Warning: Fluff and lame attempts at humor ahead. Be warned. However, to balance out the sweetness and to prevent you from gaining cavities (or prevent you from crying at the lameness), I've implemented a more serious ending to this chapter. I think... I don't know, someone help me here?
-x-
Lovino's words sounded like angels singing to Antonio's ears. He felt happy, that's for sure. After all, that meant he could still teach Lovino, and remain close to him. Even if he had quit, they still probably would have kept in contact, but still, it wasn't the same…
Antonio looked down at Lovino's face. His cute, blushing face, accented by those brilliant green eyes of his. Antonio just couldn't tear his eyes away from them, and found himself unconsciously staring at the Italian. This did make Lovino feel a little uncomfortable.
"A-An…tonio?" he asked sheepishly, his eyes darting around the room. He shivered slightly, as he realized Antonio's gaze was fixed entirely on him.
Blinking a few times, Antonio awoke from his trance. He shook his head a few times, before opening his mouth. "Sorry, Lovi," he breathed, inching closer to the Italian. "Has anyone ever told you… that you're cute?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.
Lovino blinked, unable to speak. He swallowed, and opened his mouth to reply to the odd question, but was beaten to it by Antonio.
"Because you are," he said softly, their faces almost touching. Shocked, Lovino backed away slightly, only to realize he was up against a wall. He bit his lip, as he looked ahead and saw a determined expression dancing upon the Spaniard's features. "You're really, really adorable, did you know that?" he asked, leaning his head towards Lovino's. He pressed his arms to the wall, leaving Lovino no way to escape.
Lovino shivered, as he felt Antonio's mouth brush against his neck. He also couldn't help but notice how unusually warm his forehead felt. Antonio's thick, dark hair tickled Lovino's face, and Antonio took full opportunity at this weakness. He moved his mouth upwards, breathing softly upon Lovino's face.
"A-Antonio, you're… you're really hot," he managed to say between gasps.
Antonio paused. "You think so?" he said, almost smiling.
"Yeah, you're fucking burning. Do you have some sort of monster fever or some shit?" he asked, managing to inch away from Antonio slightly.
Frowning, Antonio moved closer to Lovino. "I… I don't know," he replied, and continued his tasting of Lovino's skin. Antonio felt his arm buckle, and it turned out that Lovino had pushed it down.
"No, no way. I think you're sick, man," he said, shaking his head slightly. "I'll be right back, I'll … I'll grab the thermometer," he said hurriedly, before darting out of the room. He closed it, and sank to the floor. What was all that? One minute, they'd been having a civil conversation, and the next, Lovino found himself pinned to the wall with a delicio- hot, as in temperature hot (not anything else… well maybe a bit, but that was beside the point) Spaniard against him.
Well, it was a good thing to say to get out of the room, but he actually meant it. There was no way Antonio was that hot before… was he? He walked past the happy trio, avoiding any eye contact, and generally not looking in their direction whatsoever. He opened the medicine cabinet, and pulled out the large, plastic container filled with all sorts of things that… probably shouldn't be there.
After pulling out numerous boxes of prescription medicine (that they were supposed to throw out after they get better) he managed to find the thermometer. But as he reached in to grab it, he couldn't help but notice that one, strange box that he'd never seen in there before.
…Oh god, was that lube? It definitely wasn't his, because he… not that he'd admit it to anyone, but he was still a virgin. He wasn't too sure about Feliciano though… wait, the only other person in this house was Feliciano. Curious, he pulled it out to find it already opened. He swallowed, as he noticed a recept stapled to the side of the box. He almost gagged as he found that it had been bought fairly recently. And… the other people that had set foot in this house, besides him and his brother was… Ludwig… and as of today that Japanese guy.
Lovino closed his eyes and cringed. His brother… and Ludwig… That was definitely something he did not want to think about. Ever. He threw it back in the box, as if it were some poisonous snake, and tried his best to bleach those unwanted thoughts from his mind. As he headed back towards his bedroom, he noticed his brother looking at him worriedly. Still pissed from before, and a little… disturbed at what he'd just discovered, he shot him a glare, and looked ahead, hearing his brother's whimpers. He knew that Ludwig was looking at him, but he didn't care. Lovino hated him so much right now, it wasn't even funny. He hated him for writing him off, he hated him because Feliciano spent so much time with him, he hated him because… he only ate potatoes and drank beer… and… because he was screwing his brother!
He shuddered at all those thoughts as he reached his bedroom door. He held his hand to the doorknob, unsure of what might happen to him when he enters. What if Antonio decided to kiss and pin him down again? Or… or what if Antonio had passed out on the floor? He turned the handle, and slowly opened the door, peeking through the small gap.
"Ah, you're back Lovino~" came Antonio's voice, although considerably softer. He was lying on Lovino's bed, an arm raised over his forehead. "Ah, I guess you were right… I do feel a little warm, huh? I felt a little dizzy so I decided to lie down on your bed…I hope that's alright with you…"
Lovino didn't reply, but instead sat down next to the Spaniard, and shoved the thermometer into his hands. "Use this," he muttered, folding his arms and looking away.
"Ah, a thermometer, thanks Lovino," he said quietly, before sticking it under his tongue. The room then got eerily quiet, besides the occasional beep of the electronic thermometer. While Antonio lay there, Lovino busied himself by clearing some papers from his desk.
Five, short beeps indicated that the thermometer had finished taking the temperature. Antonio took it out of his mouth, before looking at the number. "Ah," he said softly, closing his fingers around it.
"What, what is it?" asked Lovino, returning to the side of the bed.
"It's nothing, it's fine just a little- ah," he started, but stopped after Lovino grabbed the object from Antonio's fingers.
"One… one hundred and two. One fucking hundred and two. You call this fine? What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you want to die, bastard?" yelled Lovino, suddenly extremely serious.
Antonio laughed. "It's not like something like this will kill me," he said to himself. "I'll just call my boss then… and say I can't come because I'm sick," he told Lovino.
Lovino frowned slightly, before sighing. "Fine…" he said curtly, before climbing onto his bed. He sat next to Antonio's figure, and lowered his forehead to the Spaniard's, comparing temperatures. He could feel the latter's irregular breathing softly against his cheeks. He swallowed. "You don't sound very good," he said quietly.
Antonio raised his arms up, and pulled Lovino closer towards him. "You'll make me better," he said jokingly, as Lovino made muffled sounds of protest.
There were a few short taps at the door, which probably meant nothing as the next second Feliciano came in the room. A smile played at the edge of his mouth, before clearing his throat. "Ve, did I interrupt anything?" he said, almost playfully. Lovino blushed at the question, quickly shaking his head and insisting the two weren't up to anything.
"Do you need anything?" Lovino asked, a hint of a sour tone still lingering on the words. Feliciano bit his lip, and looked away.
"N-no, I was just.. just wondering if you were okay, but it seems you are," he said quickly, before closing the door.
"Don't you think you should apologize to him? I mean, he's your brother, and you said some pretty harsh stuff back there," said Antonio softly.
Lovino's hands tightened, and he looked away. He didn't want Antonio to see his face right now, because he was sure that the emotion he was feeling right then was reflected in his eyes. He felt troubled and unsure, not to mention betrayed, and hurt. It was like being a hormonal, emotional teenager all over again, despite the fact he was in his twenties. "I… I'll apologize to him… just not now, I think," he replied. "I'm not ready to face him yet. Not to mention he'd probably make me apologize to the fucker Ludwig and their little Asian friend," he added sourly.
Antonio sighed. "If that's how you feel I guess," he replied simply. There was another eerie silence between the two of them.
"I.. I'm going to have a shower, you shouldn't go anywhere okay?" he said, getting off the bed. He grabbed some clothes and his towel, and shot Antonio another worrying glance before closing the door.
-x-
Ah, how good it felt to have clean water run down your skin. Especially after a really, fucking retarded shit of a day. Lovino leaned against the wall, a blank expression on his face. Thanks to Antonio, he was slightly over this guitar dilemma of his, but also thanks to Antonio, Lovino found himself in another dilemma. A really, fucking stupid dilemma called love.
He tousled his hair with his hands, shaking it aggressively. Lovino, despite insisting he was a super smooth Italian, thus making him a great romanticist, was confused. He closed his eyes as he tried to think, why was he falling for this idiot bastard Antonio? He bit his lip as he made a mental list.
He was kind. That was one of the first things Lovino had realized about the carefree Spaniard. He rarely, if ever got mad. He always had a positive attitude towards things (which one could never say about Lovino) and always kept a smile on his face. Even when he was sick with a 102 degree fever. And goddammit, it was a beautiful smile.
He actually put up with all of his, yes he admitted it, bullshit. Lovino knew he had an attitude impossible to please, as he'd always try to … be well, Lovino. Yet Antonio never got exasperated at Lovino for yelling at him, even when it was for absolutely no fucking reason.
Those eyes. Fucking hell, that shade of green would make emeralds look dull.
He smiled, and banged his head against the wall as he realised something. He actually just made a list about why he liked that idiot. Lovino wasn't dumb. He, as much as he refused to believe it, knew that he was in love with the Spanish bastard. But did this Spanish bastard feel the same?
After getting dressed, and drying his hair with the towel as best he could, he scampered back towards his bedroom. He noticed the little Asian guy was gone, but unfortunately the German dickhead was still there. Lovino wasn't really keen on seeing what they were really doing, so he half-closed his eyes for the brief few seconds that they were in sight on the way to the laundry.
He walked into his bedroom, and the first thing he noticed was that he received no words from Antonio. Leaning closer, he discovered that the Spaniard had fallen asleep. "Gee, did I shower for that long?" he muttered to himself. At a time like this, Lovino hated himself for not investing in a chair to place in his room. Usually, he sat on his bed. But, he couldn't do that since there was a sleeping dude on it. And other than that, he would sit on the sofa. Which, he also couldn't do because his brother and a certain prick were there. Doing… stuff Lovino would rather not think about.
He bit his lip, before sighing. "Whatever, I'll get up before he does anyway," he muttered to himself, as he lay down on the other side of the bed from Antonio. He pulled out the book he'd been reading from his bag, and started to read. The Italian failed to realise that his eyelids were drooping with every second that passed, and undoubtedly he fell asleep.
-x-
Antonio awoke to find a sweet smell of berries tickling his nose. Glancing to the side, he found Lovino lying conveniently next to him, his hair wafting a smell of berry-scented shampoo. He smiled, before lifting a palm to his forehead. Still hot. That sucked. He turned over once, before wrapping an arm around the Italian's body to act as a pillow and pressed a quick hiss to Lovino's cheek. Content, he closed his eyes and resumed his sleep.
-x-
A shrill, beeping noise filled the air. Startled, Lovino woke up, only to find himself pinned to the bed by someone's arm. Wait, what? He opened his eyes completely, to find Antonio's arm wrapped around his waist. He blushed slightly, as he realised what had probably happened over the past few hours. "An..tonio," he said, annoyed. "Is that your phone?"
Antonio gave a long sigh, before rolling over and finding his phone in his pocket. "Hello?" he answered, his tone less cheerful than usual.
"Spain, is that you?" came a voice so loud, Lovino could hear it even without the loudspeaker. Antonio shot a glance at Lovino worriedly, before answering.
"Yes, it's me, and I've told you countless times to call me Antonio!" he insisted hurriedly.
"Yeah yeah whatever, you're still Spain to me. Anyway, I heard you're not home, where are you?" asked the man's voice. Lovino gave a curious glance at Antonio.
Antonio tried his best to avoid Lovino's adorable facial expression. "Yeah… I got sick uh, 102 degrees," he added.
"Ah, it's getting worse is it?" replied the man, his voice darker. "Well if you'd get home so the driver can take you to the airport, maybe we could remedy the situation."
Antonio frowned. "I-I told you already, I can't! There's no way they'd let me on the plane with a fever like this, you know that," Antonio said, slightly agitated.
"Just show them the pass on your ID card! It's not like you can pass your sickness to humans anyway!" cried the man, his voice getting louder and harder to understand.
Antonio's eyes widened, as he realised what his superior had just said. He shot a look at Lovino, and bit his lip as he saw the look of confusion written all over his face. "Humans?" he mouthed, frowning slightly.
Antonio opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by his superior again. "This is why I don't get why you're always staying over in America. You're not America, heaven forbid, you're Spain! You should be living in Spain, at least then it would be easier to contact you!"
Sighing, Antonio realised the longer he stayed on the phone, the more Lovino would find out about what he really was. It wasn't going to do much, but it was better than nothing. He continued the conversation in Spanish.
Lovino frowned, as he tried to piece together what he'd heard. It wasn't good to be eavesdropping, but something about their conversation didn't seem right. Alright, so whoever the man on the other side was had first addressed Antonio as Spain. He'd also said he was always Spain to him. But that wasn't a problem, it could be a nickname, right?
But then he'd also said that Antonio couldn't 'pass his sickness to humans, anyway.' Did that mean Antonio had some kind of inhuman disease? Wait, wouldn't that make Antonio inhuman?
Antonio pressed the red button on his phone, and threw it on the floor. "Agh, persistent old man," he muttered. "He won't let me get off… he's making me take the next flight. Sorry, Lovi," he smiled sheepishly, before his expression went solemn.
"A-Antonio… I don't mean to be rude or doubt you or anything but…" began Lovino. He looked up at the Spaniard with bright, curious eyes, that he just couldn't resist softening his expression to.
"So you head my boss, huh?" he said quietly, shoulders dropping.
There as a brief pause, before Lovino continued. "He..He called you Spain. And… he implied that you were in…inhuman?" he asked quietly.
Antonio opened his mouth, his mind swirling for perhaps a lie that could somewhat cover everything, but Lovino beat him to it.
"And if you're going to lie to me, don't," he said, his eyes darkening, as if he was expecting him to lie. Antonio looked away slightly, taken aback by Lovino's possible distrust of him. "If… If I mean anything to you… you'd tell me, wouldn't you?" he asked quietly.
Antonio was speechless. Lovino did mean something to him… and Antonio knew that if he kept on lying, it would only make things worse in the future. But he also didn't want to tell Lovino the truth. What… what if things ended up like last time?
He shook his head. He'd promised himself all those years ago that he'd never think about what happened last time. He also promised he'd never let history repeat itself.
Antonio looked to the floor. "Alright, I-I'll tell you. But can you wait until I get back from Spain, at least? It's not something I can explain in a short while," he said softly.
Lovino looked at him seriously, before softening his expression. "F-fine. But answer me this: Are you human?" he asked, his tone dead serious.
Looking away, Antonio bit his lip. How the hell was he meant to answer that?
"Ah… that…. Depends on how you see things, I guess? I am human, I'm not an elf or a vampire in that sense if you were thinking something like that, by the way," he added hurriedly.
Lovino contemplated the answer, and opened his mouth several times to comment, only to close it shortly after.
"Alright then, I'll… I'll give it a thought. I'll be waiting for your explanation when you get back though, bastard," he scowled.
Antonio laughed. "Ahaha, thanks for understanding me… I guess?" he smiled, before wrapping his arms around the Italian's torso. "I promise I'll tell you everything when I get back," he said softly into Lovino's hair.
He felt a pinch on his shoulder, followed by a scowl from Lovino. "You'd better, bastard."
-x-
Ohai srs Spain. Ohai rushed ending.
I think… I think… that this might be about it for the fluff. I think I said it before that this was a serious story, so maybe after this chapter the fluff will be cut back a bit. Or a lot. Who knows. Ah, I'm not satisfied by this chapter very much..
So anyway, I need moar feedback guys. I didn't get much last chapter, but something simple, criticising or constructive will make me love you ; u ; Even telling me why you like the story makes me happy ~ [/hinthint]