Thanks for all the comments! Now we've caught up with the German version, so all we can do is wait for the author to update. I hope you'll like this chapter!

LIFE UNDER THE SUN

Chapter 10

It was the middle of the night. Or, at least Gilbert thought it was because the view from the window remained unchanged for hours. A thick layer of clouds had the surroundings wrapped in darkness, and the wind was whistling and raging in irregular gusts, making the branches of a few fruit trees tap against the windowpanes and ensuring that Lovino kept pacing around nervously.

Bella and Gilbert had managed to distract him for over an hour with a round of Who Am I. No wonder, considering that there was a post-it note with "Ludwig" stuck on Lovino's forehead, and he refused vehemently to acknowledge that. Bella's forehead held the name of an ominous soap opera star that no normal person knew, and Gilbert was certain of his identity as Tintin but was having more fun with his obscure questions than claiming victory.

"Hmmm... if I dyed my hair blue, would I look like a cool daredevil or a smurf?"

Bella threw a dried apricot at him. "First, you still haven't figured out the yes-no question system. Second, is that a genuine question, or is it really supposed to help you figure out your identity?"

"You shouldn't question my ingenious strategy - otherwise you'll be kicking yourself twice as hard when I get to the correct answer with these amazing facts," Gilbert cackled, but he was instantly silenced by Lovino.

Lovino had straightened himself on the couch, his head in Bella's and feet in Gilbert's lap, so that he wouldn't have to keep looking out the window. He was now shoving a wet sock against Gilbert's mouth.

"We figured it out a long time ago that you saw the reflection of your post-it note in the window, you, dumbass. You weren't exactly being subtle."

Gilbert grabbed Lovino's big toe with sharp fingers and removed the foot from his face, making a disgusted face. "I'm sorry, but I can't really make much sense of being some Nitnit."

Bella and Lovino sighed.

"He's just screwing with us, right?" Bella asked hopefully, and Gilbert broke into a loud laughter. Lovino pretended that he couldn't hear him.

"To be honest, I'm not sure."

"Hey!" Gilbert called out, pulled the wet sock off Lovino's foot and threw it at its owner's forehead so that the "Ludwig" note fell off. Lovino picked it up from his chest with a suppressed grin.

"How typical," he commented and dodged the second sock, though it was unnecessary as it was aimed badly and landed on Bella's neckline.

"Gilbert," she said with a dangerous smile, and Gilbert was already prepared to say goodbye to at least one body part when a growl from Bella's stomach distracted her. Lovino instantly jumped to his feet.

"Oh, it's high time for lunch."

"Lunch?" Gilbert repeated with a confused look outside. "It's the middle of the night!"

Lovino and Bella exchanged a glance - this time genuinely uncertain whether Gilbert was being serious or not. "Well, normally he doesn't get up so early," Lovino said thoughtfully. "I mean, you should have seen him the morning of the sailing trip. Time passes differently for him."

"I just want to say that I get the idea behind the siesta if this is supposed to be a normal day for you," Gilbert groaned, but the others had already disappeared into the kitchen. Gilbert made a detour to his room because he was sure Lovino would have beaten him up if he had sat at the table in his boxers. He put on his sweatpants and a T-shirt, threw a longing look at his bed and shuffled to the kitchen where he sank backwards onto a chair.

He was so tired. Bella watched in amusement how he draped over the chair like a wet cloth. She ruffled his hair as she passed, only to wash her hands immediately afterwards.

"Don't be too hard on him. He didn't get much sleep last night," she said sweetly.

Gilbert could feel himself grow red. He peeked at Lovino from under a few strands of hair, but he only snorted and focused on a pile of vegetables he had brought up from the cellar.

"That was totally self-inflicted," Lovino grumbled.

Gilbert whimpered pitifully, but he was too exhausted to protest. Instead, he watched the others cook. They looked like a team that had always worked together, even though they hadn't had many chances to practice and it was Bella's first time in this kitchen. They didn't talk much, both of them concetrated on their tasks. Other than the snipping of their knives and the bubbling of water, it was quiet. Every now and then there was a curt "Pan?" or "Cutting board?" and Lovino replied with "second cupboard on the right" or "the uppermost drawer".

Gilbert closed his eyes when Bella fed Lovino a piece of tomato, neither of them looking at him. The two of them were so strangely familiar with each other after such a short time that Gilbert could have never kept up with them.

Maybe it could be measured in the kitchen whether a pair was perfect for each other. Feliciano and Ludwig: one worked his magic and created the perfect dishes, leaving behind a massive chaos that the other took care of even when it was still developing. Eliza and Roderich: one specialised in the best main courses, the other had mastered the art of sweet pastries and cakes. Bella and Lovino: they didn't even have to talk to each other about what they wanted to cook in order to work together. Gilbert, on the other hand, could cook nothing other than potatoes, which either meant that he was unfit for relationships, or... maybe he had to pick an ugly potato as a partner?

Out of pure confusion at his own thoughts, he dozed off and woke up again when someone pushed a clove of garlic into his nose.

"Ack! Are you nuts? I'll smell garlic for the rest of the day!" he complained.

Bella's cat-like smile remained unwavering.

"Sorry, but I had to make sure the amount of garlic in our food stays tolerable, and I couldn't find a better place to get rid of the extra on such short notice."

"How about you both stop wasting perfectly good food?" Lovino grumbled as he was setting the table.

Gilbert threw up his hands in outrage.

"In case you haven't noticed, she's the one who keeps bombarding me with pieces of food, not the other way around!"

Bella pushed some cutlery into his hand and stuck out her tongue. "Stop whining like a little kid and help us."

Gilbert placed the cutlery on the table with a surly expression, not bothering to peel himself off the chair. It was already a while since he had last sat at the small table in the kitchen instead of outside on the porch. It made him feel strangely claustrophobic. Outside, there were no dried herbs and onions hanging in every corner, making him worry that something would fall on his head while he ate.

Lovino began to shovel something on his plate, and Gilbert soon recognised it as parmigiana. They ate in relative silence. The constant darkness had made everyone tired, and Gilbert opened his mouth more often to yawn than to stuff it full. He missed the usual exaggerated taste of garlic. Thankfully, the clove from earlier was still there, and he bit into it with a shrug of his shoulders. Bella wrinkled her nose, but Gilbert was sure he could see a brief smile on Lovino's face.

After lunch, they cleaned up quickly but uncoordinated. They were all about to fall asleep. Lovino stood by the sink and did the dishes while Gilbert handed him dirty plates, and Bella dried everything. They worked fast together. Gilbert took the dry plates from Bella and put them in the right cupboard.

Their tiredness and the still roaring storm outside created a strange atmosphere that Gilbert would have normally associated with a high number of casual touches. But today he tensed whenever his skin came into contact with Lovino's. For a long time, he hadn't realised how close they had always been, how often they brushed against each other without really noticing it. But now he was on his guard and watched how Bella took over his role. A soft hand on Lovino's hips to push him out of the way, rubbing their shoulders together as she reached out for more plates over the sink. She brushed a strand of hair from his eyes so that he wouldn't have to touch his face with wet hands.

When they were ready, she pressed a fleeting kiss against his neck. That was when Lovino finally noticed that Gilbert was watching them. Gilbert wasn't quick enough to hide the look on his face, and Lovino tugged briefly at Bella's sleeve.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he whispered to her. Gilbert pretended that he hadn't noticed anything and turned his back on them to put away the last pot. When he turned around again, he was alone in the kitchen. He buried his red head in his hands. How embarrassing...

Hoping to distract himself, he opened the door that led from the kitchen to the porch. The storm had calmed down somewhat. Not really sure what he was doing, he rushed out the door. The rain was cool against his skin - hard, but not uncomfortable. Gilbert covered his head with his hands and ran around the house to the cellar door. Thankfully, Lovino hadn't locked it anymore after the spider incident. The thought of the spiders gave him an uneasy feeling as he stepped inside. But the bowl was entirely empty; the animals had withdrawn to the corners and the cracks in the walls.

Nevertheless, Gilbert didn't stay long enough to meet them again. What he was looking for was standing right by the door. He grabbed the stepladder, threw it over his shoulder and fled back to the storm. A sudden bolt of lightning split the heavens, divided the clouds into several branches and painted an angular pattern on the sky. He would have liked to remain standing outside and waited for the next. The storm reflected his inner restlessness well. He felt like the sky would understand him.

Back inside, he headed straight for his room. The roof hatch was right by his door. He pulled the stairs down and climbed up. He needed a lot of effort to open the hatch - it probably hadn't been opened for years. Gilbert had to rummage in his room for a flashlight in order to see anything. Half scared that a bunch of bats or worse would descend upon him, he turned the light towards the darkness.

Thankfully, he didn't encounter any animals that were afraid of light. Only a lot of dust and antique odds and ends. As far as he could see, he had done his work on the roof well - as if it could have been otherwise with him being so awesome at everything. Happy with himself and his work, he was about to close the hatch, but then the light crossed something that made him freeze. He blinked in confusion. It wasn't possible...

With a groan, he climbed through the hatch and followed the light to a big, framed picture that showed two men, one grinning widely and with a muscular arm around the shoulders of the other. The other didn't seem very happy about his photo being taken. Gilbert knew that was exactly what his expression said because he knew the man well. It was his father.

"I don't believe it," he muttered. "Is the other Lovino's grandfather Romulus? They knew each other?"

His discovery left him feeling strangely fidgety. If Romulus and his father had been friends, then maybe...

He put down the flashlight and began to rummage through the boxes and photo albums that were lying around, all earlier exhaustion gone. Bravely facing clouds of dust and cobwebs, he explored long forgotten memories, searching for further indications of their friendship. When he finally climbed down the stairs and closed the hatch, he was carrying a bundle of photos that he had to show to Lovino. Almost skipping in excitement, he rushed to look for him. The slightly ajar door to his room suggested that he and Bella had retreated there to have their brief talk. Gilbert turned red again when he thought about it.

He knocked lightly on the door - there was no answer, but the door opened a little more. Gilbert took a peek inside and realised why he hadn't got a reply. Lovino and Bella had both fallen asleep while he had been exploring the attic. Apparently, it hadn't been planned because their feet were still on the floor, as if they had been sitting on the bed when their exhaustion had overcome them. Bella had fallen backwards, both arms raised above her head, like she was about to surrender. Lovino was lying on his side, one hand reaching for Bella, but they weren't touching. Both had their mouths open and were breathing in wheezes, as if they were talking their own private language. It was so adorable that Gilbert almost felt sick.

It really wasn't a good idea to wake them up now. Instead, he turned off the light in the room and retreated carefully from the door.

He grabbed the ladder on his way to the living room. Since Lovino and Bella were asleep, he might just as well bring it back to the cellar. The thunderstorm outside had subsided even more. It was still raining and rumbling in the distance, but it felt good to stand outside. The house suddenly felt tight and stuffy, like there was no place for him anymore. Even before he was back from the cellar, he had got an idea. He had nothing better to do, and he didn't feel like going back inside. He only needed a second to make his decision - after his discovery in the attic he wanted nothing more than to visit this one place. So, he opened the front door only to take a look at where Lovino's car keys were lying. A moment later, he had snatched them from their place by the phone and was dashing through the rain towards Lovino's car.

The sense of adventure subsided when he had to navigate the car on the road. The rain had turned the entire area into a river, and Gilbert was glad he knew it well enough to avoid driving into an underwater hole and sinking. South Italian infrastructure was nightmarish enough in cities, but here in the countryside where even the road was nothing more than gravel and dirt, it felt like he was driving through hell. He was lucky not to have Lovino at the wheel.

Much later than he had expected, he finally arrived at the small bay. He hoped Lovino and Bella were deeper asleep than it had looked like because Gilbert hadn't planned to be gone for long and hadn't left a note. When Lovino noticed that he had taken his car, he'd blow his top.

He parked the car on a sandy hill that was sticking out of the water. The sea was much closer to the cliffs than normally and was throwing massive waves against them. A mixture of rain and foam sprayed Gilbert in the face - as impressive as it was here, it was not a good place to remain standing. Determined, he made his way to the small caves in the cliffs. His shoes left in the car, he waded through the water and sand, where it still felt comfortable. But as soon as he reached the cliffs, he wished he had his shoes back. The rocks were slippery with moss and the occasional spot was hiding sharp edges and nooks that cut into his heels. However, he eventually made it to the top without breaking his neck. A rocky entrance opened up before him, offering him a panorama view of the broad, roaring sea.

Gilbert sank to the ground at the edge of the cliff and stared at the sea, holding his breath. From his position he had a good view of the bay that spread far below him. He took the bundle of photos from his pocket.

"You're turning into a sentimental old man," he muttered to himself as he looked at the photos. They had been taken here - not in the cave but here by the sea, down below in the bay that had apparently been a private spot of the Vargas family for years. Lovino had told him that he had found the bay himself. Either he didn't like long stories, or he had forgotten the days when the photos had been taken. If it was the latter, then it couldn't be anything but fate.

Fate... Gilbert leaned against the slippery wall with a sigh. It was no doubt fate that he had ended up here with Lovino. Normally, Gilbert wouldn't have believed in such hocus pocus, but he couldn't explain it otherwise after discovering the photos. He and Lovino seemed to be the last puzzle piece in a long family history. Naturally, Gilbert was ill-fated enough that he had to go and ensure that their fate couldn't be fulfilled. With a snort, he put the photos back and shook his head. After he had seen Lovino and Bella together, could he really be jealous? Because his luck wasn't that bad - quite the contrary. He brought fortune to the people he loved. Whoever came close enough to be under the influence of his awesomeness would be happily in love forever.

He had got to know Feliciano before Ludwig, but he had withdrawn as soon as he had seen the look in Ludwig's eyes. He had made sure that Eliza realised how much she really loved Roderich, and he had insisted that Lovino should make a move on Bella. So, no, Gilbert wasn't ill-fated. He was the personification of good fortune. And if his own heart had to be broken a thousand times, if he had to feel this piercing pain again and again - he would take it like a man. Whoever had the ability to make others happy had no room for selfishness or self-pity. Or could he really claim that he loved a person if he wasn't ready to allow them their happiness?

Gilbert Beilschmidt was awesome - he never lied when he said that. It was just too bad that nobody wanted to believe him.

He must have been sitting in the cave for a long time, deep in thought. The thunderstorm was almost over. The sea was still angrily crashing against the cliffs, but strips of the sky could be seen through the clouds above him. The rain only consisted of a few drops. Under the roaring of the waves, he was sure he could hear a voice.

He pushed aside his initial thoughts of having imagined it when he realised that the voice was calling out his name. He stood up and squinted his eyes in the darkness of the cave.

"Lovino?"

The voice didn't return, and Gilbert was almost sure that he had imagined it after all, but then he looked down and saw Bella's small red car by the green piece of junk that was Lovino's. When he looked back into the cave again, Lovino was there - alone - and was glaring at him.

"Oh, you don't look too happy..." Gilbert said, but Lovino had already marched up to him. Gilbert noticed his hands were shaking before they turned into fists and caught him straight in the face. He screamed - that had really hurt! - but Lovino had already grabbed his collar and pulled him close to give him a clip round the ear. For a moment, Gilbert only saw stars. Lovino was yelling something like "Are you nuts?" and Gilbert tried to stagger away from him, to offer an explanation, but Lovino gave him no time. He was so angry that he couldn't stop beating him up.

Gilbert let himself be taken by his rage. He wasn't a stranger to beatings, and in all actuality, he was mad at Lovino - he was trying to be happy for him, but deep inside, he was just angry. This wasn't the first time that Lovino left him no time. If he had given him a moment after his break-up with Eliza instead of making eyes at the next best girl, if he had waited a little longer until Gilbert could admit his feelings... but no, Gilbert had barely had time to realise what he felt for Lovino when he was already unobtainable. And now he had the nerve to be mad at him when Gilbert was trying so hard to let him have all that.

His fist struck Lovino in the side before he could really grasp what he was doing. Lovino didn't seem to notice. He dug a hand into his hair and tugged hard as Gilbert pulled back his hand. He wanted to hit him again when he lost his balance and slipped on the wet stones. The back of his head hit the rocky floor hard, and a piercing pain struck him - then everything went black for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, Lovino was kneeling by his side, eyes wide and breathing hard.

"God, am I still alive?" Gilbert coughed, and when Lovino said nothing, just kept gasping for breath, he turned his eyes away. "Oh, I must be fine. That's not an angel."

"Shut your mouth, you goddamn idiot."

In contrast with Lovino's harsh words, there was relief written all over his face, and he lay down on the ground as well, even though it was wet and cold and disgusting. They lied by each other's side in silence.

"I'm stronger than you after all," Lovino said after a while.

Gilbert turned to glare at him in outrage.

"Well, excuse me! I was totally not prepared!"

"I really kicked your ass."

"I slipped! The ground beat me, not your teddy bear punches. Do you have any idea what I've been through before? You're weak as a kitten compared to -"

Lovino interrupted him by stretching out his hand and letting it fall against Gilbert's face to strike him lightly on the cheek.

"Ouch!" Gilbert protested.

"The ground didn't give you that black eye. Just go ahead and admit that I swept the floor with you."

Gilbert grumbled but decided that there was no point in arguing. "Is there a reason that you just jumped at me out of nowhere?" he asked.

"And you have the nerve to ask!" Lovino barked. "You're the biggest idiot in the world, that's the damn reason, you bastard!"

"I'm sorry..."

But Lovino wouldn't let him talk himself out of it. "Did you think I didn't notice your constant staring today? Dammit, Gilbert, I know it's a shitty situation, but why do you have to be such an impatient bastard that you can't wait a single day? I mean, Bella has to leave in a day anyway, and as if that's not hard enough for me -"

"Wait a second - a day? She's leaving tomorrow?"

"That's what I just said! And I just talked things through with her, and we agreed we should just be friends, and then you go and pull such a stunt. How do you think I was feeling when I saw that you were gone - together with the car keys, and I knew... no idea why, but I knew for certain where you had gone to." At this point, Lovino's voice finally began to break, but Gilbert didn't try to talk over him. He was still digesting the fact that Lovino and Bella were going to be just friends.

"How do you think it felt when I got here and only saw the car but not you... until I suddenly spotted you on the edge of this fucking cliff? And I called out again and again, but you didn't hear anything over the waves, so there was no choice but to climb up to the cave myself and hope that when I got there, you'd still... you'd still..."

"That I'd still be here?" Gilbert filled in. He would have liked to smack him on the forehead, but due to the tears in Lovino's eyes, he let it be. "You didn't really think that I'd jump because of you? How dumb do you think I am? I've never read Romeo and Juliet."

"What does that have to do with anything? Besides, what do you think it looked like? You deserved a fist to the face just for that, no matter what your intentions were," Lovino growled. "But what exactly where you planning anyway?"

Gilbert didn't answer right away. Instead, he got up on his elbows and when the dizziness wasn't too bad, he climbed up to his feet and went back to where he had been sitting before. He turned towards Lovino, who was watching him intently.

"I was just enjoying the view, Lovino. It may not be anything special for you, but a city kid like me... I could sit here for hours and watch the sea." He turned to do just that and didn't react when Lovino sat down by his side moments later. A single ray of sunlight had managed to penetrate the thick clouds and was making a lonely circle on the surface of the dark water.

"It's better than TV, huh?" Lovino finally said, leaning hesitantly against Gilbert's shoulder. Gilbert was too tired to think about how it made him feel.

"Depends on..."

"On what?" Lovino asked with a frown.

"Whether you're here."

Lovino sighed in embarrassment, which made Gilbert laugh.

"Since you're already feeling mortified..." he said and dug a hand into his pocket. Lovino looked at the bundle of photos in suspicion.

"What's that?"

"Take a look and be amazed."

Lovino took the photos with a roll of his eyes and examined the first one for something strange. The picture showed his grandfather with sunglasses, messy hair and red swimming trunks, carrying a one-year-old child who was refusing to look at the camera on his shoulders.

"That's me and Grandpa on the beach," Lovino said, not sounding impressed.

Gilbert pointed at an unclear figure in the background.

"What's that supposed to be?"

"You'll see it better in the next one!"

And truly, the form of another man could be seen in the following photo. He had blond hair that was entirely too long and was chasing a child who was about to run to the waves. Lovino's grandfather must have noticed the scene right when the photo had been taken because he was turning towards the man, pointing his finger and laughing.

"Okay?"

Gilbert tapped at the small, suicidal child. "That's me."

Lovino blinked, digesting the new information slowly.

"How do you mean..."

"This here," Gilbert pointed at the blond man, "is my dad, Germann. And this sweet little rascal is me."

Lovino shook his head. "Impossible..."

"But it's true!"

"No, I mean that even as a kid you had white hair. I thought you had just aged early."

Gilbert snatched the photos from him. "That's not white, just very, very light blond, you tactless monster! Besides, look here, this one -"

Lovino gave up without a fight and let Gilbert show him the rest of the photos that showed Romulus and Germann with the little children, accompanied by extensive commentary. It seemed the photos had been taken on a very eventful day - in some photos, Germann was replaced by a beautiful blonde woman who was probably Gilbert's mother, but he couldn't remember her. He had only known Ludwig's mother before she had disappeared, too. It looked like Germann hadn't had much luck with women.

"And you know what's the best about these photos?" Gilbert asked with a smile. He had a close-up of baby Lovino in his hand. He was sitting on sand and glaring at the camera, tanned and chubby, puffing his cheeks and with a wrinkled summer hat on his head. It wasn't a very flattering picture. "You look like a potato!"

Lovino punched him in the shoulder. "Don't say that with such a loving look, you stupid fetishist! Yuck!"

"No, you don't get it - just today I realised that I have to get together with a potato!"

"That doesn't make it better, Gilbert!"

But Gilbert only cackled and took out the next photo. "Oh, well, as you can see, this clearly proves that we were somehow brought together by fate," he said happily. To his shock, Lovino only snorted. "What?"

"Don't be so melodramatic! I mean - sure, small coincidences have bound our families closer together than necessary, but when I think about it, it's all logical. I mean, your family was here on holiday and made friends with mine. After that, they stayed in touch. Many years later, they were on holiday again and -"

"What? When was that?"

"You weren't there - if I remember right, you were eating red cabbage at Aunt Ulrike's."

"Oh, God, don't remind me!" Gilbert said with a burp.

"Oh, well - but I was there, just like Antonio's family and your father and brother."

Gilbert felt outraged that he had missed such a vacation. "Why did you never tell me?"

"Do you think I checked to make sure that crybaby was your brother? I couldn't stand him even back then, so I only hung out with Antonio while our kid brothers went through their first crush. Still remember how you got to know Feliciano?"

"I think... He was looking for someone called Beilschmidt, and Antonio sent him to me."

"Right, because one day Feliciano remembered that stupid story and wanted to find the boy from back then. So it wasn't so unlikely that we'd meet. Our families aren't connected just by the friendship between my grandpa and your dad, but also by Antonio's family - he used to live here before you got to know him. No special hocus pocus."

Gilbert let the photos fall in disappointment, only to feel triumphant again when he saw the one on top of the pile. "HA! And how do you explain this? Fate chose our families as the ultimate romance - my kid brother and yours, you and me, my dad and your grandpa..."

"You and me?" Lovino repeated with lifted brows. "Slow down, you can't just -" but he cut himself off when he fully digested what Gilbert had said. "Wait a second - your dad and my grandpa? Are you nuts?"

"But look!" Gilbert said and shoved a photo at Lovino's face. "How they gaze at each other when they think nobody's looking!"

"They're both wearing sunglasses..."

"Yeah, but these feelings are clear even through them!"

"Why would my grandpa have anything to do with your dad?"

"The age difference wasn't that big!"

"That's not the point, Gilbert, but that you're making up ridiculous stories, and I'm honestly considering sending you to give a talk at the local association for conspiracy theorists. Because I'd rather get back to enjoying the view than listen to this."

Gilbert let the photos fall with a defeated sigh and stuffed them back into his pocket. It wasn't a bad idea to enjoy the view. The rain had almost stopped and there were several holes in the clouds, letting sunlight break through and changing the colour of the sea from angry black to rich orange. The wind had subsided - other than carrying a few seagulls along every now and then - but the air was still cold. However, a comfortable sense of warmth was spreading all over him from the spot where Lovino was leaning against his shoulder. He couldn't help but think that Romulus and Germann had sat there as well and watched the sunset together. It may have sounded strange, but Gilbert could imagine his father doing that. His relationships with women had resulted in two children, but as far as Gilbert could remember, these relationships had always been cold and had eventually ended unhappily. He had never seen as much warmth in his father's eyes as in the photos with him and Romulus.

"What are you thinking about?" Lovino asked.

Gilbert whispered, "Aliens exist."

This brief exchange ended with a slap to Gilbert's thigh. He continued only after a while, "You thought my grandpa-daddy dream pairing was stupid - but what about you and me?"

For one horrible moment, Lovino was silent. Then he shrugged. "We are what we are. Complicated. But good."

Gilbert let out a relieved breath. "But good," he repeated, and maybe it was a bit sappy to do it here, on a cliff several meters above the waves that were roaring beneath them, as they were watching the breathtaking view of the sky after a storm... but Gilbert turned his head right, pressed his forehead against Lovino's and his lips against - the hand that Lovino raised in front of his mouth just in time.

"What do you think you're doing, bastard? I have a girlfriend, at least until noon tomorrow."

"Come on!" Gilbert complained. "You're terrible. It would have been so perfect."

"You have a black eye and a big bump on your head. Admit it, Gilbert - you're German and that means you have no authority whatsoever in romantic matters."

"The black eye won't be gone by tomorrow."

"You really think I'm the type to jump from one relationship to the next? So much for romance."

Gilbert had no way to respond to that, other than with an appalled look.

"Thought so," Lovino said with a grin. "From now on, we have all the time in the world. And you finally have the chance to make your move. Take note - getting jealous and causing trouble are not romantic and won't lead to the desired result."

"You look so innocent, but you're really a sadist, aren't you?"

With a satisfied sigh, Lovino straightened his legs and staggered to his feet in order to turn his back to the lovely view and walk to the tunnel that led out of the cave. "I have no idea what you mean. But I do know that we have to start getting back before Bella begins to think that I've thrown myself into the waves after you and decides to sever my head with a shovel and bury it in my garden when we get back."

"Wow," Gilbert said. "I'm impressed. You Italians sure know what real romance is."

Unfortunately, all he could do for now was walk into the darkness that had already swallowed up Lovino.