Thank you so much to asdfghjkl for yet another wonderful review~! You're very kind! ^^ And thanks to Cylobaby as well! Reviews make me so happy, whether their anonymous or not~ : ) Anyways, here's a new chapter for you all! The song used in this is "Mad world", originally by Tears for Fears, although I personally prefer the version sung by Gary Jules. It's a beautiful song, I recommend you listen to it if you haven't heard it before!

oOo

The café was so still that one could feel the silence rather than hear it. Many recognized the sorrowful tunes of the song that the nervous young man had chosen. But it was the moment he began singing that everyone stopped their quiet chatter, to turn their full attention to the small stage.

Lovino's voice bore no signs of distress, soft yet strong as it was, and his face had fallen into a solemn expression that fit the song so incredibly well.

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow

Antonio realized rather early on that this wasn't singing. No, the heavenly sounds that flowed across his boyfriend's lips were nothing but raw emotion. It was as if he was telling a story of his own painful experiences. As if he spoke directly from his heart.

"Mein Gott, he's so good..." he distantly heard Gilbert whisper from across the table, voice filled with something akin to awe, something that did not happen very often. A choked, thick "Oui" from his right told him Francis agreed completely.

And I find it kinda funny
I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very mad world, mad world

The last lines of the chorus were so soft, so utterly vulnerable that Antonio wanted to sing along just to keep the song alive and going. Closing his eyes, Lovino began on the second verse, and Antonio could tell that he was no longer standing in front of a crowd of people. He was calm, completely letting himself feel the music. Perhaps, the Spaniard thought, Lovino was, in his own mind, sitting on the rocks in his secret spot by the ocean.

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me

There was a certain painful bitterness and sorrow in his tone that fit well with the song's meaning, and when he drifted off at the last sentence, there was a look in his intense golden eyes that sent shivers down Antonio's back. By the time he sung the final chorus, Francis was far from the only one crying.

When people run in circles
It's a very, very mad world ... mad world
Enlarge your world
Mad world...

The song drifted off, and in the silence that followed, one could hear quiet sniffles. Lovino stood for a moment, before blinking and reverting back to reality and letting his gaze move around anxiously. His eyes widened ever so slightly in alarm when he took notice of the tears.

Before he got the chance to draw the conclusion that his singing was so bad that people were crying in pain, a blessed soul further back stood silently, and began applauding. The chain reaction that followed soon had the entire café's customers on their feet, applauding. As for the startled Italian, he was still standing shell-shocked on stage, clearly at a loss of words.

Unable to sit still any longer – or, well, stand still, as he'd jumped to his feet to applaud enthusiastically along with the others – Antonio made his way over to his boyfriend, embracing him in a hug.

"Dear God, Lovi... that was..." he shook his head, finding no words strong enough to describe what he felt at the moment. Instead, he smiled softly, motioning with his head towards the crowd. "See? You're not as insignificant as you think." A single tear rolled down the Italian's cheek as he stood there, various emotions battling for victory in his eyes. He quickly dried it off, and lifted the microphone to his lips.

"G-Grazie..." he whispered. Such a small, simple word, yet holding so much emotion that the crowd cheered even louder. As they headed back to their table, many of the customers gave him an encouraging clap on the back or a touched smile, and while it clearly made him nervous, Antonio could tell that this was something that the other had needed. He had needed to feel that something he had done was good enough.

Finally they reached their table, sitting down as people began calming down again, finding their places and drying their tears.

"Mon Dieu..." Francis proceeded to begin rambling in French, tears still rolling.

Gilbert grinned. "Come on Franny, give him the compliments in a language he can comprehend," he said, before turning to Lovino, giving him a warm, true smile. Antonio knew the German wasn't one for overly touchy-feely stuff, and the sentiment meant more than anything he might have said.

"I do not 'ave words in Anglais..." Francis sniffled, both voice and accent thick with emotion.

"Lovino, that was amazing!" It was Matthew who spoke what none of them could, and Lovino's blush only deepened as he sat there, unable to say anything. Antonio kept an arm around him, and the other didn't complain, still looking as if he couldn't believe he'd just been up on stage,singing his heart out.

"Oh, shut up," he whispered after a while, but the biting words were not very biting at all. The golden eyes were focused intently on his lap. "Tch... I made everyone all depressed, didn't I?" he said after a while, a tiny smile touching his lips as he glanced up at them.

"Not depressed, Lovinito; Touched." Antonio corrected mildly, pulling his boyfriend closer.

No one sang after that, and the radio was instead put on. It seemed as if people were afraid to break the mood that had settled in after the Italian's song. Personally, Antonio thought that they might be a bit put off at the high expectations Lovino now had set, and knew they could never be as good as him.

A lot of people could sing. A lot of people could sing incredibly well too. But few could sing with as much emotion and sincerity as Lovino Vargas had just proven he could. It really was a shame that Lovino thought so badly of his own abilities. As the others asked him where he'd learnt to sing and other questions, he eventually snapped at them that it wasn't important, and "could they please talk about something else, God damn it?"

So the subject was swiftly changed, and the evening turned into night as they finished up the gathering and left with the promise to do it again sometime soon.

"Tonight was so much fun!" Antonio stated as they were well back at the apartment, closing and locking the door behind them. He had to admit that he'd been very nervous before going, not knowing how his boyfriend would get along with his rather... eccentric friends. The thought of Sadiq also lingered in the back of his consciousness, and he couldn't help but think that he'd turn up out of no-where, any time.

"It was kind of fun," Lovino admitted, giving a tired sigh as he sat down on the couch. "Your friends are fucking weird. But... I guess they're not too bad. Besides, they're not as weird as you are, and I have no problems with you, so..." he drifted off, blushing and looking away as he realized what he'd just said.

"Aw, you like my weirdness?" Antonio smirked, sitting down on the couch next to the other, blinking exaggeratedly as he put on his best cute-puppy-face.

"W-well, it's part of what makes you who you are, so yeah..." The Italian blushed even deeper. "Shit, I think my brain has gone to sleep, I'm spewing all this mushy, cliché stuff now."

"Oh! That's the perfect mood to watch a cliché romance movie, isn't it?" Antonio grinned, while his boyfriend eyed him incredulously.

"Now? Antonio, the clock is half past twelve."

"Exactly!" Without another word, he leapt off the couch, putting an old DVD in the player. Despite Lovino's half-hearted protests, ten minutes later they were seated comfortably, with a cheesy movie and a large bowl of warm popcorn.

oOo

As it turned out, waking up on the couch, half way in Antonio's arms, feet dangling over the arm rest of the couch, and with popcorn both in his hair and on his shirt, was not what Lovino would consider a good start on a day. Waking up from a head crashing into his stomach, and a startled cry from his boyfriend wasn't Antonio's idea for a perfect morning either, to be honest.

After the initial apologies had been exchanged, it seemed that the day was destined to arguments. At least they hadn't had to argue about who was to use the bed and not. Antonio didn't regret falling asleep on the couch with Lovino, as it wasn't much any of them could have done about that last night. Still, he wished he would have remembered that Lovino was a jumpy and high-strung person, even when fully awake. Half asleep and confused, he was practically dangerous, the Spaniard noted mentally as he rubbed his bruised stomach with a sigh.

Breakfast had been one argument. Then they argued about who was to use the shower first. And finally came the argument that Antonio really would have preferred they didn't have.

"Are you really sure, Lovi?" he felt a bit like a concerned mother, hands on his hips as he eyed his boyfriend uncertainly.

"I have to go to work, you bastard! I've been absent for far too long already!" Lovino was clearly frustrated, but Antonio wasn't about to give up. Lovino had just been released from hospital, and the doctors had told him he should try to avoid stressful situations and over-working himself. Naturally, the stubborn Italian wasn't about to be confined to an apartment just like that.

"But what if-"

"For fuck's sake, I already told you I'm not going to sit around and wait for something to happen! What the hell do you expect? Sadiq isn't stupid, he won't come barging in and kidnap me from work!" The Italian threw his arms in the air in exasperation. When he got worked up, he tended to gesticulate a lot more animatedly than usual, a habit Antonio normally found rather cute.

"But what if he does? Lovino, you just came out of hospital, you're tired and stressed out..." Antonio tried his best to reason with the stubborn Italian, giving him a pleading look in hopes of changing his mind. "I know we've had this discussion before, but I'm only worried about you!"

"Then don't fucking worry about me! I'm fine on my own, damn it, I don't need anyone to worry! I don't need anyone!"

Just as the words were said, the living room fell silent, and the argument died out. Antonio knew he shouldn't feel hurt, after all; Lovino only said that because it was a defence mechanism he'd built up over a long time, and he had a hard time breaking down. Even so, his shoulders sagged and he could suddenly imagine what it was like to be a balloon that had just been pierced by a needle.

"If you say so." He gave a weak smile that made him feel just as pathetic as he probably looked. "But... take a taxi directly to and from work, won't you? And call me if... if you need anything. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay... So, uh... see you later then. You have the spare key, right? Okay... bye."

Taking the steps out his apartment door and into the hall way had never before been such a difficult procedure. The tense silence haunted him as he trudged down the stairs and out onto the street, deciding against taking a taxi and instead taking off in a light jog, hoping to get rid of the inner turmoil he felt. He was already early as it was, and needed to vent in some way or the other.

Antonio had always hated heated arguments, fights and other things that he deemed unpleasant and upsetting. Ever since he was little, he had shied away from anything of the sort, and while he'd grown up to learn that it wasn't always something one could avoid, it still had him upset. Antonio hated being upset. It made his stomach ache, and it usually led to a process of guilt and regret.

Was he in the right to feel guilty, though? He'd only been worried about his boyfriend's well being, wasn't that natural? Then again, he probably shouldn't expect the other to willingly stay coped up in the apartment for God knows how long, until Sadiq decided he'd waited long enough.

When he reached the flower store, he felt far from any better, and it was still half an hour until he was supposed to open. Sighing, he stuffed his hands in his pockets, taking a moment to watch the city wake up from the night. People had begun opening their stores, preparing for a busy day. Lights were turned on inside the various buildings and signs were switched to "open".

As if life really did have something against him this particular morning, Antonio was brought out of his thoughts by the loud tunes of the national anthem of the United States, just as he'd finally managed to block out some of the negative thoughts. Grunting, he turned his head to see a blonde man walking energetically down the street, a large Starbucks coffee in one hand and a cell phone - of the modern touch-type, with the American flag on the back – in the other. Antonio snickered quietly at how obviously American the young man was. The laughter died in his throat, however, when he started speaking to whoever was at the other end of the call.

"Lovino, hey! Jeez, man, where've you been, you haven't been to work for ages! You ok? You haven't gotten really sick, have you? Are you- Ok, I'll shut up, sorry."

Antonio kept an eye on the man as he slowed his pace, clearly focused on his phone call and not caring about anyone who could hear the conversation. Listening intently, the guy kept nodding as if the person he was talking to could see him. Steadily, a crease appeared on his forehead, looking quite out of place.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me – a stalker?" The blonde stopped abruptly, blue eyes wide. Antonio could hardly breathe, listening closely while trying desperately to look normal where he stood, only a few feet away from the guy now. Was it his Lovino? But, he wouldn't tell some random guy from work about Sadiq would he? Just like that? And over the phone?

"Yeah, ex-boyfriend or not, that still classifies as stalker, dude! And you say he's... Shit, man..." Wait a second, Lovino would certainly not just blurt out that he was gay like that either. Unless this man already knew... If, by any small chance, this was his Lovino on the phone, what relationship did he have with this fellow? Antonio swallowed, forcing himself to take a breath as he began getting a bit dizzy.

"Mhm... yeah... Oh, right! Yeah, I'm heading over there now, I'll do it right away. You sure you don't want me to pick you up, though?" The man winced and held the phone a bit away from his ear before chuckling good-naturally. "Ok, ok, sorry, I forgot about your pride. Jeez, someone's gotten up on the wrong side of bed today." He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose, walking past Antonio, glancing at him only briefly and giving a friendly nod, as if acknowledging random bystanders on the street was as natural as breathing to him. "Hey, don't worry 'bout it, Lovi. What are friends for?" He chuckled again, flicking the phone shut as he walked on down the street, eventually disappearing out of Antonio's view.

"Lovi...?" Antonio's voice was merely a whisper as he repeated the familiar nickname, uttered by a stranger's tongue. The slightly lighter mood he'd managed to get a hold of seemed to have vanished, replaced by a new knot of negative emotions, which had collected like a lump of lead somewhere in his chest region. Lovi? There was no way this was his Lovi. Yet, somehow, he wasn't so sure about that anymore. What was the chance of another Lovino living in the same, small city – another Lovino who was also gay and pestered by an insane ex-boyfriend?

Who was that American guy anyway? Someone from work? What are friends for? Antonio had been under the impression that Lovino tended to keep everyone and anyone at a distance, yet this man obviously considered them to be friends. Would Lovino tell someone who was just a "friend" about something like that, so easily?

"Isn't this store supposed to be open by now...?" A girl asked, glancing at her companion where they stood outside the flower store. The flower store he was supposed to open about fifteen minutes ago.

"Ah, sorry, I forgot the time! I'll open right now!" he tried to smile, quickly pushing his thoughts away and getting ready for a new, and busy day.

As morning gave way for early afternoon, however, he concluded that it wasn't meant to be a busy day. In fact, it was a rather long and boring one, which gave him plenty of time to think about the unsettling mystery of "Mr. America" as he'd started calling the guy in his mind.

It annoyed him to no end that he was actually nervous about this whole thing. And here he thought Lovino was supposed to be the one with the trust-issues and fears, not him. More than anything, he despised that sinking feeling in his gut that tried to tell him that something was going on here. It made him feel miserable and horribly guilty for distrusting his boyfriend.

Leaning back across the counter so that his head dangled over the edge at a not-so-comfortable angle, he let out a stream of air as he watched the store from an upside down point of view. It was rather strange to see people walk past outside, upside down. Everyone were hurrying around, to get from point A to point B. Always hurrying, as though arriving a second late to whatever appointment they had would kill them.

Antonio found it sad that everyone were so stressed out. No one took the time to look around anymore. No one noticed little things like the first dandelion in spring, or the magnificent display of colours on the sky during sunset. There was always somewhere to go, someone to meet. Always an e-mail to write or a phone call to answer...

"And when people run in circles, it's a very, very mad world..." he sung quietly to himself, voice soft and a bit strained by the awkward position he was in, "... Mad world..."

oOo

This chapter was a bit shorter than the previous ones, but I hope you liked it anyway. Feel free to leave me a review, telling me what you thought of it, because that would make me very happy~ ^^

Mein Gott – My God (German)

Grazie – Thank you/thanks (Italian)

Mon Dieu – My God (French)

Anglais – English (French)