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.
Rough day at work, needed to write something fluffy.
oOo
On the way over to the restaurant, Alfred filled in Lovino more about his parents. He explained that he lost his birth parents to sickness when he and Matthew were only two. The blonde chuckled and said that's why Matthew's such a germaphobe and freaks out over minor colds and sicknesses.
"Which is funny since he and I are so healthy!"
Alfred went on to explain how they were taken in by Arthur (the town librarian) and Francis (who runs a famous café and clothing shop), who raised them as their sons.
"They're both a bit strange, but I love them just like real parents," Alfred smiled. "We stayed with them until we were 16 and moved into the cabin that I built."
"Wait, you mean the place we are now?" Lovino couldn't cover up the amazement in his voice. "You're saying you built that, bastardo?!"
"Yeah, I love building things!" Alfred's laugh came easily, not offended in the least. "It was easy!"
"Did you build all the furniture too?" Lovino was still trying to get over his shock that something so well-built and time consuming could be made by the guy with the attention span of a two year old. Of course, Alfred had previously offered to make him more furniture if desired. Maybe he was good at this sort of thing, patience requirement or not.
"I built most of it," he nodded. "But Arthur and Francis gave us some stuff…Oh, but when Mattie moved he took most of that with him. He's so sentimental about stuff like that."
They arrived at the Bluebell Café in no time. Alfred waved to several of the apron-clad servers running around and took his usual table by the window. It was one of the smaller tables, but perfect for a party of two. Alfred excitedly told Lovino that in an hour or so, they'd have a perfect view of the sunset from here.
Soon after they settled in, Bella happily walked over to them with two glasses of water. Alfred quickly introduced the two. One for the first time and one for the second time.
"Aww, Lovi! You're even more handsome when you're awake!" the waitress grinned with a catlike smile.
Lovino stammered out some form of a thank you, but was too flustered to meet her gaze. Was this one of the people that saw him passed out on the bench after one too many tomatoes? How embarrassing…
"So what would you boys like to eat tonight?" she asked.
"Hmm…I'll take the Chef's Special and a cup of whatever soup you have back there," Alfred replied after briefly scanning the menu. "How 'bout you, Lovino?"
"I…er…" the brunette wasn't used to this. He'd very rarely eaten in an actual restaurant before and didn't recognize half the stuff on the menu.
"Just bring him something with lots of tomatoes," grinned Alfred.
"Who the hell said you could order for me?" Lovino snapped at him.
Remembering that Antonio had told her all about Alfred's new roommate who supposedly loved tomatoes as much as him, Bella pointed out the pasta section of the menu to Lovino and helped him decide on chicken penne.
"How come Bella gets to order for you?" the blonde pouted.
"Because she's not as annoying as you," huffed Lovino, who did eventually cave and let Alfred pick a soup for him.
Once they had the soup in front of them, (and Lovi reminded Alfred about not talking with food in his mouth) Alfred tried to get to know his new friend better.
"So is there anything else you like to do?"
Lovino was confused, so Alfred elaborated that he's good at cooking and traveling.
"I never thought I was good at either…" the brunette shrugged. "I like art, I guess."
"Like painting and drawing and stuff?"
"Yeah, but I only did that for fun back home. I was never any good at it," Lovi nodded. "My brother was way better than me."
"C'mon, Lovi! I didn't ask about your brother, I asked about you!" Alfred laughed.
Lovino blushed, even letting the nickname slide, while Alfred blinked and apologized.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like a jerk about your little bro."
Lovino shook his head, small smile forming, and took a bite of soup. He never heard someone dismiss Saint Feliciano so easily in order to hear more about him instead. It felt kind of…nice.
"I'll let it go just this once, bastard."
oOo
In other less innocent corners of the café were three suspiciously cloaked people, all huddled around a round table. They watched the couple from across the floor with great interest.
"Did he just have Alfred order for him?!" a young girl barely managed to contain her excitement. "Laeaaa~! That's so sweet!"
"They've already made good progress," noted the older girl. "Are you recording this, #2?"
"Yes, Leader," a distinct male voice said as he quickly scribbled down notes. "Is there a way we can get them at a smaller table, perhaps?"
"Yes, more opportunities to brush hands, bump shoulders, and sit in close proximity of each other…" the leader nodded. "I like the way you think."
"No, that's the smallest-sized table here," the dark-haired girl replied sadly. "But it's Alfred's designated table for whenever he eats here!"
"So he's begun sharing all of his special places and memories with his exotic new roommate?"
"I believe we have a new OTP on our hands, my friends…"
"Oh my god, you were right, Leader!" squealed the younger girl. "I could totally ship them!"
"This should be canon in just a few short weeks," nodded the only male at the table, glancing at the long-haired girl. "Even less, if you get involved, Leader."
Elizabeta smiled.
The table across from theirs briefly debated reporting them to the local authorities as pirates. Shipping? Cannons? What else could they be?
oOo
Despite being spied on and having their lives secretly planned out for them by the three crazies in the corner, dinner was going well for Alfred and Lovino. Alfred was able to chat with his new friend and learn more about him. Lovino was surprisingly more open when he had pasta in front of him. This trait didn't go unnoticed by his roommate or waitress, both struggling not to point out how cute that was.
Bella took a liking to Lovino, and started doting on him like a big sister. After dinner was over, she made him a special chocolate dessert as a Welcome to Town present.
"Now, Alfred!" She chided him after seeing his eyes widen and stare at the cake longingly. She knew that if left to his own devices, he would inhale that thing within a matter of seconds. Bella had been there for his last 5 birthdays. "You keep your mitts off it until Lovi eats his fill!"
"B-But!"
"No buts!" she put her hands on her hips. "Lovino needs some good homemade cooking to help him get his strength up."
Alfred pouted, but agreed since he wanted his friend to get healthy again too. Lovino on the other hand was confused by the argument and why they think he's unhealthy, but figured staying silent got him chocolate cake, so…
Towards the end of dessert, another familiar face entered the Bluebell Café.
"Alfred!" Francis called out and immediately walked over to the table his son was sitting at. "I didn't know you were coming in or I would have been here earlier!"
"Sorry, Dad," Alfred shrugged, pausing from devouring the cake only long enough for Francis to give him a quick kiss on the cheek in greeting.
"And who's this?" the wavy-haired blonde smiled at the new face. "He's quite handsome!"
"Dad, this is Lovino, Lovino, this is my dad, Francis," Alfred introduced them between forkfuls of heaven given chocolate form.
"Enchanted to meet you, Lovino!" Francis tried to give the boy a kiss on the cheek as he had for Alfred, but Lovino dodged in panic.
He was used to his brother and his Nonno giving him kisses on the cheek, but not weirdos he just met. Was this guy some kind of pervert or something?!
Francis just laughed at his shyness and kissed him on the hand instead, which still creeped out the brunette.
"Ah~ I remember how Mathieu used to be the same way~" Francis cupped his cheek in nostalgia. "Have you met him yet?"
Lovino shook his head.
"He just got into town yesterday," Alfred explained.
"I see! Tell me, Lovino, what have you seen so far?" Francis made himself comfortable, sitting next to Lovino and ordering a bottle of wine for the table.
"We just walked around town today..." Lovino said uneasily. He started to wish they had a bigger table and inched closer to Alfred (not that he'd need his help or anything). He could have sworn he heard somebody shriek from the other side of the restaurant, but didn't take much notice of it.
"You simply must come see my clothing store soon! I just got in a shipment of silk yesterday that would bring out the color of your eyes!" Francis exclaimed. He had noticed Lovino wearing some of Matthew's old clothes. While they fit for the most part, he could do better! "Oui, Oui! It would look magnificent on you!"
Lovino was still reluctant, but Alfred knew how to play the game. He promised they'd be in later this week to visit as long as Francis promised not to turn Lovi into his personal dress-up doll for the day as he had Alfred and Matthew in the past. Francis huffed before agreeing.
"So what kind of flower is this, bas-er, Alfred's Dad?" Lovino asked, eager to change the topic. He had noticed several vases filled with bouquets of small blue flowers spread across the restaurant. Each stalk had a tower of flowers blooming from it delicately. The mugs, glasses, and soft chiffon curtains blowing in the breeze also matched the shade of the petals. Even some of the paintings hung around the café were of the elegant flower. The more he looked around, the more he was impressed that such a nice place could be run by such a huge pervert.
"Call me Francis!" he insisted. "And you have a good eye! These are called bluebells and are the namesake behind my humble enterprise!"
Here he goes again. Alfred rolled his eyes.
"The story of how Bluebell got its name lies with the first flower my beloved Arthur ever gave me – a bluebell," Francis began. "You see, when we were children he was in awe of my ethereal beauty and actually mistook me for a fairy!"
Alfred made joking gagging noises the way any child would during their parent's tale of How I Met Your Mother/Father/All Of The Above. Lovino noticed and tried not to smirk.
"Because Arthur believed me to be a Fairy Prince, he gave me a flower befitting for one!" Francis sighed wistfully. "It was a pleasant surprise later on when we found that bluebells also mean everlasting love!"
Alfred had kind of wished he mentioned the part where Arthur practically killed Francis when he found out he had been lying to him about being a real fairy. That was way more entertaining than this sappy junk.
"It was my only proof that Arthur had a romantic side after all!" laughed Francis. "When I opened this café, it really was just a café. I named it Bluebell and just like our love, it grew! Within two years time it became a full-blown restaurant."
After regaling the duo with more stories about himself, Francis noticed the time. He stood up to leave once he was done insisting that their meal was on the house for visiting him.
"Well, I must be going!" he beamed. "I can't wait to get home and brag to Arthur that I got to meet your friend first, Alfred~!"
"Don't do that…" his son groaned. "You know how 'Mom' holds weird grudges…"
"I won't then!" Francis smiled innocently.
"I can see your hand's behind your back, Dad." Alfred frowned. "I know your fingers are crossed."
"Alfred! I can't believe you would accuse me of such things!" he acted appalled, uncrossing his fingers in the process.
oOo
A/N
Bahaha! I covered it up with some lame reasoning of flowers and true love and blah, blah, blah, but Francis' restaurant was originally named after the one and only Bluebell the rabbit.
Also, Alfred calls Francis his "Dad" or "Father" and Arthur his "Dad" or "Mom/Mum" or "Mother" (mostly as a joke or to annoy him). On occasion, he calls them by name. Matthew calls Francis "Papa" and Arthur "Father" or "Dad"
~Rajikka
Word List
Bastardo (It.) – "Bastard"
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.
Laea (Thai) - "Aww"
Oui (Fre.) – "Yes"
Bluebell (Various) – In the flower language, bluebells mean humility, gratitude, and everlasting love. They are also closely linked to the realm of the faeries and are called "fairy thimbles." To call upon a faerie, some believe you have to ring a bluebell.
Bluebell (Sherlockian) – Rabbit who glows in the dark.
