1. Just in Time

There was one thing about him the Lovino noticed the first time they met.

His stupidity.

"Eh, one cannoli please." Holding up a finger, Lovino could see the dirt under his nails as if his hands had never touched water before.

"Cannolo." Lovino corrected under his breath. He already felt like a heathen for selling the damn things over the Strait of Messina.

"What was that?" Instead of repeating himself, he muttered his grievances while he wrapped a small piece of paper around this cannolo. Instead of handing it to him immediately, he awaited payment.

"A dollar," He tapped his feet while he watched him fumble with his pockets. "Camurria- Each minute that passes I'm charging you for." He struggled to contain his annoyance as he started to realise the idiot didn't have his money.

"Ah, I thought I brought some change with me," The man hissed as he wiggled his hands in his pockets furiously. He wondered what kind of a person didn't have even a single dollar to spare. Even the homeless guy that lived on his street had a couple of dollars in his tin. Turning his head, he watched the clock on the wall tick away before he decided to have a little bit of fun on such a hot summer day.

"Great, you've just given me two dollars," The way his eyes widened made him snicker. "Oh come on, I'm not that cruel. One dollar."

That was when he noticed the second thing.

Green. Emerald sounding a lot prettier in his head. The kind of green you don't see often swirling around in someone's eyes.

"You scared me there," Finally, he slid the dollar over the counter, the corners of his eyes crinkling from his terse smile. "I like to pick up a coke from the corner store before I go home but Gilbert told me this place was better." Lovino grimaced at the name.

"Of course, here is better. Even that idiot knows. Your insides will turn black from that syrup shit," Like he gave much of a damn. "What's the relation?"

"Friend," Leaning over, the man said in a hushed voice. "We both applied to the same job and I'm the one who ended up with it."

"Goddamn it, I wish you hadn't. All I hear is that asshole complaining about being unemployed."

"You can say that again," He let slip from his lips unintentionally. The look in his eyes and silence as he realised what he had said hit him. "He's a good guy though – Overqualified for something like that." He took a bit of his cannolo with an immediate moan.

"Overqualified to being a pain in my ass," Some ricotta innards spilt on the floor as he inhaled the treat. "Now you're a close second- Idiota!"

"Oh, sorry. I'll clean it for you." Awkwardly holding the cannolo in one hand and bending down to use his jacket's sleeve to wipe the floor Lovino had to rub his face to get an idea of what he was seeing in reality. If it really was reality.

"Looks like you're going to be spending a lot more at the dry cleaners with that stooge shit you just pulled."

"It's fine, my fault anyway ruining your nice floors." Nice floors his ass. The place looked like shit all the time. Ricotta stain-free most days and still looking run down – People didn't come for the atmosphere though; they came for good food. Or well, as good as Americans would accept before thinking it was too foreign.

Giving him a sceptical glance, he nodded, "Right. Makes me wonder how shitty your floors look." He said cynically.

"What?" His eyes darted to the way ricotta stained his sleeve. Much nicer than the rest of him but he supposed a jacket had to be somewhat nice in New York when the weather got colder later in the year.

The last thing he noticed was how little he cared about himself. That was usually a good thing he guessed. Selflessness was a virtue he wasn't often told he had. He envied it really.

"What's your name?" Lovino felt the need to ask. He was a strange man that intrigued him enough – Nobody else would he be so interested in to ask their name.

"Antonio. Gilbert calls me Toni though," He shrugged, beginning to correct himself. "Everybody calls me Toni." Raising an eyebrow, he placed a hand on the counter to lean on.

"I'm not going to call you that," Lovino shot him down. "I don't like nicknames." Nodding in understanding of his position on the matter, Antonio took another bite of his cannolo with a grin. It seemed like manners weren't a problem for him but then again he was probably so unaware of himself that he wouldn't even know that he was essentially eating with his mouth open.

"Which one are you? You know, 'Vargas & Vargas' and all that." The question always came about somehow. Usually that question was because they were looking for the other Vargas brother rather than himself who was rather unremarkable. Even if he tried, he could never make quite as large of a dent in the memories of women but he relished in knowing that he at least had the same potential his brother had in that regard – He'd just never go as far as dancing in a bed horizontally with them.

"Lovino. Don't shorten it or I'll shorten your lifespan." Antonio snorted.

"Alright, Lovino. I'll keep that in mind." Something told him there was plenty of room in his mind so Lovino didn't worry that much about that sentiment.

"You come back soon then. Maybe something more substantial. Come by when my brother is in and he'll be happy to make you anything and everything pasta."

"Oh? Why not now?"

"Because you're poorer than a dog by the looks of it… Besides, he's not here," He said bitterly at the thought of his leisure being more important than what kept the bills paid and stomachs full. "Trust me. You'd prefer his – Everyone prefers his. Even I prefer his." He admitted even more bitterly. It almost made his blood boil.

"Sounds like high praise," It was and Feliciano knew that the smug bastar- "Hey, why don't I-"

The little bell dinged right before he could finish. Antonio let the other customer through. "Another time." He shooed Antonio before he could continue with his working day. There was no doubt he'd come back again, people never showed up once around here. They briefly made eye contact once more before Antonio walked out the door.

Giving a little wave, he let out a chipper, "Bye-bye, Lovi!" But that just made him want Antonio to be the first one who broke the streak.