Tomato of the Sea

Disclaimer: I don't Hetalia.

Warning: AU, Lovi's way of verbally expressing annoyance, male x male pairings, and a very bipolar Gilbird fluttering about.

About time I updated, eh?


Ever since his brother moved out a few weeks ago, Alfred felt like the house was missing its usual spark of life that kept him from getting bored. Sure, there was always something to do or people to see in town and visiting Matthew only consisted of walking about ten minutes towards the heart of town, but Alfred couldn't do that every night. And he refused to cave and mooch dinner off his papas. Not only would that kill his pride and damage his big stand on being independent that he took up with them a few years ago, but depending on which fatherly figure was cooking, he'd either eat too much or risk food poisoning. So the Hero of Canton sucked it up and started to make meals for himself. He got a little better at cooking, but he didn't think he'd ever be able to adjust to eating alone. It was too boring and quiet and…boring! Ever since his brother moved out a few weeks ago, Alfred had been lonely.

And then Lovino came along.

Alfred was happy to help get him out of the storm and had no qualms with letting him stay the night (poor guy looked like he had been through a lot), but he was ecstatic that his new friend was going to be living with him for awhile at least. Finally, he had somebody to hang out with at home to fill the void his brother left. Someone he could talk to, play games with, share meals, and listen to his most recent heroic exploits.

It also didn't hurt that Lovino was one hell of a cook.

"This is the main road leading to town, so it's mostly people's houses," Alfred explained, showing Lovino around. "The neighbors are all nice, but really old. Oh, except for Kiku! He's about our age and just moved in a few years ago."

"Uh, okay?" the brunette responded. He was doing all he could just to keep up with the overly excited blonde.

Alfred continued dragging Lovino down the dirt road. He couldn't wait until they actually got into town and could see more of the sights and people. It was true that the view of the beach was nice from his house, but the Hero was far more interested in showing Lovino all his favorite places in Canton.

"And this is the bakery, where they make the best cake in the entire world," Alfred explained while waving at the two men in front. "Hi, Tino! Hi, Berwald!"

The smaller of the two smiled and waved back, while the taller one looked up and nodded curtly.

"They have a kid too – Peter – who's probably running around here somewhere. Oh, hey Toris, what's up?" Alfred greeted another man walking nearby, carrying a load of fabrics.

"Hm? Oh, hi Alfred," he replied. "Not much, I'm just picking up a few things for Feliks. Who's this?"

Lovino shrunk back a little, a little uncomfortable in a town full of strangers.

"This is Lovino!" Alfred exclaimed proudly. "He's my friend and is going to be staying in town for awhile."

"Then welcome to Canton," Toris smiled. "It's a nice town, I'm sure you'll like it here."

"Th-Thanks."

As Alfred continued to drag Lovi all around town like a big, excited kid, Lovino realized how popular Alfred is with the locals. He started to think that maybe the hero thing wasn't all in Alfred's head after all.


In addition to meeting several people, the Hero of Canton started showing Lovino some of his favorite places. As they walked past the docks, Alfred pointed out his favorite place to order a drink and watch the ships pull in and out of the harbor. He amended that the best place for that is actually on the cliffs overhanging the edge of town. From there you can see the entire ocean. He promised to take Lovino there one day, missing the brunette warily eyeing up the cliffs in question; they looked kind of high…

Once they got closer to town square, Alfred pointed out several of his favorite shops. There was the candy store run by Mei Xiao (who always gave him extras), the weapon's shop owned by a pair of siblings who were as different as night and day (Al sometimes helps test out new guns), and a music shop that sold instruments, provided lessons, and put on concerts (Alfred admitted he was never good at playing anything his parents had him try, but he loved listening to others play). Nearly everyone passing by waved to Alfred and welcomed Lovino to town after quick introductions. The green-eyed boy was starting to have a difficult time keeping all of the names and faces straight.

Through it all, Alfred continued introducing Lovino as his new friend from overseas. The latter realized he was actually getting used to the idea of someone calling him their friend. It had always seemed like such a foreign word to him in his old town, but here it almost seemed to fit. Lovino was so caught up with his thoughts that he forgot to yell at Alfred for nearly pulling his arm out of his socket every time he saw something cool or awesome that he just had to show Lovino and in the fastest way possible. Before long, they had walked around over half of Canton.

"Hey, Pete. How's it going?" Alfred greeted the boy walking nearby.

"Not bad. I got a good deal on shrimp today. Papa Berwald will be happy," Peter grinned and noticed Lovino beside him. "Is that your wife?"

"W-What?!" they both asked in unison, Alfred hastily releasing the hand he didn't realize he had been holding.

"No, this is my buddy, Lovino!" the blonde recovered, laughing a bit. "He's my friend, not my wife."

"But you were holding hands…" Peter tilted his head, bushy brows furrowing.

"That's because this lunatic was dragging me around town and I didn't get a chance to pull away!" Lovino huffed, ignoring the smile that broke out on Peter's face.

"Yeah, my dad told me that's how it all starts," he laughed and began to stroll away. "Bye guys! I gotta get back home before Mama Tino worries. Invite me to the wedding, okay?!"

"I'm going to kill that little…"

"Don't worry about it! He was just joking," Alfred patted the glaring brunette's back. "Kids will be kids and all."

Lovino only grumbled something about stringing him to the top of a flag pole until he learns his lesson.

"Hey, are you getting hungry, Lovi? Let's stop for lunch!" Alfred asked, guiding his friend off in a new direction of town. "I know a guy who sells the best tomatoes!"

"T-Tomatoes?" Lovino perked up. "Lead the way, bastard!"

A short walk later and they stood in front of a food stand run by a man with untamed chocolate curls and bright green eyes. He and Alfred exchanged a greeting, but Lovino took no notice.

"Tomatoooo…" he murmured, staring longingly at the ripe red fruit in front of him. He couldn't even remember the last time he had one. Two weeks ago? Three?

"You're name is Tomato?" asked an unfamiliar voice. "What a great name!"

"Huh?" Lovino looked back up, unaware a conversation was going on.

"'Toni asked you your name and you told him 'Tomato,'" Alfred grinned.

"W-What? No I—" Lovino felt his cheeks burn.

"How cute! You even look like a tomato!" the shopkeeper cooed.

"Wow, you're right!" Alfred beamed. "Lovi you should see yourself! You look just like a—"

"Shut up!" the tsundere hissed. "My name isn't 'Tomato' or 'Lovi' it's Lovino!"

"It's good to meetcha, Lovino!" the owner seemed unfazed. "My name is Antonio Fernandez Carriedo!"

Briefly wondering why he had so many names, Lovi returned his attention on more pressing matters – the tomatoes and how he was going to get some.

"Do you like tomatoes, Lovi?" Antonio asked.

"He loves 'em!" Alfred interjected. "Lovi looked so sad at breakfast this morning when he found out I didn't have any."

"Bastardos! Stop calling me that!" he snarled back. "So what if I like tomatoes? You idiots wouldn't know good taste if it bit you in the culo."

"Then you can have these!" Antonio smiled brightly, handing over a small basket of tomatoes to his fellow tomato aficionado. "No house should be without tomatoes! That would be a tragedy!"

"C-Can I really have these?" Lovino asked in disbelief.

"Sure! Consider it a welcome basket for my newest friend."

"Grazie…" the shorter brunette nodded, biting into the juiciest tomato while Alfred picked up some more food for lunch.

"Sandwiches okay with you, buddy?" Alfred asked.

Lovino didn't reply. He didn't even respond to anything really. The green-eyed boy had taken one bite of tomato and looked like he was in heaven. Alfred could almost see the sparkles of pure bliss surround him.

After paying for lunch, Alfred led Lovino to a bench to eat. The entire way over, the blonde was convinced his friend would float off to cloud nine. He barely even touched the other food that Alfred had purchased.

"Wow! You can really put 'em away!" a thoroughly impressed Alfred said, watching Lovino devour tomato after tomato. He figured it was a good thing, Lovi looked like he needed the weight.

"I can't help it, they're so good, bastard!" Lovino all but purred. Then in a great show of unexpected kindness and self-sacrifice, he offered one to Alfred.

"No, that's okay. I've got my sandwich here," the blue-eyed boy waved him off. "Besides, it's much more fun to watch you go to town on them. You must really love tomatoes…"

Lovino could only nod, as pausing to reply would mean he'd have to stop munching on the fruit in his hands. It wasn't long before over half of the basket was empty.

"You think you should slow down a little?" Alfred asked between bites of his sandwich. "I'd feel bad if you got sick."

"Tomatoes don't make you sick, idiota."

"Are you sure? You've eaten like seven of them…"

"Positive."

Not long after the delicious tomatoes were devoured, Lovino started lapsing into a food coma. His eyes felt heavy and his body wobbled towards the edge of the bench. Luckily, Alfred caught his shoulder before he fell off. He didn't have anything to support his friend on, so Alfred propped him against his side. Lovino's head rested on his shoulder with a content look on his face. Alfred couldn't help smile, hoping Lovi would be able to relax more like this in the future.

Considering the state he found him in, Lovino was doing much better. He had a little more color in his cheeks, more spring in his step, and a healthy appetite to boot. Antonio was right, he really was cute. He felt so lucky to be the first friend Lovi made in Canton.


Not long into Lovino's nap, some more friends of Alfred's passed by. Being the nice guy that he was, the Hero of Canton waved to the duo of Bella and Elizabeta. Bella waved back and both headed over, one a little faster than the other.

Once they were within speaking distance, Elizabeta was barely able to contain a squee. Alfred shushed her quickly bringing a finger to his lips.

"Shh! Eliza, you have to be quiet or you'll wake Lovi up!" he chided her with all the seriousness of a child.

This only made her giggle more, but Bella was able to calm her friend.

"Who's this, Alfred?" she asked. "I don't think I've seen him around town before."

Elizabeta nodded at this, knowing for a fact that she hadn't. She kept thorough tabs on all the young, attractive men in Canton for her own fantasizing purposes. If this guy was in Canton for more than a day or two, she would know about it.

"This is Lovi!" Alfred beamed. "He's my new friend and is staying with me for awhile."

"St-Staying with you?!" Elizabeta exclaimed, looking as though Christmas just came early.

Alfred and Bella both shushed her again as Lovi fidgeted a little in his sleep.

"Sorry!" she clamped a hand over her mouth.

"That's nice," the short-haired girl turned her attention back to her friend and the sleeping boy in his arms. "Is he from out of town?"

"Yeah, across the sea."

"How exotic, er, excellent," the long-haired girl amended.

"Yep!" agreed Alfred. He noted that Elizabeta was acting strange today, but he didn't let it trouble him as long as she kept her voice down so Lovi could rest peacefully.

"Well, we'll head off so we don't wake him," Bella smiled sweetly and grabbed her friend's arm to steer her away.

Elizabeta looked distraught at the very thought of leaving this scene behind.

"He must be really tired from his trip." Said Bella. "Make sure you take good care of him, Al."

"Of course! I'm the hero after all!"

"Well, Mr. Hero, you should bring him by the café later," the blonde girl giggled. "I'm sure there's lots of people who'd love to meet him."

"Yeah, that's a good point," Alfred replied, happy to show off his amazing new friend. "We'll swing by for dinner."

"Great! See you then!" she waved and dragged Elizabeta off.


Fifteen minutes later, Lovino woke up, a little disoriented. Alfred helped him sit up slowly.

"Ugh…I shouldn't have eaten all those tomatoes…" Lovino sighed. "…But they were so good…"

"So, no regrets?" Alfred laughed.

"None at all," Lovino managed a smirk, before yawning. He was still adjusting to his surroundings. "What'd I miss?"

"Oh, well—"

"Yo! Alfred!" a loud voice called out.

"Oh, hey, Gil," Alfred greeted the albino striding over to them.

"The Awesome Me was delivering packages and I heard you got a new roommate!" Gilbert's voice boomed. "Is this your new friend?"

For some inexplicable reason, Lovi found himself taking an immediate disliking towards the new man.

"Yeah, this is Lovino," Alfred nodded. "Lovino, this is Gilbert. He lives with my brother now."

"Nice to meetcha, kid," Gilbert grinned. "Where are you from?"

"Are you from Canton?" Lovino ignored him.

"No," the albino raised his eyebrows, caught off-guard. "I'm from Blauenwand originally."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Lovino frowned, thinking of the other person he'd met from Blauenwand – the evil potato bastard who stole his brother away from him. For some reason, when he thought of it now, the potato bastard was wearing a villain's cape and carrying off Feli, who was flailing about in a poofy pink princess dress and wailing for Lovino to save him and his pasta. Eh, close enough.

The others exchanged a look of confusion.

"Soooo, are ya gonna stay in Canton long, kid?"

"For a little while at least," Lovino squirmed uncomfortably. "Why do you care?"

"No reason, just curious," grinned Gilbert. "So where were you from again? You never answered."

"Actually, we were just about to head back home, so we'll have to catch you later, Gil," Alfred spoke up, after feeling Lovino tense up beside him. He wasn't sure why his friend was nervous, but he promised he'd take care of him and he always kept his word. "We've been walking around town all day, and I need a nap. Say hi to Mattie for me, 'kay?"

"Sure thing," the albino waved and took off. "The Awesome Me will seeya later!"

Lovino sighed in relief as soon as all the questioning stopped.

"Ready to go home?" Alfred asked, offering him a hand off the bench.

"I can stand up on my own, jerk," Lovino scowled, ignoring the heat rising to his face. He righted himself and started walking. "You coming, bastard?"

"Yeah, but Lovino?"

"What?"

"It's the other direction…"


Lovino ended up getting Matthew's old room, since he had moved out. There were still a few of his old possessions that he didn't need any more as well as a bed, nightstand, and dresser. Alfred said to let him know if he needed any more furniture and he'd be happy to make some. He still had some leftover cedar boards from a previous project just laying around.

"I have to admit, it's been a little lonely since Mattie moved out, so I'm glad to have someone else at home," Alfred scratched his head.

Lovino wondered how someone so popular and loved could ever feel lonely, but didn't comment.

"With you here, it's like having a little brother in the house again!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lovino snapped. "I'm older than you, so don't treat me like a little kid!"

"Haha, no way you're older than me, Lovi!" Alfred accidently used the dreaded nickname. "You're so little!"

"I'm not little, you're just freakishly huge!" he snorted. "Anyway, I'm 21…"

"Really? I just turned 19 not too long ago," Alfred mused. "People must be really short where you come from!"

"I told you, I'm not short! You're just a giant!"


Lovino got more settled into his temporary room, which wasn't that hard considering he didn't bring much. He opened the window to get some fresh air and tested the bed – soft, but not nearly as heavenly as the one he used last night – Alfred couldn't cook, but he could clearly choose a good bed.

As he watched the sun dip lower in the sky, he realized something. They never picked anything up for dinner or replaced the tomatoes he had for lunch! This was an emergency! He raced downstairs to tell Alfred.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you! Bella came by and asked us to stop at the café!"

"Huh?" Lovino tried to make sense of this.

"Right, you were sleeping and Bella came by and asked if we could stop at the café she works at so she and the others could meet you when you were more awake."

"Others?" Lovino asked, a little worried. Just how long had he been asleep? How many people had seen him passed out on a bench? He hoped none of those were pretty girls; that would be really embarrassing.

"The other people at the café," Alfred continued. "My Dad runs it, so I know most of the people there."

Lovi had a feeling he'd know most of the people even if his dad didn't own the place. Especially if today was anything to go by, it felt like Alfred knew everyone in town.

Eventually Lovino agreed to go. Then they wouldn't have to head back to town to pick up ingredients for dinner and have to take the time to prepare it. Plus, if his father ran the place, they probably wouldn't have to pay. Free food was the best, even if it was a stranger making it. And if it was just for tonight, how bad could it be?


A/N

Hopefully this chapter was cute and fluffy enough for ya. It was much shorter at first, but then I kept adding things and it grew out of control. Next chapter, Lovi gets to meet Alfred's family (part of them anyway), but which crazy parent owns the café? And will Elizabeta and her crazy yaoi fanclub be there as well? (okay, that one's a freebie, this is Hungary we're talking about.) Find out next time!

~Rajikka

Word List

Idiota (It.) "Idiot"

Bastardo (It.) "Bastard"

Culo (It.) "Ass"

Grazie (It.) "Thank you"

Tsundere (Jp.) – Arthur Kirkland. Haha, just kidding. (sort of.) A tsundere is a type of character seen in anime or manga known for appearing cold or hostile, but having a hidden sweet side. "Tsun Tsun" is the aloof or irritable side, while "Dere Dere" is the lovey dovey side. Iggy and Lovi are two good examples of this character.

Blauenwand (Ger.) – I combined the German words for Blue Wall "blauen wand." You'll find out more about this place later.