Ch. 12:
Spamano
Antonio nearly jumped to the cabin's ceiling when he saw Lovino sitting on his bed. Awake.
"Ho-Hola," he greeted the Italian. He was bad at hiding his nervousness around the boy. "I didn't think you'd be up from your nap, yet."
Lovino cast him a cool look through green eyes, "Next time give me a larger dose."
The Spaniard paled and Lovino sighed, that expression left him with no doubt that he was right. Antonio had drugged him.
He stood up with a sigh; Antonio was tensed up like he was at knife point without his talisman.
"You know," Lovino said with a sardonic smirk, not looking at his captain. "Locking me up in the brig would've been more effective. After all, that's where you keep people you don't trust," Lovino finally looked at the older man, his glare angry and hurt.
Antonio flinched, "It's not like that, let me explain-"
Lovino lifted his hand to stop him from continuing. "I know something is wrong with this island. And I don't want to know what. I'll be perfectly fine with staying in here until we leave, but are you actually going to fucking trust me to do that or are you going to hold me prisoner again!?"
Lovino's voice cracked and he gritted his teeth, furious at himself and Antonio.
"It's not that I don't trust you," Antonio was still trying to explain himself. "I just…I only… There are so many more options better than me…"
Lovino wasn't following Antonio's words yet it was still scaring him. He wanted him to stop. He didn't want to know.
"Lovi…"
The cabin boy's legs were shaking; he lay back down on the bed. Burying his face back into the pillow and the scent that always calmed him, the scent did, not the man that it belonged to.
` He felt more than heard Antonio sit beside him, and he was sure the whole ship could feel his guilty atmosphere.
"Want to make it up to me," Lovino asked.
"Yes, yes," Antonio replied immediately, his voice rising with excitement. "I'd do anything for you Lovi, you know that."
Lovino glanced up from the pillow, "Sing for me."
Antonio's brow furrowed, that apparently had been the last thing he had expected. "I haven't sung for you since you were a child."
"Ah, back when you trusted me and didn't drug me with tomatoes? Good times."
Antonio sat up straight and started to softly sing an old Spanish lullaby. He had used to sing it whenever Lovino had been unable to sleep.
The Italian rolled over, subconsciously making room for his captain who rested his back against the head board.
Lovino was beginning to drift off to sleep, not minding the hand that gently rubbed his back.
He was already mostly gone when Antonio leaned forward and breathed in his ear: "Lovi, will you stay with me?"
If the boy had been more awake he would've believed the pirate meant stay with him that night. But he murmured a 'yes' anyway as sleep finally took him.
When Lovino woke up he felt the ship's generators vibrate under him. They were in the air again.
Outside Gilbert was talking to a few of the crew and gave Lovino a friendly grin as he walked over. "Ready to be buried in gold," the albino asked him.
Lovino scowled, "Gold?"
Gilbert explained how they had overheard some men talking back on that island, about some loot their old mate had buried not too far from there, a few miles by air ship. Gilbert had then "convinced" them to give him the proper coordinates and to let them take the treasure off their hands.
Lovino rolled his eyes, "I can't remember the last time you hunted down actual treasure."
One of the crew muttered, "Because you never helped find any."
And the words stung, just a bit.
Gilbert sent a side long glare at the man before turning back to Lovino. "We told Antonio it was time to take a break from hunting the Timeless and pay rent. He could've been happier about it."
"Where is he," Lovino looked around.
Gilbert pointed up to the crow's nest, "He's sulking up there."
Up in the crow's nest Antonio was sitting with a large book in his hand that Lovino recognized all too well. It was the diary of the Immortal who had made the Timeless. Antonio used it for his leads. The stupid old tome had only been right once.
Antonio noticed Lovino and smiled brightly, "Good morning!"
"Morning," Lovino said gruffly as he crawled in to sit next to the pirate. "Gilbert told me you were whining because everyone else wants to do something else besides find a necklace."
Antonio rolled his eyes, "It's not just any old necklace. Besides, I'm not moping; I just wanted a quiet place to think."
He looked up at the bright sky and smiled, "Besides, you can't deny the view."
Lovino looked up as well. "I guess."
"You used to be scared of the height," Antonio spoke out of nowhere. "It took me forever to coach you out of the cabin."
Lovino blushed at the memories, "Shut up. I just didn't like the thought of falling overboard to my death."
"I wouldn't have let you fall," Antonio said, there was an intensity in his eyes that had Lovino looked away first.
"I didn't exactly trust you back then." Despite the years that had gone by Lovino still remembered his first impression of Antonio when he finally got a good look. He had thought the man was crazy. Even now he still wasn't so sure…
"You did eventually," Antonio said triumphantly.
Lovino sighed, fighting back a smile. Antonio was such a child. "Yeah, I eventually did."
Antonio turned back to his book, flipping through the pages. Lovino watched him silently, realizing he was always fighting that book for the captain's attention. "…Tonio, why do you need another Timeless?"
He had asked this question a thousand times.
And a thousand times he was given the same answer. "It's too powerful to be left alone."
Lovino sighed with aggravation; if Antonio didn't think of a better reason soon he was going to have a mutiny on his hands. He thought of Gilbert below, talking with the crew and taking them to their spoils. The first mate just might have more loyalty than the captain…
Antonio looked at him, "…Maybe I'll give it to you."
Lovino's eyes widened and he turned to stare at the Spaniard, not sure if he heard him correctly.
Antonio had turned away, apparently not being able to look the boy in the eye as he spoke. "If I plan on living for a really long time, then I'd need a cabin boy who can live just as long."
Lovino scowled, "Then go find one."
The Italian stood up and climbed out of the crow's nest, Antonio staring after him with hurt and confusion. Please, he didn't know hurt. Or confusion, those were Lovino's personal bed side mates.
He never liked the Timeless, it was unnatural and dangerous, and he didn't like the look in Antonio's eyes when he thought too much about it. Lovino didn't want to be like that, he wouldn't be. But he couldn't say the same thing about his captain.
