July 1: Happy birthday Hong Kong! And Canada!
July 4: Who? xD
Disclaimer: Do not own
~.::~Yao~::.~
"I can't manage a dim sum shop,"
Yao's head whipped around suddenly, his long ebony hair flying, as he looked questioningly at the Spaniard. Said Spaniard simply smiled innocently from the glass table behind the counter.
"Why not? I thought you had agreed with your grandmother to work here,"
"I agreed to work here, yes. But I can't manage a dim sum shop, you see?"
"I… I'm afraid I don't follow,"
"What I mean is," He got up slowly from the chair, not bothering it tuck it in as he walked over to the counter next to Yao and pulled out one of the plastic coated menus. "it's perfectly fine for you to own a Chinese restaurant, you are Chinese, after all. But me? I can't read half of this menu." He trailed a finger over the complicated characters, his face scrunched up in confusion. "That just won't work."
"Chinese food can be enjoyed by people who aren't Chinese, aru," Yao replied dismissively, going back to cleaning the counter. "And I can teach you how to read it. It's not very difficult, it is only a menu after all,"
"Yes, that is all well, but I am the manager of this shop. Perhaps I can have a say in the menu too?"
"I hope you are not suggesting we get rid of the Chinese food altogether. I don't think I could stand that,Antonio, aru"
"No, of course not, Señor Wang! You are the original owner of this restaurant after all!" He broke into a small chuckle and waved his hands frantically in front of his face. Yao narrowed his eyes slightly, before sighing in relief and laughing a little too.
"So… what were you thinking about?"
"Erm… do people like eclectic foods?"
"Eclectic…?" Yao wrinkled up his nose and turned so he was facing Antonio, leaning against the newly cleaned counter. "I don't think so… aru"
"Mm… well, in any case, it's something you might want to consider."
"You'll need to hire new chefs, buy new ingredients, the works!"
"It's nothing we can't handle, I think. Abuela has given me quite a generous budget, ahah~" Yao frowned, disliking the idea of changing his precious menu that he had worked on for so long to the point of perfection. But then again, if he didn't pay his next rent, he'd be kicked out completely, and that was an ending he definitely didn't want.
"Oh, and the place will need a renovation too."
"A renovation, aru? You do realize how much that would cost, right?"
"Don't worry, Señor Wang. I know someone who could do it for a discount… hopefully…"
"Hopefully…?" Aiya… this was going to be difficult…
~.::~Antonio~::.~
"Hey Gilbert, are you working on anything right now?"
"Hm? What d'you mean?"
"You know, designing stuff? Are you working on any projects?"
Gilbert's job was, ironically, the most parent-friendly within the Bad Touch Trio: he was an architect and interior designer. He also worked as an engineer on the odd week or so, and the rest of the time he was employed as 'an awesome'. "Because awesome is too awesome to not be a noun, kesesese,"
"Nope! My boss couldn't handle my awesome so he gave me a little two-week break!" He finished his beer with one long swig, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and sighing loudly in content. "German beer~"
"Could you help me with something then?"
"Hit me with it. If it's awesome I'll do it! Kesesese… I'm so funneh"
"Ahah~ I know you are Gilbert~!" And they laughed idiotically for a bit.
"So you know the Chinese restaurant run by Señor Wang?"
"The steaming pile of shit dumped in some lonely corner of some Italian street?"
"Er… yeah. Could you help me renovate it?"
"You want me to renovate that place? Dude, so not awesome. Why do you care about that place anyway? It's going to get torn down soon anyway. Something to do with your grandmother, actually"
"Ahah~ abuela told me to take over the restaurant and make it more profitable or something…"
"And you're actually doing what she says?" He grasped Antonio's shoulders and shook roughly, mock worry on his face. "Who are you and what have you done to Antonio?"
"I am Antonio though…" he pried Gilbert's hands off him and guided them back to his can of beer. "Well, I didn't want to do it at first… but then Lovino told me to do it… so yeah!"
"Wait, Lovino? The little Italian brat?"
"He's not a brat!" Antonio protested indignantly. "He's really cute and hardworking and he cares about his family and he's actually really nice on the inside and-"
"Gee Toni," Gilbert interrupted, smacking his palm down on the table to emphasize his point, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were falling for the guy. Which is not awesome dude. Especially with your grandmother being such a homophobic prude and everything."
"I'm not falling for him! We're just friends… ahah~" The albino raised an eyebrow at that, but Antonio missed the gesture and continued talking.
"So I think the restaurant will need a full renovation, maybe even moving it to another site entirely since no one can really see it behind the trees… And we need something that will appeal to younger people, so maybe something brighter? Then I can find someone to paint pictures to hang on the walls…"
"Oh Toni, you work so hard when you want to. Just take me to the place and we'll work something out, okay? Awesome!" And he picked up his beer can and clanked it against Antonio's barely touched one, grinning widely as he gulped the alcohol down.
~.::~xXx~::.~
"Ciao"
"¡Hola, Lovi! ¿Qué tal?"
"Spagna? How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Lovi? What the fuck do you want?"
"Are you free right now?"
"Fuck no."
"What are you doing?"
There was a pause, then he answered irritably, though tinted with a hint of embarrassment. "Algebra. So leave me alone!"
"…why are you doing algebra?"
"Because I fucking dropped out of high school, that's why! So either tell me what you want, or leave me the fuck alone!" Antonio raised an eyebrow at that, but decided not to press on.
"Could you come meet me somewhere? I need some help with the restaurant… ahah~"
Another pause, and Antonio was getting worried that he'd somehow pissed the irritable Italian off again. Then he answered quietly, stuttering a little.
"S-sure… bastard…" Then he hung up, just like that.
Antonio smiled at the blinking screen of his phone and unconsciously started tracing the letters L-O-V-I, thinking how very cute little Lovi was.
How lovely he was! Lovi-ly? Geddit?
~.::~Lovino~::.~
Trust the Spaniard to be late. This was the second time the bastard made him wait in the sun, dammit!
(Never mind that it was actually pretty chilly, or that last time Lovino had been forty-five minutes. What the fuck are you talking about?)
He had the car! He wasn't allowed to be late!
"Lovi~"
"You're late, bastard!"
"You been waiting, brat?"
He turned sharply and raised an arm to protect himself from the new voice. A very pale person with white hair and freakishly red eyes sauntered over, grinning widely as he slung an arm over the Italian. "Hey Toni, he's actually pretty cute! No wonder you get turned on by him!"
"G-get off me, bastard!" Lovino yelled, blushing hotly as he tried to throw the albino off of him. "Who the hell are you?"
"Gilbert, stop molesting him!" came Antonio's voice from behind, and the weight was pulled away, only to be replaced by another more familiar, but no more welcome arm. Okay, maybe a little more welcome. A little! "Hi Lovi! Sorry I'm late, I got held up for a bit… this is Gilbert by the way."
"Hey, aren't you the bastard who was convinced that I was trying to steal your money or some shit?"
"Yeah, I'm the one! The one and only king of awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt!"
"Urgh, your name sounds German."
"It is German. German things are awesome!"
"Fucking potato lover,"
"Hey, what d'you just call me? Just 'cause you can't handle my awesome!"
"Oh I can handle your non-existent awesome just fucking fine, thank you!" The two of them glared at each other, almost shooting sparks between their eyes. Antonio sweatdropped and squeezed himself in between them, holding them out at an arm's length.
"Okay you two, no fighting… ahah~"
"Well what the fuck is the potato doing here?"
"He's an architect and interior designer and engineer and… awesome…" He cast a sideways glance at Gilbert, who flashed a thumbs-up of approval. Lovino rolled his eyes. "Anyway, he's going to help with the renovation of the restaurant."
"Damn straight I am! What are you going to do huh, little Italian?"
"Little? I'm not fucking little! You're not much taller than me anyway!" Only about half a head. Shut up.
"I forgot to tell you guys!" Antonio cut in suddenly, looking a little worried. "Mi abuela wants to monitor my progress or something like that… so she wants to meet with you… is that okay?"
"Dude, the bitch thinks I'm gay with you or something. And I don't think she'll like the Italian very much either… totally not awesome."
"What? She doesn't even know me!"
"Don't worry, abuela will love you!" Antonio assured, grinning from ear to ear. Gilbert sighed and hung his head, while Lovino stood there looking a bit confused. "Well, shall we go in?"
The three of them wrinkled their noses when the strong smells of pork buns attacked their poor unsuspecting senses. However, instead of the usual cheerful Chinese welcome, they were met with the almost frightening sight of Anabel Carriedo, looking quite irritable as she sat in one of the tables near the window.
"You're late," she barked, narrowing her eyes when she saw the two people accompanying her grandson. "Well, don't waste your time dilly-dallying. Sit down!"
"Lo siento, abuela, we got held up~" Antonio explained as he dropped down across from her. Gilbert quickly took the chair the furthest from her, which left Lovino sitting almost next to her, who tried (and failed) to subtly push his chair closer to Antonio. She looked like a fucking witch, dammit! How could someone like this possibly be related to the Spanish bastard?
"I assume these are your staff?"
"¡Sí! This is Gilbert Beilschmidt, and this here is Lovi!"
"It's Lovino…"
"Yes, I know who the German is," She regarded him lightly, almost tiredly. "And what are your jobs here?"
"Gilbert is going to help with the renovation and redesigning the place, and Lovi is…" Antonio paused and looked quizzically at the Italian. "What are you going to be doing… actually?"
Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Lovino muttered, "Waiter. I'm going to be a waiter."
Anabel turned to look at Lovino and frowned. "Have a seen you before, boy? What is your surname?"
"Uh… V-Vargas, ma'am. Lovino Vargas…" He was feeling very awkward under her critical gaze and tried moving a bit further away. He looked questioningly at Antonio, who half-shrugged when he suddenly became very pale and his eyebrows knitted together and his mouth hung open.
"A-ah, abuela, he used to work at the gazpacho shop! You know, the one you like so much? He might have delivered to you once or twice…"
"No… I'm pretty sure I've seen you somewhere else…" She suddenly grabbed his chin and twisted his head round to get a better look at his face. "Have you been involved in some scandal with my grandson, young man?"
"S-scandal? Uh… I don't… think so?"
"Kesesese, maybe you're just getting a little old, Grandma Carriedo!" Gilbert piped up from the far end of the table, smirking widely. "After all, you're what? Seventy-five?"
"You watch your mouth, Beilschmidt! And I am not seventy-five, I am seventy-two! Learn to respect your elders!" She berated loudly, glaring daggers at the albino, who only laughed cheekily and spun around in his chair. Antonio himself looked like he was trying to contain his own laughter.
"So, Antonio, what is your business plan?"
As the Spaniard explained his plan for how to revive the restaurant, Lovino leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed. The bastard actually could do something if he wanted to, instead of being the hopeless and lazy idiot he had first thought he was. And as he explained the advantages of introducing a more international menu and one that catered more to younger people, Lovino could not help but admire the glint of passion in his green eyes, or the way his brown curls framed his face, or the way his teeth flashed whenever he smiled, or that when he smiled he was the most handsome thing on Earth.
W-what?
Definitely not handsome! Idiotic more like! N-no fucking way was he h-handsome!
He coughed loudly and the other three turned to look at him. He bit his lip and announced that he had to go to the toilet, trying very hard to quell the heat rising to his cheeks as Antonio looked at him.
"Are you okay, Lovi? You look very red…"
No such luck, unfortunately.
"I-I'm fine… don't mind me… just keep talking…" With that, he stumbled awkwardly to the small toilet in the corner, shut the door, and leaned against it, suddenly feeling very tired, with a burning heat in his cheeks and a light fluttering in his stomach.
"D-dammit…"
~.::~xXx~::.~
There was some more talking to be had, then Yao showed Gilbert around the shop so he could start figuring out how to redesign the place. Anabel frowned at Lovino, trying to remember where she had seen him before, while Antonio tried very hard to steer her away from there. She asked him some questions that got a little awkward: eg. How do you know Antonio? Then she talked to Antonio for a bit in damned Spanish, and then Gilbert came back and the three of them left the restaurant to look for more staff. Which included the creepiest bastards Lovino had ever seen.
All in all, it was a very hectic day.
"Let's go eat dinner! I'm starving… oh and I'll pay too! Where do you want to go?" Gilbert jumped up enthusiastically and waved his hand in the air.
"Can we go to the bar?"
"No, Gilbert. Lovi?"
"Anywhere… I don't give a shit…" He draped himself onto the side of the car, absolutely exhausted. He hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch today either, and his stomach was screaming itself hoarse. Horse. MEAT!
"I always choose though… it's your turn this time~!"
"Urgh… fucking bastard… just…" He gestured to one of the small restaurants on the side of the street, crowded and bustling at dinnertime. Gilbert followed his fingers and raised an eyebrow at the slight shabbiness of the building, but before he could say anything Lovino was marching to the door.
"You said I could choose, and I fucking chose, so now we're going to eat and there's nothing you can do about it, bastards!"
"It's not like I'm going to let you take me somewhere nice and expensive all the time, idiot." Lovino explained when they had sat down and ordered. "Besides, the food here isn't half bad. Live like people with a normal amount of money for once in your fucking life, geez."
"Just because you're a poor brat doesn't mean we have to be." Gilbert retorted, cringing at the dirt on the table.
"Hey, who're you calling a brat, fucking potato?"
"Yeah I know potatoes are awesome, kesesese!"
And Antonio laughed sheepishly, feeling slightly left out.
The food arrived a few minutes later. Antonio and Gilbert took out their forks, but they weren't even fully in their hands before the steaming plate of pasta was suddenly grabbed and consumed in what seemed like one giant gulp by a starved-to-death Italian.
"Dude, that is disgusting. You're like a dog or some shit…"
"I'm hungry, leave me the fuck alone." He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and looked hopefully at Antonio's tomato sauce pasta. "Are you going to eat that?"
"Do you want to share?"
"Fuck no. It's either yes, I'm going to eat it, or no, I'm going to give it to you because I'm a fucking generous bastard like that."
"Er… we could order another one?"
"Yes!"
"So," Gilbert said another few minutes later as Lovino worked through his third plate. "Lovino, yeah? Are you gay?"
He choked quite violently on the spaghetti and started hacking and wheezing until his airway cleared up again. Antonio offered him a glass of water, which he grabbed and gulped down.
"What the fuck, bastard? Of course I'm not gay!"
"Oh? Toni, I'm afraid you're out of luck, then. The Italian isn't gay."
"W-what? We're just friends, Gilbert! Just friends!"
"A-actually, we're not even friends! W-we're like… a-acquaintances! Yeah! Actually not even that… I just k-know you…"
"You're so mean, Lovi! And your cheeks are really red~!"
"T-They are n-not! Shut up, bastard!"
"Hey, we should go to the bar! Drinks all around!"
"No, Gilbert."
"Hey, you guys spoke at the same time! That is so awesomely couple-like! Kesesesese~!"
~.::~xXx~::.~
Half an hour later, Lovino was sleeping on the tabletop, his face pillowed in his arms and his hair curl jutting out stubbornly as he snored lightly. Gilbert was drinking a can of beer that he had magically conjured out of nowhere, and a little fluff ball of yellow had suddenly appeared above his head and was now circling it repeatedly. Antonio was worrying if Lovino was cold.
"Leave him be, Toni. He's not some girl, he can brave the cold like a man!"
"But he's wearing so little…" He shrugged off his jacket and smoothed it out before gently draping it over Lovino's shoulders, careful not to wake him. The Italian stirred slightly, then unconsciously pulled the jacket closer and slept on. Antonio almost squealed at that.
"Gilbert, he's so cute! Don't you think so?"
"I think he's completely out of it, and that I really need another beer. You coming?"
"I have to take him home…"
"Eh, suit yourself then, Mr. un-awesome. I'll just drag Francis along or something. Have fun with the little Italian, kesesese~" He slammed some money on the table and sauntered out of the restaurant, bird perched on his head. Sighing, Antonio paid the rest of the bills and carefully lifted the sleeping Italian up bridal style, making sure his head didn't roll too far back.
He lay him down in the car gingerly, pulled the seatbelt over, buckled it, and straightened to admire his sleeping face. He looked so cute, especially now since he wasn't shouting or frowning or head-butting kidneys. He was just peacefully prancing around somewhere in Lala land, completely oblivious to the fingers that were now softly tracing the lines on his face. Antonio smiled as his thumb ran over the curves of his eyelids, the wrinkles on his forehead, the contours of his nose, his sharp cheekbones. Then the fingers landed on his dainty lips, slightly open as he snored on. Unconsciously, Antonio started to remember the time when he had kissed Lovino briefly, completely out of happiness and with no romantic intention, but it had still felt great nonetheless, and thinking of it now made his heart jump and butterflies flutter in his stomach.
Was Gilbert right? Am I falling for him? He quickly shook his head, attempting to clear those thoughts. He was obviously feeling this was because of the cuteness of it all, like when he saw a perfect tomato or a little kid with a balloon. And with that reassurance his mind, he went over to the driver side of his car, got in, and drove to Lovino's house.
The lights were off in the small residence when Antonio pulled into the driveway, but flickered on as he carried the still sleeping Italian to the front door. The door flew open to reveal a sleepy Feliciano in his sleeping gown and rubbing his eyes.
"Antonio? What happened to Lovi? Is he drunk?"
"Oh no ahah~ he just fell asleep during dinner… I think he hasn't been sleeping very well lately. Er… could I bring him in? He's a little heavy." Feliciano jumped aside apologetically and took him to their shared room, where Antonio gently put him down onto the bed.
"Ve~ thank you for bringing fratello home, Antonio."
"Ahah it's no problem," He showed himself to the door, waving goodbye to Feliciano before stepping out into the cold. He sprinted to his car car, shivering as he quickly jumped in and drove away.
Inside, Feliciano stroked his chin, thoughtful.
"Ve~ Antonio sure is nice to fratello…"
Cue manipulative grin.
~.::~Lovino~::.~
He woke up the next morning surprisingly comfortably and without the headache that usually kicked in after four hours of sleep. He was quite content with staring at his ceiling for a few minutes, when he realized he had no idea how he had gotten home after losing consciousness last night.
Groaning, he hobbled out of the room and was greeted by the sight of Feliciano slurping up spaghetti and babbling about something in a speed that was too fast for Lovino's still half-asleep brain to comprehend, but when he saw his brother appear he stopped and greeted him cheerfully.
"Good morning Lovi! Did you sleep well last night?"
"How did I even get home last night? And I slept like a fucking log, thank you very much,"
"Ve~ Antonio brought you home! You were completely out of it, Lovi! What were you doing last night?"
"Eating dinner and passing out. Dumbass." He pulled out a chair and plopped down on it. "Julian! Any more spaghetti?"
"Yes there is~ Papa's special recipe coming out now!" He emerged from the kitchen with a steaming plate of pasta heaped on top of it, which he put down in the middle of the table. "Although it's not very healthy for you to eat pasta for breakfast boys…"
"Fuck healthy, I'm starving,"
"Language, Lovi,"
"Fuck,"
Julian tsked and sat down next to Feliciano, watching his sons eat with an expression that was definitely not pedo. "You seem to be good friends with Antonio, Lovi~"
His cheeks reddened almost instantly, and he hastily tried to hide the blush with a big helping of pasta in front of his face. "W-what the fuck are you talking about? Friends with t-that S-Spanish bastard? D-Don't be silly… geez…"
Julian and Feliciano simply smiled knowingly, finished off their breakfast and got ready for the day ahead of them. Lovino scowled darkly and shoveled the remaining pasta in his mouth before tossing the plate almost vehemently into the sink. It clattered loudly against the rest of the dishes but didn't break. Unfortunately.
He wanted tomatoes.
~.::~Anabel~::.~
She sighed as she settled into the sofa in her office, feeling quite fatigued and like her age for once. Her hand unconsciously came to rest above her hip, over the tumor that was slowly but steadily growing underneath. Taking another deep breath, she leaned forward and grabbed a pile of things from the coffee table and flipped through them.
As she picked up the company's accounts book, something fell out from its pages and fluttered to the floor. Anabel bent down to pick it up, dusted it off, and flipped it around to see what it was.
Antonio. Kissing a boy.
And not just any boy.
Anabel narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists. Behind her, lightning tore through the sky.
Lovino Vargas.
This will be subject to change (technically it's not even finished), but since I'm off to America for a month in a few hours, I won't have the chance to write this, so I might as well put it up now. Hope it doesn't make your eyes bleed... :P Maybe I'll see some of you guys there :D But then eh, we won't recognize each other... oh well. :D
Thank you to all those who reviewed, favorited and alerted this! :)
