I do not own "Hips Don't Lie"
The days flew past and before I knew it, it was already the fifteenth. It wouldn't be long at all until the time came to go to the café and find Lovino. I had forgotten about him the past week, having spent every day with Romano, but as I glanced at the date on my phone after a short call with Francis, realisation dawned on me. For some reason, my subconscious was trying to talk me out of showing up at the café. I had a bad feeling about all of this. Something was coming.
I met up with Romano in the usual spot by the trail. He got into the car quickly and we set off to a park. I figured that we could take a walk, seeing as there was nothing better to do.
Romano seemed to be in a talkative mood. With all the time that we had spent getting to know each other, he became more comfortable around me and even acted kinder, if it could be called that.
"So then the fucking bastard said that-"
"Roma, we're here," I said with a chuckle, getting out of the car. He seemed to be confused for a moment, as though he had forgotten where we were going, but soon got out of the car with a grumble of, "Quit calling me that."
Seeing as it was May, it was warm out. The sun was brightly shining and the sky was dotted with a few puffy white clouds. Despite that, there weren't many people in the park, likely because it was a Thursday and most people were at work.
"Let's sit," I suggested once we reached a lake, settling down beside it. Romano sat beside me with an unwilling mumble and then it was quiet. We watched the water and the way that the sunlight danced across it, even spotting a few fish swimming near the surface. I opened my mouth to start a conversation, only to shut it again. I couldn't think of anything to say and it was starting to feel awkward. I looked at Romano from the corner of my eye, seeing him staring at the lake boredly.
I stretched out my arms over my head, resting them on the ground a small way behind me afterward so that I'd have something to lean on. Except when my hand touched the ground, there was already one there.
'Romano's.'
I felt a jolt of what seemed like electricity go through me and immediately yanked my hand back as though burnt, snapping my head around to stare at Romano as he did something similar. His was face turning red as it often did nowadays, and I wondered if mine was, too. My heart was beating erratically for reasons unknown; I always accidentally brushed hands with Francis or Gilbert, so why was this time any different?
Romano hid his face from view, though I could see that even the tips of his ears were turning red. I couldn't help but laugh.
"And what do you think is so funny, bastard?" Romano snapped, scowling at me.
I just grinned. "You look like a tomato, Roma."
His scowl intensified, if that was even possible. "Who the fuck even says things like that?"
I found myself unconsciously leaning closer to him. I hadn't noticed before just how amazing his eyes really were. Sure, from the moment I first saw him, I had found the mixture of brown and green amazing, but upon closer inspection, I could see so much more. Around the pupil, they were a bright green, similar to my own, and then blended out into something of an almond colour that reminded me of sunlight streaming through a glass of whiskey, with specks of gold here and there, but that would be getting poetic.
"W-What are you doing" Romano muttered, eyebrows furrowing. His voice brought me out of the trance I seemed to have fallen into and I suddenly noticed that we were barely a few inches apart. I jerked in my spot, but due to the awkward position I was now sitting in, I just ended up falling on top of him.
"Sorry!" I gasped, hardly noticing Romano complaining about me crushing him. I had probably ruined everything with my clumsiness.
"Move already, you idiot!" Romano shouted. "Or else I will kill you and piss on your grave!"
'I seem to be getting death threats a lot lately.' I tried to sit up, before realising what a rather compromising position we were in and getting butterflies in my stomach all over again. It was a good thing that the park was pretty much empty; people would surely think that something else was going on. He was lying beneath me and I was leaning over him, hands on either side of his head. I would be pinning him down if I had been holding his hands in place. Not that the thought of that reached my mind or anything.
Romano's lips were pressed together in what closely resembled a pout. I couldn't help but notice how kissable they looked, and before I knew what I was doing, I was leaning in again, this time with a different intent that had yet to fully register in my mind. Romano didn't move. By now, I could feel his breath on my face. I went in to close the distance between us and-
"I never really knew that she could dance like this.
She makes a man wanna speak Spanish.
Como se llama (sí), bonita (sí), mi casa (sí, Shakira Shakira), su casa.
Shakira, Shakira."
I was swiftly shoved off, and roughly, might I add. The force just about sent me toppling into the lake. 'Were we about to-' I tried not to think about that, instead opting to pull my phone out from my pocket and hide how flustered I probably looked.
"Hello?" I murmured, hoping that I didn't sound as shaken as I felt.
"Carriedo," Romulus said. "It took ages, but I've managed to track down Lovino's preschool photos. They had thrown out his file after all this time, so I probably have the last existing copies."
I had completely forgotten about that. "Ah, is that so?"
"Yes, and I expect you to be over soon to pick them up."
"Okay sir. Bye," with that, the line went dead. I suspected that he had actually hung up before I even managed to get the last word out, but I didn't spend too much time on that, sticking my phone back into my pocket and then turning back to the brunet who had scrambled away from me.
"Romano…"
"Shut up!" he shouted, his hands in fists. I stared at him. I'd expected him to be a little rattled over what had nearly happened, but not downright angry. "What the fuck did you think you were doing?"
I honestly didn't know how to answer that because really, I hadn't been thinking at all. "I- uh. I…"
"This isn't a fucking game! You think I'm gonna let you do that, only to later-" he cut himself off, suddenly appearing crestfallen.
"… To what?" I asked hesitatingly.
"Nothing."
"But-"
"I said nothing!" Romano growled, rising to his feet. My eyes widened when I saw that he was leaving and I quickly stood as well. "Forget it."
And then he walked away. I didn't know how he was planning on getting home, wherever that was, but it didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was that I had somehow screwed up, and I didn't even know what exactly I did wrong.
x x x
"Here," Romulus said, handing me a sealed white envelope you'd send letters in. I took it, tracing a finger over the seal. It seemed like a bit much, but looking at it felt like reality punching me in the face. 'Well," I thought. 'This is it. One look through these pictures and Lovino's identity will be revealed.'
I didn't know why, but something about this bothered me. It was a selfish thought; this was Romulus' long-lost grandson after all, and he must be feeling anxious to get him back. I would be a horrible person to keep him from reuniting with the boy. It wasn't as though this was solely about the patriarchy… Right?
A part of me was anxious to find him as well. Really find him. I had my suspicions but they were still under lock and key, refusing to be accepted because another part of me didn't want them to be true.
"I'm trusting that these photos will help you find him quickly." Romulus murmured. "I've dug up his birth certificate as well. He was born on the seventeenth of May, right around midnight. That's the day he's meant to take his place at the head of the family."
"The seventeenth at midnight, huh?" I said with a humourless chuckle. I'd been told to come to the café in the middle of the night on the sixteenth. It couldn't be a coincidence. "I should have him right before then."
I can't write anything cute. I'm sorryyy Dx
Thanks to idioticwrites for helping out. Please review c:
