This chapter is just... well you see. As random as it might seem, it does serve a purpose. Everything in it does.


They didn't bother to turn the lights on when they returned to Antonio's house about two hours later, once his back stopped hurting enough that he could stand up and walk towards his home. Lovino acted as a crutch the entire way, grasping to the hem of his pants and refusing to let the Spaniard stumble on by himself, even go far as to open the door for him. A gruff exhale rushed from Antonio's lips the moment he relaxed on his couch, face down with his legs hanging off of the arm of the settee and one hand grazing the floor below. Not nearly as cool as it was outside and terribly stifling, he could already feel the heat re-igniting in his body, his skin sticking to the leather couch with every drop of sweat that gathered on his chest.

Emerald eyes gazed at the other male that collapsed in the plush chair opposite of him. "Thank you." Lovino's attention snapped up to meet Antonio's weak smile before quickly focusing on something on the wall.

"Whatever, fucker." Ah, how cute his little pout was, one lip poking out below the other, cheeks flushed a faint red. Antonio couldn't help but to stare at him, somewhat captivated by Lovino's markings that flickered such a pretty silvery-blue, much like the fluttering heart of a flattered adolescent. Eventually, Lovino noticed the pair of eyes trained on his body, and shifted in response, frowning as he bared his back to the male. "Stop staring, you fucking creep."

Oh... how did he not notice? A short apology sputtered from his lips in embarrassment, eyes darting to something else in the room, before closing. Not much was said after that. Only the ticks of the kitchen clock tapped against his ears, igniting a pressure behind his brows that welled up with every minute that passed, eventually leading up to two or three hours. Lovino remained quiet over this time, barely moving at all, from what Antonio could hear. For all that he knew, the creature had fallen asleep.

A breathy groan wisped past dried lips, but he didn't dare to move. Small aftershocks of pain still skipped down his back, flicking sensitive vertebrae like a hammer against a bell. It vibrated down into his core, and such a strange sensation furled in his belly, much like a pocket of air pressing against his diaphragm. With every tiny shift merely from breathing, that sensation grew, eventually sending tingling itches to the surface of his skin.

"Hey..."

So, he was awake after all. Even though Lovino's voice met his ears only as a whisper, something about it stabbed at his mind. "Softer, please." The chair that Lovino lounged on squeaked as he shifted his weight around, soft pats echoing into the room moments before warm fingers brushed against Antonio's scalding temple. They lingered just above his brow for a few moments, lightly applying pressure, but then they trailed down to the side of his neck.

"Does it hurt?"

"Depends on what you mean." His entire body ached, to be honest. Lovino huffed in response, pushing against Antonio's shoulder in order to lay him on his side. Opening his eyes, he gazed at the complex emotion on the man's face. Concern, and perhaps a bit of anxiety twisted behind his olive orbs like a clouded storm, one emotion flicking off light before the other obscured it from Antonio's own eyes.

"Your stomach, you fucking dipshit. Does your damn stomach hurt?" Oh. Well, no, it really didn't hurt, at least compared to his head and everything else. It was more annoying than anything else, or, for a better word, it simply felt funny.

"Not really?" A blank stare melted onto the creature's face, amber flicking down to Antonio's belly, although they quickly returned to the gentle emeralds observing every movement he made.

Lovino pursed his lips, a stream of grumbles vibrating from his throat. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean... damn, fucking idiot." Nimble fingers brushed sweat-laced stresses off of Antonio's forehead, and lingered for only a second before he suddenly arose to his feet, making a b-line for the hallway. He disappeared into the darkness, well, as much as he could anyway, and Antonio allowed his eyes to wander around his den, drinking in the calming silence and dusk that would normally fail to grace his mind. The muted colours of blue and silver, the beams of moonlight glimmering off of metallic surfaces scattered throughout the room, and the tranquillity that coursed through his blood on such a beautiful evening, it was nothing like the nightmarish world painted by the imagination of mortals; nothing like what he himself envisioned it to be only a few days before.

Holding back a yawn, Antonio gently eased himself onto his back and shifted around until he was relatively comfortable, despite the pain tumbling down his spine, then finally allowed that yawn to escape into the air, smacking his lips with content. How strange it was, that odd sensation in his stomach, though when he glanced down, it looked to be normal...well, sort of. His bellybutton looked a bit longer than he remembered, and when he gently pressed down, he could feel what seemed to be faint, overlapping ridges between, or even over his abdominal muscles, extending from the base of his ribs to a few centimetres below his navel. But before he could lean up to see if it was simply his mind playing tricks on him, something soft and large smacked him in the face, and something solid clattered on the table behind his head.

"It was blinking." Came Lovino's voice from behind the soft thing; his largest pillow, he saw once he pulled it away. He pointed to Antonio's phone, and like he said, the tiny LED light in the corner was flashing, but before he could reach for it, Lovino forced the Spaniard to rest his head upon the pillow, flicking him on the forehead as he did so. "You're not moving for the rest of the night."

Oh, really now? This wasn't going to work for long, and he hoped that Lovino realized this before long. Actually, that might not be so bad. At least then, he wouldn't have to worry about hurting his back, or make anything else start aching. "Well, can you hand me my phone?" Lovino scowled at the request, but none the less, he still obliged, slipping his fingers around the device and placing it on the Spaniard's stomach. The chill felt fantastic against his flesh, but it only lasted a brief second as he checked his messages, noticing that the only new one wasn't too old.

From: Gil

Yo, Toni! Havent heard from you in days. Just wondering how you are doing. Call me back. Okay, bud?

June 27 9:58 pm

Sure, he would love to call his best pal and have a chat with him, but right now definitely was not the right time to do it, especially with Lovino scowling daggers at the Spaniard. He'd call him in the morning, sometime when the creature was sound sleep. The message glared into Antonio's eyes for a few moments before his fingers began to type out a reply, only for a frown to crease his lips not long after.

No, he didn't want to put an "s" there. Ugh… He grumbled in frustration as he attempted to type it out, his talons proving hard to get around with the buttons, constantly pressing other ones, making it seem as if he was drunk out of his mind. Brows furrowed and his cherry pink tongue stuck out in concentration, his peripheral barely catching the stifled giggle bubbling from under Lovino's fingers. Oh, how mean. Antonio glanced up at the creature, twisting his lips into a pout, and much to his satisfaction, Lovino instantly looked away, stumbling over his words and feet alike as he tottered over into the kitchen. Lovino, while he was insufferable most of the time, just then, that tiny giggle was adorable, but, at least now, he wouldn't be making too much fun of the Spaniard. Grinning and chuckling with succulent success, Antonio returned his attention to the phone in his hands, once again trying to type out a simple message.

W-what was this? Antonio stared down in disbelief at his phone, knowing full well that the battery said half-full only moments ago, but now, was completely gone. He tapped at one of the buttons, but there wasn't a response, further electing a sigh from his lungs. Yet… when he finally gave up on trying to get it to work, the screen lit up with a horrid, blood red before flickering black and white. He gawked at it, yelping and dropping it one a shock coursed through the piece of plastic and through his fingers. Clattering on the floor, it continued to flash a plethora of colours before suddenly stopping, letting out a screech into the otherwise silent room. From under the screen, some kind of liquid oozed, bringing a metallic scent with it. Antonio reached down, and picked up the phone, grimacing every time the substance dripped onto his fingers and eventually his stomach, each droplet tingling like frigid bug bites. The scent became even stronger when he smeared some of the substance in his fingers and brought it to his nose. This...this didn't make any sense. Blood... how on earth was there blood coming out of his phone!

"What the hell are you making all of that noise for!" Another yelp leaped from Antonio's lips at the outburst from Lovino, his phone hitting the floor once again, and his heart pounding against his ribs.

"M- m-my ph-phone! It's blee-" His words welled up in his throat, effectively shutting him up once he looked back down at the device. "It's gone..." But...but he was sure that his phone... it... it... But how? He felt the crimson substance on his skin, but it had disappeared; all of it. Now, his phone was perfectly spotless, save for a few fingerprints on the screen that was displaying his unfinished message. Without him even noticing, Lovino had already made his way back over to the Spaniard, both hands on his hips and a scowl set upon his lips, although, it was a bit weaker than the others that graced Antonio's eyes. "T-T-There was blood! I felt it!"

Lovino merely sighed in response, before mumbling under his breath. He kneeled beside Antonio, gently pushing him down against the pillow with one hand as the other brushed the Spaniard's dirty chocolate tresses back, lingering on his forehead. "There wasn't anything, idiot." Fingers trailed down to his collarbones, the skin there hardly able to feel the digits upon them. "Shit, you're sweating like a fucking pig." They trailed down further, pausing on his diaphragm for only a few seconds before they were suddenly worming under the brunet's shoulders, hauling him up once more. "Come on." Pain tiptoed down Antonio's spine from the sudden movements, despite how gradual they were, but he tried to comply with the creature's wishes. "It's cooler in the back."

And he was right. After gritting his teeth and hissing air through his nose the entire trip down the hall, Antonio unlatched his arm from around Lovino's shoulder, carefully lying back on the centre of his bed. This was much, much better. Not only did his back hurt less on the soft mattress, but the air that danced around his sweat-slicked frame brought a smile to his lips, along with a content sigh. It really wasn't much, but hey, he would take anything to make the heat go away at this point. Weight dipped down into the mattress beside him, shifting ever so slightly to the right as Antonio felt warmth brush against the back of his head and a gaze set in his direction.

"Is this any better?" Lovino's voice, much softer than he could ever recall, tickled his ears, almost as much as the lissom fingers playing with the curls on his skull.

"Yes... it's a lot better. Thank you." He only received a grumble in response, but the faint red erupting under his cheeks was enough to make his heart swell. Lovino... he was strange, now that he thought about it. Day in and out, he would curse Antonio to the ends of the planet, yet, he was always so gentle with him, constantly trying to make him as comfortable as possible, but why? It baffled him, even as his emerald orbs became lost as they gazed at the man avoiding eye-contact at all costs. Perhaps he could ask why, but somewhere deep down, he knew that he wouldn't get a decent answer from the man. Maybe it was how stubborn he could be at times, or that infernal frown set into his face. Either way, he still wanted to know. He'd ask him later, when he didn't have a splitting head and toothache, although, the way that Lovino was scratching his skull did kill those pains a bit, so much that a humming sigh vibrated from the depths of his throat as his eyes fluttered shut. He didn't even stop his head once it inched closer to Lovino's thigh, eventually rubbing against it.

Lovino sighed, flicking him on his scalp before continuing those wonderful massages he probably didn't realize felt so damn good. "Move any closer and I'll rip your dick off." Empty words, nothing more, causing a light-hearted chuckle to vibrate in the Spaniard's throat. Too soft, they were, somewhat reminding Antonio someone he met momentarily years before, but now, it wasn't significant. He couldn't even begin to comprehend why Lovino acted so kindly to him, despite all of the horrible ways Antonio treated him the past few days. Enigma... it was the only way he could properly name this situation he was stuck in.

Ah, he'll just have to think about it later. Right now, all he cared for was sleep

A sense of comfort washed over the larger brunet, something that never would've occurred only a day, or even a few hours ago. All of this... it had to have something to do with his body changing so dramatically, or... did it have to do with how he lost control of his body when he was first infected? I t was a possibility, but he was absolutely sure that it hadn't happened recently. "Lovino?" He groaned out a mumble in response to hearing his name, his message to hurry up and say whatever he wanted extremely clear. Words tumbled over his tongue, clattering against his teeth as he tried to figure out what he should ask, although, he decided that he'd already bothered the creature enough for one night. It could wait until later. "Never mind."

Slowly, Antonio lost himself to the world of sleep, barely making out the pleasant warmth that encircled him a few moments later and the gentile hum that danced along his ears.


One...Two...

Ugh.

How many more papers was he going to have to sign before his bosses were happy with him? It wasn't his fault that VL03116110 had gone missing. Did they think that he honestly had something to do with it? This was stupid. He wanted to spend a night at home for once, but he was stuck in his office with a mountain of paperwork to go through before he could even dream of returning to the man that surely missed him by now.

Sighing, he read through yet another report on the "trials", this one just as successful as the last... leaving the participant dead, and the company famished for more volunteers. Then, he skimmed through another report about a certain D-class personnel directly tied to LISA; this one lost the ability to move, claimed that hands were tearing through his body and the walls, after complaining about stiff, itchy skin, and running a fever. That man was proclaimed dead the afternoon those symptoms started.

He hated this, all of it; the stench, the screams, the horror pumping through his body as the trials literally tortured those who willingly gave their bodies up in hopes of helping loved ones, although, that zeal usually lasted only a month, if not less. Lovino, on the other hand... that valorous man... It took him years to come to the point where he wanted to stop, and even when they forced him to continue, he never changed the reason he was suffering. He could still remember the last time he saw the Italian face to face, those once burning eyes shattered, nothing more than dust, yet his voice, oh, it retained the ferocity he had since the beginning.

"You better keep your damn word, you fat fuck."

And he did, just as he pledged to do before Lovino took one step into the headquarters. Every month for the past five years, he sent out a check from his own salary to the previously designated man of the brunet's choosing, keeping it a secret from the higher ups. He only hoped that it helped that poor kid in the end.

After signing that he acknowledged the plans for the dead participant, he finally came to the last one, although, his heart dropped as he saw the name on the side. He didn't want to look... but he still had to know what his bosses had planned for the pitiable man.

Retrieval

Examination

Implantation

So they thought he was still alive, it seems, leaving locating the man in the hands of the weapon department chief. Excellent... this was very good. He could finally do things his way for once, that is, if he could even find the missing man. There were a million different places he could be, meaning it could take months to find him, if he survived that long, but he wouldn't give the man back to the grubby hands of his bosses as easily as they doubtlessly desired. To be honest, he would probably lose his job for what he had planned, but no matter. He didn't care about their "research" anymore, not after the threats he received and the atrocious things he witnessed. This company would burn, he would personally see to it, and he would piss on the charred remains as they sizzled under the sun.


Heat broiled under Antonio's skin once he regained consciousness sometime in the morning, the sun's beams already tumbling down from the skies and sprawling out on the backs of his lids, leaving a ruddy hue for his closed eyes to see. Only dampness surrounded his body, feeling as if someone decided to throw a bucket of water on his sheets. The world was twisting and turning, leaving miniscule tingles along his nerves and nausea to bubble in his stomach, although, the weight pressing down across his hips didn't help much at all. If anything, it made everything worse, especially when scalding warmth pressed against the sides of his belly. He cracked an eye open, biting back a groan when the beams stabbed at his brain and his vision swirled everything around as he located the source of the weight.

Lovino... what was he doing? A strange expression contorted his face, his upmost attention drawn to tiny ridges trailing down the centre of the Spaniard's abdomen, and it refused to be broken, even when he shifted around, further straddling Antonio's hips. He flexed his fingers against the green-eyed man's skin before bringing his thumbs together right below his navel. Gently pushing up, those digits trailed the flattened protrusions, oddly enough, electing a shudder from the smaller male. His cherry coloured tongue jutted out, lapping at his bottom lip as he continued to stare, slightly leaning further and further down, until he looked like he was about to pounce on something above Antonio's head. Clattering and clicking filled the Spaniard's ears, on top of the high-pitched ring that was already there.

Long forgetting when his other eye opened, Antonio gaped at the bizarre behaviour of the male, words completely lost from his fogged over mind. Yet, when a soft cough leaped out from between his teeth, Lovino's head snapped up, his wide, fearful eyes completely black and tiny mandibles poking out from the corners of his lips. With a single blink, obsidian turned to olive and those pincers shot back into the crevices of his mouth, but the panicked expression remained. Dryness and pain reared its head as Antonio forced his voice to heed his command. "W-What are you doing?" It was nothing more than a raspy whisper.

"Nothing! I wasn't doing shit, you hear me!" Leaping off of the Spaniard, the frantic tang to his voice harmonizing with the panicked aura he radiated, not sparing a second glance before he bolted from the room.

"Lovino!" There wasn't an immediate reply to his shout, forcing a frown onto his lips. Antonio shouted again as he tried to scramble off of the bed, having great difficulty in doing so, but just as he gained a footing on the ground, a chill settled over his limbs. Stumbling, he frantically grabbed for the bedpost, his legs barely able to hold his weight up and his lungs heaving air in and out of his mouth. He couldn't breathe, nor could he properly see. Lights swam around his head along with the entire room, even when he tried closing his eyes. He tried calling out for Lovino again, but all he got in return was a grouchy swear from the hallway instead of the help he desired. Water... he needed water. With careful balance, Antonio managed to push himself up, taking a few steps closer to the door, but soon enough, the floor leaped out from under his feet. His face slammed on the floor, pain shooting up every nerve in his body. He groaned, each breath coming out faster than the previous and his body feeling hotter than ever.

His muscles refused to listen, leaving the man as a crumbled mess on the ground. No one answered him when garbled words called out for help, nor when he scraped at the floor in an attempt to move closer to the door, but it was in vain. His strength abandoned him, barely leaving him enough so he could lift his head off of the floor. Only silence and a bitter fear remained in the swirling haze obscuring his mind. "L-L-ovii...nno..." Through the multiple copies of the same image swimming around and around, none of which would properly come into focus, nausea reared its head, making his stomach lurch with a threat of emptying itself. Tingles slithered up Antonio's arms and legs, feeling more like bugs scuttling under his broiling skin, just crawling higher and higher, eventually reaching his face and stopping at a sharp prick in his gums.

Something... long... and cold wiggled out of where the pain bit him, a pungent taste overflowing his mouth as hundreds of tiny needles pricked at his tongue, moving closer and closer to his parted lips. Antonio's breath hitched deep in his throat once a small creature crawled out of his mouth; a centipede... a long, shiny black centipede that reared its head back to the Spaniard, before twisting around and scurrying up his cheek. Similar sensations dotted his arms as well, each yielding a similar bug that crawled out of the new wounds, drilling frozen fear deeper into his pounding heart. Wh-What, what was happening!

They clicked and clattered with their disgusting mandibles, nipping at his flesh, ripping tiny chunks off as they scurried onto the floor, and just as one's tail scuttled off of an arm or leg, another atrocious insect replaced it, growing larger and larger with each new clone of the last. "L-L-Lovin-no..." A whisper barely scraped through his teeth, harsh and shaky at best. Those creatures snapped their mandibles at him, all while screeching and circling around his unresponsive body. "L-Lovino...h-help... they're everywhere..." Even though this one was a bit louder than his earlier groan, he didn't hear that accented voice reply like he wished. Something behind him scraped what sounded like nails on the doorframe, before creeping closer without so much as soft pats of feet upon the floor. Surely, it was Lovino... it had to be. There wasn't anyone else in his home, but he still couldn't turn his head far enough to see what it was, and to watch the blurry mob of centipedes as well. "Lovino, I c-can't move." Clicks and clacks met his words, more of the sordid bugs ripping out of his flesh; still circling around him, still no verbal response from his housemate. Antonio let out a quivering huff between gasps, and beads sweat slithered down his cheeks but they failed to cool off his sweltering skin.

He couldn't just lay here and let these beasts eat him alive. There had to be a way from him to move, or at least to scare them off, but, just as Antonio managed to flex his fingers, two sharp, enormous, dagger-like claws dug into his shoulders from behind, effortlessly tugging him onto his back. His breath froze in his lungs, trembling like his caged heart.

It was monstrous. Oh, god, that didn't remotely begin to describe the immense size of the centipede, nor the skin-crawling clicks snapped from its mandibles. Beady-black eyes lifelessly stared down at the Iberian, then it clattered again, two of its multiple legs gently holding him down. Antonio, oh how his voice refused to properly form intelligible sounds in his mouth, coming out as nothing but slurs and gasps, littered by an occasional whimper. The centipede seemed to react to the nonsense he spouted. It pressed the back of one of its segmented legs against Antonio's cheek, holding it there for a second or two before frantically clattering its mandibles together, the other miniature versions of itself copying its call and gathering around the two. Still making those awful noises, the hideous creature shifted around the Spaniard, and using some of its available legs, began to drag him across the floor. Instantaneously, a screech bellowed from his lungs. "LOVINO!"

The creature hissed at him, but that was the only reply he received. There wasn't anything Antonio could grab onto as he slid across the wood, and digging his nails into the floor only left marks, doing nothing to slow down the colossal beast, nor prevent the smaller clones from scuttling around, following the two into the hallway.

Antonio twisted his head around, doing everything he could to peer down the hall, but Lovino still wasn't in sight. Once again, he called out for the man, feeling his throat becoming drier with each breath of air expelled from his lungs, but the creature replied instead of the brunet. A horrible hiss rung in his ears, and mandibles clicked a few inches away from his face. He snarled at the centipede in return, biting back the flinch from the sudden, sharp pressure along his jaw, and the nausea building up in his stomach as his blurry world twirled behind emerald eyes. That alone slowed the creature for a moment, hesitation stalling whatever it had planned, but it failed to last very long. With one forced tug, it pulled Antonio over the threshold of the bathroom, the tiny bump on the floor scraping down the Spaniard's spine, ripping sheets of flesh off his back. It didn't hurt; strangely enough... it simply tingled.

His heart furiously hammered against his ribs, pulsing so quickly that it overwhelmed him, forming black splotches that blocked out much of his vision. Blinking failed to rid them from his sight, and a horrible squeaking shot through his ears, quickly followed by what resembled rushing water. How he failed to notice the centipede releasing him, he had no earthly idea, but it already had its disgusting claws on him again, dragging him over to the tub. With great effort on the creature's part, receiving absolutely no help from Antonio's dead weight or his yells, it managed to lift him up and gently lower him into the bath, water already sloshing around on the bottom. Hissing at the cold chill shooting up from the pads of his feet, Antonio tried to inch away from the creature, focusing all of his strength into his hands.

The creature merely stared at him with its beady little eyes, not making any move towards or away from the Spaniard, its mandibles frantically clicking together as the frigid water rose higher and higher in the tub. Soon, the others of its kind slithered into the room and up to the lid of the bath, gathering like vultures awaiting a weak animal to perish. Such disgusting things, much like the monster towering over the brunet. It clicked its voice at him, pushing sweat-stained tresses of chocolate away from of his forehead, and he stared back, fighting the haze trying to overtake his mind. Everything was becoming darker, fuzzier, and his body felt like a fire had been struck under his skin, growing fiercer and larger with each passing second, eating away at his heart. He still could hardly breathe, the lack of air not helping his fading mind in the least.

Soon enough, just as the water reached his collar bones, that centipede somehow managed to turn the faucet, blocking off any more liquid from dropping into the bath, then returned its attention to the sweltering Spaniard.

Where was Lovino?

Why did he not answer him when he called?

Panic settled deep into Antonio's bones. That monster didn't get him, did it? "Where's Lovino?" The beast cocked its head to the side, clicking just like the tiny centipedes slithering closer to the Spaniard. Anger began to fume from the lack of a response, a primal instinct of tearing the creature to shreds and setting out to find his Lovi bubbling up from the centre of his heart. His voice elevated to a harsh yell. "Tell me where he is!" The creature remained silent after his shout, unmoving even, until it suddenly slithered its repulsive body into the bath as well, water sloshing and spilling out over the top. Most of it couldn't fit, the rest hanging over the side or curling on the floor. The beast grabbed Antonio's head between two of its legs, lowering its head so part of the warm shell covering its face brushed against his, a sweet breath streaming from its mouth,

He sneered at it, biting at his bottom lip in an attempt to control his racing heart and lungs. It clicked at him in return, it's legs feeling less and less like talons with every minute, but Antonio ignored it the best he could. Keeping eye contact with the beast was more important. Finding Lovino was more important, but now, only his neck, fingers and toes obeyed his command.

Something in the back of his mind recognized the sound of his name somewhere, but it was easily overpowered by the pain welling behind his brows. What little light danced in through the window abruptly brightened, drilling daggers into the man's eyes until he clinched them shut, but the pain was still there, taunting him with its jarring voice. The creature's legs moved down to Antonio's shoulders, where the sensation of its presence significantly dropped, becoming nothing more than pressure rather than something physically touching his skin. He... All he wanted to know was that Lovino was safe. The brunet's name fell from his lips as a whisper, barely audible through the ringing in his ears.

"Ba...t...rd..."

Antonio hardly made out the noises his mind managed to process, sounding as if they were outside or even in another room. One of the creature's legs returned to his face, lightly caressing it with the finger it apparently sprouted. That sound from before repeated itself, this time a little louder... it sounded like... like Lovino. His eyes weakly fluttered open.

The horrible insects were gone, no longer perched on the lip of the tub or clicking their horrible pincers together, and the largest one was missing as well, replaced by the fretful brunet he longed to see. "Antonio," he whispered, searching his eyes for anything that indicated he knew what was going on. "Antonio, snap out of it!"

"W-What happened? Where are th-the bugs?"

Lovino sighed, a relieved but shaky smile forming on his lips. "There weren't any bugs, you fool. You were seeing things again."

No... No, they were too realistic to only be a figment of his imagination. "But I fel-" Lovino silenced him with a single finger, quietly reassuring him that they were nothing but illusions. Antonio tried to move, finding that his strength still failed him. "I still can't move."

Another sigh filtered through Lovino's mouth. "You'll be able to later. Right now, you need to cool down." Heat...That had to be the cause of all of this; the nausea, the headaches and trouble breathing... the apparent hallucinations. His body was overheating, but why? Why was his body trying to kill him? "You fucking scared me, you damn idiot. Screaming like that." With a weak chuckle, Antonio apologized, now trying his best to relax in the blissfully chilled water, since he knew that Lovino was not lying in some random part of his home, bleeding or something just as horrible. His world still twisted and turned in his head even though he remained as rigid as possible, his skull resting on the lip of the tub. Water dripped down onto the floor when Lovino climbed out of the tub, grumbling about wet pants as he did so, taking the time to tug them off, toss them across into the corner before he kneeled down beside Antonio.

"How long will I have to be in here?"

A half-hearted snort huffed through the smaller brunet's nose. "Probably a few hours. I really don't know exactly how long." He offered the man a gentle smile, as if he was trying to reassure Antonio that everything was going to be alright. "I'll get you anything if you need it." He did exactly that; bringing Antonio a glass of water when he asked, and finding them something to snack on not long after that. Lovino remained by his side the entire time, combing his fingers through his hair every once in a while as he propped his chin up on the lip of the tub, a completely bored expression drawn on his face. Not once did his eyes leave Antonio's face, and he could swear there wasn't one time that the brunet wasn't touching him. The shoulder, neck, scalp, it didn't seem to matter, as long as at least one finger was present at all times on the Spaniard's skin.

About three or four hours passed before Lovino felt that it would be okay for Antonio to move back into the bedroom for some proper rest. He stumbled with every few steps, utterly thankful that the other male was there to help him, even going so far as to change the Spaniard's pants when he collapsed onto the soft mattress. Oh, how much better he felt. His body didn't seem as if it was on fire anymore, and he was free of that coating of sweat that covered his flesh for the past few days. Not to mention his back free of that itching, constricting pressure that tormented him for days on end. Dare he say it, but he felt relaxed for once, completely at ease.

He yawned, stretching out numb muscles after a few moments of staring at the room, switching his focus to the nude man searching for something to slide over his rump. Lovino... he was just something else, wasn't he? Such a cold shell, masking the warm-hearted man underneath. Eventually, Lovino noticed the Spaniard's lingering eyes, peering over his shoulder at the man and scowling. "Don't get any fucking ideas, pervert." He couldn't help but to chuckle at Lovino's bashfulness, but his focus never left the grumbling male. Every flex of his muscles, every twist of his spine, he watched it, faintly noticing the ridge-like intentions across his back and how those root-like extensions from his vertebra smoothly followed the lines. Many of the holes closest to the column of bones were now missing as if more had sprouted out overnight and fused together, creating a smooth stretch of alabaster. This continued up all of his back, from the junction right below his lower back, to his shoulders; only his butt seemed to lack anything, well, at least until Lovino finally covered it with a pair of Antonio's boxers.

Pivoting around and with a scowl on his face, Lovino drug his feet over to the bed and flopped down below Antonio's feet. He groaned as he pulled himself up the mattress, stopping only once he was lying beside the Spaniard. "God, I'm fucking tired." He grumbled, flipping over onto his back, casting a lethargic frown at Antonio. "This is your fault."

Yes, it probably was, wasn't it? "Thank you, Lovino." Another grumble sufficed as a reply, though the man soon turned onto his side, and he scooted across the bed, closer to the Spaniard. A frown curved his lips downward.

"I don't want just a fucking 'thanks'. Not after all of the shit I've done for you." Well, he had a point. Words only went so far, and after a while, they wouldn't be enough to match the actions of another.

"Ok, then what can I do to make it up?" Olive eyes flicked down to Antonio's stomach, but just as quickly returned to his face, hesitance and uncertainty broiling behind his irises. He easily made out Lovino's own stomach twitching the moment he looked down, but it too stopped with the brunet's gaze.

Lovino sighed after a moment of contemplating. "Never mind. Forget that I said anything." With that, he twisted around, bearing his back to Antonio, who frowned in return. No, he wanted something, but was too afraid to ask him. Why, he didn't know, but he was afraid to ask why he changed his mind. After all, he really didn't want the male to be angry with him. So he remained silent, lightly tapping his fingers against his stomach as he blankly stared at the wall in content. He... was happy now. He couldn't explain it, but he was happy for the first time in a while. And as he felt Lovino's spine brush against his arm, that glee multiplied, spreading through his body, while leaving tingles in its trail.

Antonio sighed, smiling as his eyes gently closed, although, they quickly shot back open once Lovino grabbed of his left wrist, tugging him so it reached over his waist, back pressed to chest. Grumbling, he managed to pull Antonio's other arm under him, holding both hands in his own as he pressed them to his belly and snuggled the back of his head into the Spaniard's lower right shoulder. Oh... oh, how cute. Was this what the man wanted? Why didn't he just say so? A smile graced Antonio's lips, and he shifted, drawing a yelp from the man. He pulled him closer to his chest, moving his arms into a more comfortable position; one hand on the man's heart, the other tucked under lissom fingers atop his navel.

"Why didn't you just say this is what you wanted?"

A stutter bubbled from Lovino's mouth, only adding to the adorable way his cheeks flushed a bright red. "Shut up, bastard. Go the fuck to sleep."


There were probably mistakes in this chapter, but they will be fixed in a day or so.

As before, if anything doesn't make sense, tell me, and if it doesn't reveal anything major, I'll do my best to explain it.