense of nonchalance and informality, so things like suits and ties made him look out of his element.
Digging his fingers into his pockets but leaving his thumbs hanging out, Antonio smiled—enough for those cute dimples of his to make their full appearance.
"Hola, Lovi."
His rich Spanish voice provided a familiar calm for Lovino—one that made him comfortable to be himself or say whatever's on his mind. He wanted to yell at him, to reprimand him for not telling he was going to be gone, he stopped himself.
That was right—he had no reason to be angry.
Deciding he was done for the day, Lovino walked over to the supply cabinet to remove the bullets from his gun. As he did so, he tried to be as casual as possible.
"Well, bastard, how was your day off? Did you do something idiotic and stupid?"
Antonio laughed, taking a few steps closer to the busy Italian. "It was great! You know my amigos I told you about? Well, I got to see them today!"
His hands paused, cradling the bullets between the pads of his fingers. "Oh, really."
So Antonio had spent the day screwing around with is so-called friends while Lovino was running around like a fool looking for him? He felt stupid for even worrying about the bastard. Well it was at least a vacation within itself—a vacation from Lovino. Antonio didn't need Lovino; he was sociable and happy and could make the best of any situation without the grumpy Italian there.
Lovino's eyes widened in surprise. Oh no. He couldn't have actually wanted Antonio to need him. It wasn't like he needed the Spaniard... did he? Lovino swallowed, emotions that he had long since buried resurfacing.
Lovino had decided at the pubescent age of thirteen that he didn't need anyone. Not his brother. Not his MIA parents. And definitely not his grandfather. He would get by in this world on his own strength, and if he had an issue, he got through it using his own power. Relying on others only made you weak, as he had seen with many of his classmates in the academy and his current co-workers. People failed when that pillar that they had been leaning against suddenly disappeared, leaving them like a newborn calf that doesn't even know how to stand up.
The fact that the thought of relying on the Spaniard even popped up in his mind scared him. Fuck.
Placing the gun securely in the cabinet and locking it, Lovino pulled off his goggles.
"What are you even doing here? The point of having a day off is to stay away from work, idiot."
"Ah, well, I came here to see you, actually."
Lovino turned his head to him, a look of bewilderment on his face.
"Why? You'll see me tomorrow." Antonio rubbed the back of his neck in a shy manner.
"I'm not so sure myself. I just…wanted to."
What… what was that supposed to mean? Antonio really expected him to believe that he drove all this way just to see him? What was he supposed to say at this moment? He decided to take the easy way out and avoid answering. Peeling off his glove set, Lovino threw them down on the table and walked past the Spaniard.
"Time to go, bastard."
As he neared the exit of the training room, he heard his name echo across the room. He turned his body half way to face Antonio as he jogged up to him.
"Have you eaten?"
Lovino had not eaten. In fact, he was so wrapped up in own thoughts that he even forgot to have lunch. Before he could even make a decision for himself, his stomach alerted the Spaniard with a growl. Antonio chuckled while Lovino avoided his eyes and clenched his stomach. Damn traitor.
"I take that as a yes. Come on, I know the perfect place."
His partner flashed him that wonderful, bright smile of his as he grabbed onto his shoulders and pushed Lovino out of the room.
He didn't protest as much as he thought he should have.
~x~
"Welcome!"
As soon as the light illuminated the area, Lovino's eyes struggled to adjust to the brightness. He blinked a couple times, scanning his surroundings as he did so. He shot a look at the Spaniard smiling in the doorway.
"And the perfect place is…your apartment?"
"Si! You'll see why in a minute." Antonio winked at him before running off to another room, leaving Lovino to freely look over his partner's living space.
Walking past the entry way and laying his messenger bag on a nearby table, Lovino looked over the living room. It was smaller than his own, with one burgundy leather couch, a glass coffee table, and a black widescreen TV on the wall. It may not have been very big, but it did give off that cozy feeling that made it really feel like a home.
He ran his fingers across the DVDs on the wooden bookshelf in the corner, silently chuckling at some of the movies and shows that he owned. A lot were in Spanish, but the section of American films was all of the ones that Lovino would never admit to liking but secretly loved.
When he heard footsteps approaching him, Lovino turned to face a grinning Antonio, who was now wearing an apron with the word 'España' written all over it. He had his hands hidden securely behind his back where Lovino couldn't see, which only elevated the Italian's curiosity.
"What's with the ridiculous apron?" Antonio looked down at his attire, slowly smoothing out any wrinkles in the fabric with one hand.
"It's always best to cook comfortably, no? Here," Antonio removed his other hand from his back and handed Lovino a neatly folded tomato apron, "This one's mi favorito, but, I'll let you borrow it for tonight."
The Italian reached out and took the article of clothing, opening it to see the festive red tomato design that decorated the whole thing. Lovino wanted to object—to scoff at the idea of 'cute' aprons and 'silly' patterns. However…
Lovino stared Antonio in the eye, explicit seriousness in his expression.
"You have a tomato apron. Do you know how fucking awesome that is?"
An astonished smile came from Antonio. "You like tomatoes, Lovi?"
"Like them? I'm practically married to them. We have three kids and a golden retriever." As he led Lovino to the kitchen, Antonio faked shock.
"Whaaaat? I thought I was married to them first! Ah, the betrayal! Mi corazon!" Lovino chuckled, still in possession of the coveted cloth piece.
"Tough luck, bastard. Now, what the hell are we doing?"
A smirk spread across the Spaniard's lips. Grabbing a ladle from the counter, he pointed it at a perplexed Lovino. "Mi amigo, we are going to cook!"
Lovino rolled his eyes at the obvious statement. "I figured that much. I meant, what the hell are we cooking?"
"You can cook whatever you want! It's a competition, so make your best dish." Antonio gestured to all the ingredients he had placed on the counter, including pots, pans, and many utensils. Lovino vaguely recalled Antonio challenging him to a cook-off a while back. He wanted to cash in on that now? Weird bastard. Well, he better not come crying to him when he loses.
Un-wrapping the apron and putting it on himself, Lovino tied the strings around his waist in a loose hanging bow. "You're on, tomato bastard."
With that affirmation, the two men went to work. Lovino immediately began boiling the water, his mind still undecided about which type of pasta to use. Should he use fettuccine? Penne? Farfalle? If he was going to win this 'competition' of theirs, he had better prepare his signature item: Penne Bolognese, which was penne pasta with beef, garlic, mushroom and red bell pepper in a tomato sauce. If anything would knock the Spaniard's socks off, it was this.
While he worked, Lovino remembered a time when he hadn't known how to cook or look after himself. A loving family, people to cook and clean after him, no worries or responsibilities—he used to think he had it all. But once his parents had practically dumped him and his brother with their widowed grandfather and took off, things changed. Lovino took his mother's place in caring for and nagging at Feli—beating up bullies, making sure he ate the lunch he made him instead of giving it away to his hungry friends, and yelling at him when he did something stupid. He got a little stricter, a lot less trusting, and sure as hell capable. If he had anything to thank his failure of a parents for, it was for that.
His talent in cooking, however, came naturally. He was an Italian, after all. He had it down to an art, enough to where he could probably make a whole meal of pasta in his sleep. The great thing about pasta was that the taste never got old; he could imagine having it every night if he could.
Putting the finishing touches to his masterpiece, Lovino proudly stared down at the dish in front of him. Steam from the freshly boiled pasta swirled up into the air, while the heavenly mix of the spices and marinara sauce sent his nose to cloud 9. A long glance over at Antonio's side showed that he was also almost finished as he leaned over the counter to sprinkle a few extra spices over whatever he had made. Getting impatient and worrying that the food would get cold, Lovino tapped his foot.
"You ready, bastard?"
"Almost…mmm, there!" Antonio popped up and smiled at Lovino, "Done."
Grabbing the hot dish with his protective mitt, the Italian nodded towards the exit, "Great. Now let's actually eat the damn food before we die of starvation."
"Ok! Follow me~" With his dish in hand and two sets of silverware, Antonio led them out of the room and to a small dining area. They placed the steaming dishes in front of their respective opponents before taking their seats across from each other.
"This better have damn well been worth the wait," Lovino commented, picking up his spoon to take on the strange dish in front of him. What was this called? He lowered the utensil to collect what looked like a mixture of rice, vegetables, and meat. "What is this, anyway?"
"You've never had paella before, Lovi? It's one of the main dishes in Spain!"
Lovino bit his lip, hesitant to try it. He took the filled spoon and raised it his mouth. When his mind finally registered the taste, Lovino's taste buds exploded with zest. It was almost like the different spices were dancing upon his tongue in a heated tango, which seemed fitting for a dish of the country of passion.
"Well? How is it?" Antonio inquired, his emerald eyes staring at the Italian in anticipation. Looking up at him and quickly back down at his food, Lovino took another bite.
"I guess… it's not bad. Edible, at the very least."
Lovino wanted to smack the goofy smile that had taken over the Spaniard's face, but decided he was too weak from hunger to do that at that moment. His eyes fell to his dish that was in front of Antonio, which was completely untouched.
"What the hell? Why aren't you eating?"
Antonio blinked and laughed. "Oh! I wanted to see your reaction to my cooking. Don't worry: I will eat now!"
Muttering a quiet 'I wasn't worried', he watched the Spaniard dig his metal fork into a few coated penne and pop them into his mouth. Antonio's expression turned from one of neutrality to surprise and, lastly, to one of happiness.
"Lovi, this is magnifico! You have the talents of a gourmet cook!"
Lovino took another couple bites of the paella, his elbows resting on the edge of the table in a nonchalant manner. "I'm not that good, but I appreciate your enthusiasm."
The Spaniard shook his head, "No, I'm serious! This is the best Italian dish I've ever tasted!"
The insistent compliment that came from Antonio made him blush in embarrassment. Praise was something Lovino never expected to receive, even when he was younger. It made him uncomfortable, and he always lacked the right words to respond with. He was the type that did everything in the shadows, away from prying eyes. But with Antonio gazing at him like he was the best thing in the world, he supposed it wasn't such a bad thing to be recognized from time to time.
Leaning his head into his hand, Lovino suddenly smirked.
"So, does that mean I won the cook-off?" Antonio chuckled, stabbing for another mouthful of pasta.
"I suppose so. Now you get to pick a reward."
"A reward?" Lovino repeated, his eyebrow arching in a peculiar manner. They hadn't discussed this when they had first planned the cooking competition. With a confirming nod from the Spaniard, Antonio's smile seemed a bit... devious.
"Si! Anything you want from me, I will give you."
Anything? He could have anything from Antonio, and he would give it to him? For some reason, his mind traveled to thoughts that weren't appropriate for a person to have towards their partner and co-worker. He tried to swat them away, but they were like flies—annoying and constantly returning.
"What do you want, Lovi?"
Woah, was it just him or did Antonio's voice get deeper? As he stared into those half-lidded green eyes, he found that he couldn't pull himself to look away. Did Antonio know he was doing this? With his intellect and air-headed nature, Lovino doubted it.
"I want…"
Fuck, what did he want? Suddenly he was thinking about that night a few days ago, when they had first begun opening up to each other and almost locked lips. It had to have been that, right? He had over-analyzed that event a million times in his head and figured that mood at that time had been unmistakable.
This led him to the only possible conclusion: he had wanted Antonio to kiss him.
But why? Why would he ever be attracted to a grown, male idiot who got excited over the stupidest things? It just didn't make sense. The more he thought about, the more confused he felt.
"I want to... I want to pick out the movie for us to watch."
Antonio sat up, a slight flash of disappointment in his eyes before he was back to his smiling self.
"Sure, Lovi."
Lovino hated directly avoiding things that bothered him, but he honestly didn't know how to approach this. He had never dealt with something like this before.
As they ate the rest of their dinner and cleaned up the table, the duo headed for the living room. Antonio shooed his cat away and fell onto the couch, sprawling himself out and letting out a content sigh.
Lovino watched him out of the corner of his eye as he headed to the bookcase. He scanned the titles quickly and looked for something that caught his eye. He chuckled when he saw one particular title, pulling out the DVD to show the Spaniard.
"You have Mamma Mia?"
Antonio lifted his head up to look at the cover. "Ah, si! It's one of my favorites! I know all the songs."
Lovino rolled his eyes, mumbling an 'of course you do' under his breath as he pulled out the round disk and put it into the DVD player. Antonio looked at him as he did this, like a question was on his mind.
"What, bastard?" he asked with a sigh.
"Nothing. I just thought you'd pick something more... I don't know, action-packed?"
He scoffed. "I get enough action in my everyday life, why do I need to see it in movies?"
The disk slid into the player, the customized menu popping up on the TV screen. Lovino walked over the couch, Antonio scooting over to make room for him. As Lovino got comfortable, the Spaniard pressed the 'play button' on the controller.
They then began watching the movie, making little comments here and there about different scenes.
Lovino lifted is arms to gesture to the blonde actress on the screen. "How can she invited all three of her possible fathers an expect things to go well? Seriously."
"Well she doesn't know which one it is, Lovi."
"She should have just gotten a test like everything else would. Or just asked her mother. Then it would save everyone the trouble." There was a pause for a moment before Antonio suddenly nudged Lovino's arm.
"Oh, Lovi, listen! This is one of the best songs in the musical!"
The duo watched as the actors on the screen began singing. Crossing his arms, Lovino scowled. "It's the freakin' title of the movie! Of course it's the best one!"
Antonio whipped his head to Lovino, a strange glint in his eye. "Do you know the words?"
"Of course not! This is a freaking chick flick! Why do you own it, anyway?"
"Because it's a great movie! Besides, why did you pick it?"
Lovino opened his mouth to concur, but let out a huff instead. "Uh...because...because all your other stuff was shit! This was the only decent movie."
"Say what you want, Lovi~"
Getting up from his seat, Antonio disappeared down the hallway. Lovino tried to keep his mind on the movie, but he would be lying if his eyes hadn't trailed after him. Curiosity took over him when the Spaniard didn't return for another minute. Where the hell did that bastard go?
Lovino tapped his fingers on the arm rest impatiently until he noticed something below him. Peering over the side of the couch, Lovino stared at Antonio's furry cat.
"What do you want?"
España meowed, nudging at Lovino's leg in affection. Why was this cat clinging to him? He was almost as bad as his owner!
"No, no. Go away. Shoo."
The cat, however, didn't budge. Crouching down, España launched himself up into the air and onto Lovino's lap. Just fucking wonderful.
Just then, Antonio walked back into the living room holding a large Spanish guitar. He looked up from tuning the strings to find Lovino and his cat sharing a 'tender moment.'
"Aw, Lovi. Look, he likes you! Muy lindo~" Yep—like cat, like owner. Lovino rolled his eyes, picking up the fat cat and placing him on the floor.
"Enough about this damn cat. Why the hell are you pulling that out?"
Antonio smiled and held up the guitar. "I was thinking we could sing together. You know, on the parts we know."
"How about, no."
Taking back his spot on the couch, the Spaniard pouted.
"Aw, come on. It'll be fun!"
His fingers strummed a few of the guitar strings, filling the air with an eloquent blend of music. He brought his eyes up to Lovino's, the curve of his lips just enough to draw the Italian in. And to make matters worse, a song from the movie had come on. Antonio immediately took to it, strumming along and singing in a silky, smooth voice. And he sang it well—his accent adding an enriching exoticness to the song.
Closing his eyes, Lovino just sat there and listened. It was calming listening to him, almost like he had heard his singing before in a long forgotten dream. It felt like the two of them were somewhere far away from everything, sitting on a porch and singing their worries away.
Before he knew it, he was humming along. It was a good song after all. Antonio noticed the quiet addition, but didn't say anything. If this was Lovino's way of contributing, he certainly wasn't one to protest.
After the song had ended, the duo watched the rest of the movie in comfortable silence. It wasn't until near the end of the movie that he felt a weight on his shoulder. Lovino was about to yell at Antonio for being too heavy when he saw that his eyes were closed—his mouth curved into a content smile. His words died in his throats as the annoyance disappeared from his system. He didn't have the heart to shout at someone who was sleeping so peacefully.
As the credits rolled on, suddenly Lovino felt tired as well. The side of his face touched the Spaniard's shoulder for a second before he ripped his head away. No, he couldn't sleep! He still needed to get home and feed his cat and…
A sleeping Antonio nuzzled Lovino's hair—a happy sigh coming from the man's lips. Lovino was glad he couldn't see him then, otherwise he'd probably see the red blush that was now sporting on his face. Lovino groaned in exasperation. Damn bastard didn't even know what he was doing.
As his mind began to drift off to sleep, Lovino felt a buzz come from his pants' pocket. Lazily, he reached into it and pulled out his phone, which reported that he had 1 new message. Unlocking the phone, Lovino opened the message that had come from an unknown number. As soon as he saw the beginning, he pretty much knew who it was from.
[XXX-XXX-XXXX, Message Received at 11:34 p.m.]
Yo Italian brat,
I got the information you asked for. Apparently someone's placed a Gold Hit on you. I've heard differently from various people, but I'm guessing they're offering around $100,000 for your head. You've gotten yourself into some deep shit. Watch your back. And don't forget to pay me for my awesome services!
Great. Just fucking peachy. He had assumed it was something like that, but a damn Gold Hit?! This bastard wasn't messing around.
Oh, fuck it. Lovino threw down his phone and pressed his face into the warm, soft shoulder of his partner. Instantly he was hit with Antonio's smell—a combination of cinnamon spices and the earth ground. And Lovino, undeniably, found it intoxicating.
His eyes fluttered closed, all worries from his mind slowly fading away. Lovino nestled against Antonio's warmth, content with ignoring his exacerbating situation and the realities of the world a little while longer.
Thank you for reading and reviewing! Stay tuned! :)
