A/N: Update! I'm working hard to get my writing muse back. I hope this is okay! Enjoy~

"Fuck, this doesn't make any damn sense!"

Lovino tossed the short pile of papers onto the desk and slouched in his chair, pretty much giving up. It wasn't his fault the expenses weren't matching up, even though he was sure he'd done the math correctly. The bank had been a bitch lately, and along with his other job, everything was stressing him out. He knew that he shouldn't have let it, but no matter what he did, nothing worked without a hassle.

"I'll just take a break. A short one is all that I need, then I'll be able to focus on this piece of shit."

Yeah, breaks always helped, no matter what the problem was. Even though these short little breaks usually turned into long and peaceful siestas, this time would be different! Maybe he'd get a nice glass of red wine and brainstorm as he sipped it down. For whatever reason, that instantly calmed him.

Maybe he'd also make dinner. His stomach was growling, and no one could think on an empty stomach. That new soap opera would also be premiering tonight, not that he cared. Even so, he could check it out just to make fun of it. Yeah, that's always the best thing to do. Maybe he'd snuggle up to the couch alone with a tub of ice cream or something.

"Anything is better than sitting in here, wanting to kill someone or something."

With a short sigh, he arose from the desk chair and stretched his exhausted limbs. One thing he could look forward to, was not having work the next day. That didn't excuse him from tonight's little problem, though. Tomorrow he wanted to relax the entire time without worrying about rushing his paperwork that should've been done sooner.

Once Lovino had exited through the door of his little office, he instantly felt more at ease. Being in that stuffy room was hell. However, he also heard the sound of the television in the living room and a certain familiar, yet annoying laughter.

"What the hell? You're still here? I thought you'd left earlier when I said that I was too busy for you, asshole."

Gilbert ceased his laughter and turned his head around, where he had been sprawled out on the couch. It's not that Lovino minded that he'd been there all along, since he really liked the man's company. But, he was just so frustrated and really didn't feel like being teased or annoyed at the moment. Those two things were obviously Gilbert's specialty.

"Well, if it isn't the wicked witch of the west. I told you that I would hang around for awhile, but you ditched me and shut yourself in that little room. Come watch this movie with me! It's the least you could do for ignoring your guest."

Lovino snorted, this idiot sure was delusional. "You're not a fucking guest because I never asked for one. You 'dropped by' on your own. But… I'm taking a bit of a break, so I'll do whatever I want."

In the blink of an eye, Lovino found himself sitting next to Gilbert on the couch, watching some odd movie that clearly made no sense at all. However, the guy next to him found it to be hilarious, so maybe it was worth something. If you were an idiot, that is.

"This would be perfect if we had some popcorn," Gilbert stated. He sighed quietly and looked at the unamused Italian to his right.

"If you want some, then go make it."

"Never mind."

Yup. That was Gilbert, alright. If he had to do something himself, then chances are that it wouldn't get done at all. Sometimes, he was just that much of a lazy potato. Lovino found it ironic, how Gilbert usually relied on others to do such small and simple tasks that he could do himself. However, when it came to very difficult, responsible tasks that no one else would take, Gilbert would be the first to sacrifice himself. It was odd, but that's just the way he was.

"I find it ironic," he began, "That even though you live with your stupid brother now, you still come over here at least once a week. And a lot of those times, you spend the night. It's as if you left for nothing, and just wanted to live in more than one place at a time."

"And? What's wrong with that? I enjoy visiting you and Feli, especially when Francis and Antonio are busy."

"I never said that there was anything wrong with it. It's just kind of… weird, and unexpected."

"How so? It's only been, like, a month since I left here and went to go live with Ludwig!"

"Idiot, it's been four months. Well, nearly. Three and a half, to be precise."

Gilbert quickly turned his attention from the movie and stared at Lovino in shock. "Woah, seriously? So… why is it weird and unexpected, though?"

"Yes, seriously. You lose track of time too much. And… it's weird because I don't understand why you come here in the first place. I mean, if you look around for once, you'd see that there is nothing here that you like. Our interests are far different than yours, so there wouldn't be many reasons to visit, unless you like being bored or some shit."

"Why I like coming here?" Gilbert tilted his head in thought, before quickly shrugging. "Well, because of you. You're here. Isn't that a good enough reason?"

Yes, that was a perfect reason, and it made Lovino's insides suddenly feel so light and warm . But, it wasn't what he had expected to hear! Thus, he kind of just sat there as he fumbled to find the words, without sounding embarrassed or anything. That would've sucked.

"W-well… whatever, I don't care what the fuck you do. Go back to watching your shitty movie."

"Hey now, this is your movie! And, it's not so bad. It would've been better if I had made it, though." Gilbert gave a lazy chuckle as he yawned and situated himself differently to get more comfortable. And by that, he turned to his side and lied down, resting his lower body on the empty half of the couch and placed his head in Lovino's lap.

"Feliciano bought this movie from who knows where. I'm surprised it doesn't have tentacle monsters and magical unicorns or some shit, he really sucks at picking out—… Hey, what the hell are you doing?"

Lovino furrowed his brows as he looked down to find a fuzzy head in his lap and a face smiling up at him. This bastard was crazy, but Lovino somehow had to fight the small urge to smile back. If Gilbert's head weren't so warm and kind of cozy, he wouldn't pushed the idiot's head from his lap and met it with a fist, instead.

"Since… when did my fucking lap become a pillow for you, bastard?" he asked, when Gilbert simply returned his attention to the horrible movie.

"Hm? You've never complained about it before."

"It's not as if you do it all the time… and I have complained! You always say that you're 'so tired' and then you use me as some sort of comfortable pillow. And you refuse to move away, which causes me to do this until you do."

Lovino suddenly grabbed onto Gilbert's nose and gave it a slightly tight pinch before wiggling it.

"H-hey! Cut that out, you know that my nose is very sensitive. You'll make it go all red and stuff!"

It didn't help that now Lovino was laughing at him, but it was to be expected. Still, he didn't remove his head from the man's lap and surprisingly, Lovino said nothing of it after that. In fact, Gilbert soon felt a warm hand in his hair, only slightly caressing it. He knew that Lovino's face was probably heated up from embarrassment, but he pretended to hardly notice the hand so that Lovino wouldn't end up yelling again.

Everyone around them knew just how much they liked each other, and wished that the two love birds would just get together already instead of bullshitting around. Although Lovino and Gilbert were seemingly oblivious to each other's feelings, there was no doubt that they already acted like a couple most of the time. Well, only when they were alone. Otherwise, they'd tease and argue back and forth, just as much as they did with anyone else.

"Hey, don't go falling asleep on me," Lovino mumbled, when he noticed that Gilbert's eyes had been shut for some time now, instead of watching the movie.

"I'm not, I'm not…"

"Then what do you call that?"

"Resting my awesome eyes."

"Sure you are. Whatever."

Well, it couldn't be helped if Gilbert fell asleep on his lap, not that Lovino would mind. It was actually kind of cute. Or, one of the most adorable things ever, but he wouldn't admit that even after his death. He continued to lightly mess around in that fuzzy white hair, absent-mindedly. After another long while, he groaned in irritation.

"What's wrong?" Gilbert immediately asked, although Lovino was sure the guy had already fallen asleep. He assumed that Lovino was tired of having his head in his lap, so he sat up.

"It wasn't that! I mean, I'm just fucking starving, is all."

Lovino crossed his arms on his chest as he remembered that he'd planned to make something to eat soon. He was also disappointed not to have that warm head in his lap, but he figured it was ridiculous and unnecessary to care about that, so he quickly shrugged it off.

"Same here. Why don't we make dinner now?"

"What the fuck do you mean by 'we'? So you plan to eat here as well? Hmph, freeloader."

"Fine, if you want to eat dinner alone on a Friday night all by yourself, then be my guest. I'm not sure how you could possibly find it fun to be alone in this big house."

"Shut up, I never said that you had to leave or something… Look, I'll make dinner for us on my own. I'm no good at working together with people when my stomach is fucking growling. I'll only end up pissing us both off, so leave it to me. You can set the table when I'm almost finished. Deal?"

Gilbert smiled and leaned back, trying to get comfortable again. "Okay! I hope you've got beer, by the way."

"You know that we do. You never shut the fuck up about it whenever you visit."

Lovino quickly rose from the couch and exited the living room, making his way into the kitchen. He was surprised that another lonely Friday night at home while most of the people he knew were out partying, getting laid, or leaving town for the weekend, would probably actually be fun. While he didn't care what others did, it was nice to know that he had someone to hang out with, at least.

"Oh my fucking god."

"What is it?" Gilbert asked from inside of the living room, once he'd heard Lovino's swears and angry grumbling.

"There aren't any ingredients to cook with, that's what!" He slammed the refrigerator door shut and stood there, pissed off anyway.

Gilbert emerged in the kitchen soon afterwards, desperately resisting the urge to laugh at the twisted expression on Lovino's face of fury.

"That dumb fucking brother of mine, was supposed to do the shopping this morning! It was his turn! I swear, if he ditched or 'forgot' because of his ugly ass boyfriend, then I'm going to jail for committing mass murder."

"Just calm down, Lovi. I mean, this really sucks ass and it is probably Feli's fault, but… we could always go grocery shopping right now. That's always fun to do with you."

"But, then it would take even longer. We'd have to drive to the store, pick out every last fucking ingredient except for the spices, since that's the only thing we do have… then we'd have to come back and make it! That could take forever, and I'm not even in the mood to cook anymore."

"I've got an idea, then! We'll go out to eat, at a restaurant. Hopefully it won't take them too long to bring us our food once we order. The sooner we leave from here, the sooner we'll be able to eat!"

Well, that wasn't a bad idea at all. Perhaps it would be nice to get out of the house that evening, and sit at a nice restaurant instead. Lovino really liked eating out, but he was frugal so he only did things such as buying coffee at small cafes or getting ice cream from the many shops during the summertime.

"That doesn't sound so bad. But, where would we go? Most places are probably packed today, especially right now since it's nearly dark outside. Everyone wants to have a fun Friday night."

"We could go to… that one place with the fancy lights and it looks like a nightclub, but it's not! There's still music playing and a dance floor, though. But it's mainly a restaurant or something. You know the place, right?"

"Yeah, I know what you're talking about. But, no. Friday nights there are the nights for couples, which means they only accept couples because everything has a specialty for… couples. It's annoying and stupid, but people like that shit, somehow."

Gilbert quickly waved a hand as if it didn't matter. "Who cares, we'll just have to pretend to be a couple! I've always wanted to go there, it's kind of fancy but not too classy where everyone is wearing a suit or something."

"Pretend to be a couple?" Lovino wasn't sure if he liked that idea, or even what it meant. "That's impossible and a waste of time, we'd never be able to pull it off. No offense."

"And what do you mean by that? I'm sensing a challenge here."

"I'm just saying that when it comes to being responsible boyfriend, you're not exactly the perfect example."

"Who even said that we'd have to act lovey-dovey? If we say that we're a couple, they'll let us in. No fucking questions asked. They won't deny a customer's money."

"Even if we had to act that way, you wouldn't be able to pull it off. That's for sure," Lovino scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Oh, the fiery determination in Gilbert's eyes. And Lovino was only adding sparks to the flames.

"So this is a challenge! And you don't think that I can be a good boyfriend, do you? I'll have you know that I can do anything I wanted to, which includes having manners and being romantic!"

"Stop making a big deal out of it. But, I highly doubt what you say is true."

"Wanna bet? We'll see who can be the better boyfriend, by seeing who can make each other blush more! I know I'll win, because you get flustered by the simplest of things. All I'd have to do is call you handsome or some shit, and you'll be swooning away."

"I do not, fucker! Fine, I'll accept this stupid little game of yours. But, only because I'm starving and need entertainment, and a fool like you would be perfect for the job. Now go get your shoes on and stuff, we're leaving as soon as possible."

"Alright!" Feeling confident, Gilbert began to dash out of the kitchen before stopping and adding, "Oh! And, Lovino?"

"What now?"

"You should wear that new jacket you bought recently. It looks amazing on you, but then again, everything does."

"What…" A deep blush began to form all across Lovino's face before he quickly shook his head. The game must've started, then. "Compliments, huh? It'll take much more than that, but of course I look amazing. I never fail to catch the eyes of dozens when I walk down the street."

This would no doubt be very interesting. Lovino wasn't taking it as seriously as Gilbert was, nowhere near as serious. However, he was eager to see just what the albino would do.

"So, uh… what the hell are we so-called betting on, anyway?" he asked, as he sped down the street. His driving was nearly as reckless as Feliciano's, but Gilbert was used to it by then.

"I've decided that the winner gets to make the loser do whatever they want! Which means you will have to give me whatever I ask for. If I asked at all, since you'll be forced to comply anyways."

"Why do you get to decide what the 'reward' will be, and what makes you so sure that you'll win?"

"It's called being myself, and I never lose. Now, get us there safely and at the speed of light!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Lovino furrowed his brows and pretended to be irritated, as Gilbert turned on the radio and began singing whatever the hell song they were listening to. As many times as he had told Gilbert not to touch anything in his car besides the seat, that guy never listened. Lovino didn't really mind, though. Even though Gilbert's singing voice wasn't the most pleasant sound to hear in the world, it made Lovino happy to be the one next to him.

When they had finally arrived at their destination, Lovino was appalled by the amount of people there. At least the line didn't spread all the way outside. When they got in, they would probably be seated within a couple of minutes. Nonetheless, he hated crowded places more than most other things in life.

"Still want to eat here? We could always go some place else, say, somewhere that isn't completely shitty?" Lovino suggested. He was only one step closer to turning around and getting back into the car, with or without the albino.

"This place isn't shitty at all! It's amazing, and you know it."

"Yeah, but the bill won't be 'amazing'."

"We'll split it, half and half. Or, I can pay the bill this time. I am an awesome boyfriend, after all. So it's my treat!"

"No way am I letting you win this stupid challenge! We'll split it, so let's just get inside, it's nearly freezing out here."

As he was about to step into the doors, Lovino literally froze when he felt a warm hand grab his own. By the time he looked down, their fingers were already intertwined and his face was heating up by the second. He dared to look up again, and into the face that made his heart jump nearly every time. Gilbert was only smiling faintly, as he then opened the door with his free hand.

"We're a couple, aren't we?"

"Yeah, yeah… whatever."

By the time they were seated and had ordered their food, Lovino was already fed up and wanted to go home. The excessive amount of rave lights on the dance floor were giving him a headache, even though he was in the restaurant area. Who cares if this was a place for young "hip" people to hang out at, it was noisy and crowded beyond belief.

"We're dancing after this," Gilbert announced, as he downed the rest of his red wine.

"What? Hell no, I don't want to dance. You can't make me."

"Fine, you don't have to dance. It'll just prove how much of a bad boyfriend you are for not having a good time with your boyfriend. And then I'll win the bet and make you do all sorts of funny things—"

"Alright! Sheesh, you're horrible. Maybe we'll dance, just maybe… but only if a slow song comes on. I don't know how to dance to this type of music. It's stupid." Lovino crossed his arms on his chest with a sigh.

Even if this was a pretend date, he'd much rather have spent it somewhere quiet and peaceful. Somewhere desolate so that he would be alone with Gilbert. Maybe then he wouldn't mind being openly romantic. But only then.

"Oh… well, there's a surprise," Gilbert said, looking towards the entrance.

Lovino looked up to see what Gilbert was speaking of, and saw that the man was looking somewhere behind him. He turned his head around to catch a glimpse of the mysterious sight, only to see Elizaveta and Roderich exiting through the front doors.

"What the hell? They were here? I thought that the aristocrat bastard was fancy or some shit like that. I doubt that he'd want to come to this place for a date."

"Well, he is, but he's also frugal unless the occasion is very important. A place like this is definitely Liz's choice, though."

Lovino turned his attention back to the one sitting in front of him, and tried to read Gilbert's expression. He didn't look upset, or jealous. Just a little distant. Being so close to him all of the time, Lovino knew that Gilbert was over Elizaveta. Long over. But, he still felt a bit weird inside of himself, for some reason. Perhaps that feeling was normal though, from seeing the one he loved, think about their ex.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" he finally asked.

"What? Oh, no way, of course not. I actually talked to her recently. Sometimes they hang out and go on little dates, but they aren't together. Not yet, that is. She likes him, though, so I hope the best for them."

Who knew Gilbert could be so calm and mature about these things? Lovino found himself practically in awe, as he knew that he himself would probably have sulked for the rest of the night if he ran into his ex and enemy on their date. Not that Lovino even had an ex, though. Still, his admiration levels for Gilbert had just risen a great amount.

"What are you staring at?" Gilbert asked, with a tilt of the head. It was kind of weird how Lovino had just been staring at him for a while now, but he really didn't mind.

"Nothing! Um… look! Our food is here, and it's about damn time."

It was amusing how Lovino began to stuff his face out of embarrassment, but Gilbert didn't hesitant to follow along as he ate his own food and chatted at the same time.

"I thought that you said we were splitting the bill," Lovino grumbled, a slight pout on his lips. Gilbert's excessive kindness tonight was kind of strange, although it was also sweet. Challenge or not, Lovino wasn't really sure how to react, since they usually teased each other or bad mouthed something that they both hated, whenever they were together. Now, it was just so… peaceful.

"Don't even worry about it, now come on! We're dancing!"

"What? I said no earlier, you persistent idiot!"

"That's too fucking bad, it's a slow song now! Also, you said maybe."

Before he could resist any further, Gilbert had grabbed him by the hand and snatched him up from his seat. Lovino found himself soaring onto the dance floor, which wasn't as crowded now. The silly multiple colors from the rave lights had ceased, and was now a dark shade of blue. The sound of slow, smooth jazz filled Lovino's ears and put him at ease. However, his heart began to thump at a ridiculous rate when Gilbert suddenly pulled him close, and they began to dance.

"This is stupid…"

"Shut up, you know that you like it."

The lazy grumbling sound that came from Lovino's throat meant that he had given up resisting. Gilbert couldn't help but chuckle to himself, as he held the other man to him as closely as possible. He knew that technically, this wasn't a real date. Even so, he just felt so happy, even more than usual. He wanted it to be casual, but still fun. Nothing too routine or forced, because neither of them liked that. Therefore, he would just have to improvise.

"I'm leading, because you suck at this," Lovino mumbled. He suddenly twirled Gilbert around and pulled him back close to his body with a sudden jerk, as he began to lead their dancing. No one could match up to his Italian skills, no matter how much he claimed to dislike dancing in public.

"I don't suck at anything! But, that's fine with me. I like it when you're in control, anyway."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Gilbert chuckled, and leaned just a bit closer.

Lovino had to stop himself from yelping with surprise, when that damn albino suddenly rested his chin on his shoulder. He then had the nerve to nuzzle into Lovino's neck! His grip unconsciously tightened around Gilbert's waist, and he deeply inhaled to calm himself.

We're just dancing, there's nothing to be so fucking nervous about, Lovino repeatedly told himself in his mind. So what if he could slightly feel the man's silent breathing against his neck? He also felt as if their hearts were beating in rhythm with each other. It was beyond lovely, with the peaceful music playing in the background. Great, and now he was probably blushing like crazy. At least it was rather dark.

"Lovino."

Gilbert's voice practically bounced against the flesh on Lovino's neck, sending a wave of shivers up his spine and back down.

"Um… yeah?"

It was silent for a moment, and Lovino's mind was aching with curiosity as to what the man had to say to him. Suddenly, Gilbert straightened back up so that he could face Lovino properly. Those crimson jewels gazed straight into Lovino's hazel eyes, and just like that, he was paralyzed. He couldn't move even if he wanted to. That was when the music stopped.

"Ah, the slow song is over… let's go!"

"Wait, what?"

Much more confused than ever before, Lovino found himself being dragged outside once again. Whatever that odd moment was when they simply stared into each other's eyes, was over. He didn't know if he should have felt disappointed that he didn't get to hear what Gilbert was going to say next, or relieved. But, was he going to say anything at all? What if he had planned to do something instead?

"What are you doing?"

"Going to the car, of course. What else would I be doing? You're the one who dragged me out of there. So, we're going home now, right?" Lovino asked, but Gilbert quickly shook his head and began to pull him further away from the vehicle.

"You're going to walk me home! Luddy's place is not far from here."

"What? Why the hell would I do that? I thought we were going back to my place! Like hell I'm going over to the bastard's stupid apartment."

"Oh, come on! It's only, like, around the corner from here! Not too far at all, and my brother is currently out with your brother, remember?"

After lots of consideration and more pleading that was getting very annoying, Lovino finally agreed to walk the weird bastard home so that he'd shut up.

"Ah! It's fucking freezing out here! Why is it so cold?" Gilbert whined, rubbing his hands together and blowing warm air on them.

"Maybe because it's still winter? Idiot, you should have worn gloves."

Pulling a warm pair of gloves out of his pocket, Lovino began to put them on to satisfy his need for warmth. But, before he could, Gilbert continued to whine.

"Fine! You can use one glove, but I'm wearing the other. Fuck, you can be as annoying as Feliciano sometimes," Lovino grumbled, as he shoved the glove at Gilbert.

"Well hey, it worked. And, I have an idea of how we can keep both of our hands warm!"

Although he should have expected it, he didn't. Lovino once again froze when Gilbert linked their bare hands together. An efficient method of keeping warm, actually made Lovino's blood boil. He hoped that his hand wouldn't start sweating, that would've been weird.

At last, they approached the apartment and Lovino discreetly let that warm hand go. The cool breeze instantly shot his fingers with piercing coldness, almost causing him to shiver. He ignored it, and thought of a proper way to say goodbye. He didn't want the night to end, but it's not as if he had a choice, either.

"Well? Aren't you coming in?"

Lovino gave him a questioning glare before shrugging and following Gilbert into the small studio apartment. In truth, he had never been inside of the place before, and never planned to. Well, obviously, because it belongs to the macho bastard. He only entered because he didn't want Gilbert to start whining again, or drag him inside without his approval. However, he was dreadfully nervous. Not only because he had never been inside, but because the two of them would be alone. He didn't ask why Gilbert wanted him to come in, though.

"It's so… dull."

Lovino looked around the living room of this mysterious place, completely unimpressed. Everything was so plain and white. A few grey things here and there, and a black couch. The TV was also black, and looked spotless. Everything was spotless, in fact. It was as if the most boring person had just moved in there the day before. Not a single thing was out of order.

"Yeah, well, he likes it like this. You should see my room, it's incredibly fucking awesome. Lots of color, too."

"No, thanks. There's probably garbage everywhere."

"Not garbage, they're collector's items! Whatever, just sit on the couch, if you want."

Deciding not to say another word on the stupid subject, Lovino sighed and plopped down onto the spotless couch. It felt so odd, being in a place that he'd never been in before. He wanted to go home, but then again, he didn't. That didn't make much sense, but most things in his life didn't.

"Want a beer?"

"No, and I wouldn't be able to drive back home if I did. Now, mind telling me what the hell I'm even doing here?"

"Oh, right. And, you're obviously here because I won our bet! So now you must give me anything that I want."

Gilbert joined Lovino on the couch with a wide smirk on his face, as he seated himself rather close. Perhaps a little too close, but Lovino only scowled at that ridiculous statement.

"Who the hell decided that? That's cheating!"

"It's obvious that I won, though! I mean, I held your hand. It was my idea to do that. So was the dancing, and walking home together. If you ask me, that's a perfect example of what a boyfriend would do! All you did was go along with it, or resist."

"Shut up, that's not all that I did. I… suggested sharing the gloves! Yeah, and it was so generous of me to share with a dumb fucker like you."

"Wow, you're so generous! You should win the key to the city!" Gilbert gave a sarcastic applause before adding, "So, you've only got one point. I still win."

"If you're really going to be an immature brat about it, then fine. What the hell do I have to do for you? That is, what do you want?"

If it was something stupid, then all Lovino had to do was refuse to do it and leave. But, he knew that it would probably be something simple like being forced to buy the bastard a large pack of beer or something.

"Hm… a kiss."

"I knew it— wait, what?" Lovino quickly turned his head, staring into those mischievous eyes.

"A kiss. You have to give me a real kiss."

Lovino didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned at that fail joke. Even though he thought he should start laughing along with the idiot right now, Gilbert's expression was serious, and he couldn't help but shake a little.

"But… why?"

"Why not?" Gilbert countered.

"Why the hell w-would you want a kiss?"

"Why the hell wouldn't I?"

Although Gilbert was only joking, he wanted to see what Lovino would do. He enjoyed making the Italian frantic like this, and he loved making the man flustered just as much. It was mainly hilarious because Lovino was actually falling for it! Usually, he dismissed these jokes as a waste of his time, and sometimes smacked Gilbert upside the head. But, this time he had gone silent in thought, for some reason.

"Don't worry, Lovino! I was just—"

Before he could tell the other that he was joking, a pair of tan hands found their way into Gilbert's fuzzy head of hair, forcefully pulling him forward and crashing his lips into Lovino's. He couldn't really register what was going on, all he knew was that his lips were slowly moving against the soft ones that he had greatly desired for so long now. Fuck, Lovino was actually kissing him! Before he could even get into the kiss, Lovino pulled away and stared down at their laps as he finally released Gilbert's hair.

"There… there's your fucking kiss."

For what seemed like years, the room was completely silent. Lovino waited for Gilbert to say something or else he'd explode, while Gilbert's mind seemed to have finally processed everything that was going on. And suddenly, laughter.

"What the fuck are you laughing at?" Lovino hissed, his cheeks flaming red as he was about to smack the man across the face.

"You, obviously!"

"W-well, stop fucking laughing before I use my fist to make you cry!"

Finally, Gilbert calmed his laughter and let out a content sigh.

"Calm down, geez. I'm sorry, it's just… well…"

Because words weren't that easy to find at the moment, it would be best to simply show Lovino instead. Without warning, Gilbert leaned forward and encased those lips in between his once again. It was a little more than a chaste peck, but much less than what Lovino had previously given him.

"What the hell was that for?" Lovino asked in a hushed tone, his eyes still wide in shock.

"What? Did you not like it?" The slight hurt from those words was easily seen on Gilbert's face, but he didn't back away. Not an inch.

"Whether I liked it or not isn't the problem!"

"Then what is the problem?"

"It's just… well, you and I—"

Lovino wasn't given anymore time to talk or even think of an accurate explanation, when Gilbert took the opportunity to seize his lips again. It was kind of annoying how he did it a second time without permission, but Lovino found himself actually leaning into the kiss as it gradually became rougher.

None of it was making sense at all. It didn't make sense how his hands had somehow found their way into Gilbert's hair again, gasping those platinum locks between his fingers and slightly tugging. It didn't make sense how his tongue had pried into Gilbert's mouth, invading those regions and exploring every bump and curve as if he was memorizing them. Not even the hungry groaning in his throat as he twirled his hot tongue around Gilbert's, made any sense.

Therefore, all of this had to be another fantasy. That was the only explanation that Lovino could find, that actually made a bit of goddamn sense. It was crazy, but it obviously wasn't the first time he had fantasized about such things, and thought that they were reality. While this fantasy seemed to be lasting longer than usual, his mind was no doubt playing tricks on him. Because, why the hell would Gilbert actually kiss him? They weren't even drunk, so there would be no reason to commit such acts.

Breathlessly panting from the previous kiss and getting lost in each other's eyes, Gilbert grinned a little as he twirled a finger in Lovino's silky hair.

"Fuck, I've always wanted to do that with you… for far too long now, I've wanted that."

"Then shut the hell up and do it again."

Oxygen? What the hell is that? Who cares, Lovino needed more kisses! This fantasy was too great, and he could definitely handle another make-out session. He very much enjoyed the feeling of Gilbert's warm hands slowly inching up his spine, on the inside of his shirt. Lovino's own hands did the same, soaring up to Gilbert's chest.

He began to place his kisses elsewhere on the albino's body, guiding his lips across the other man's jaw and moving down along his pale, thin neck. The soft moan that hailed from Gilbert's throat was far beyond pleasurable to Lovino's ears. However, it was ruined when his ears picked up the sound of keys unlocking the front door, and distant voices that grew louder when the door was opened.

"And so then, we— Oh! Gilly is back. And my brother is here, too? I didn't know that we were having a slumber party!"

"Oh, um, hey Feli! I didn't know that you two would be back so soon." Gilbert sent a deadly glare towards Ludwig, as if his younger brother had ruined the most perfect occasion ever. And well, they did. If he and Feliciano hadn't walked in when they did, Lovino would have still been chomping on his neck! What a couple of cockblockers.

"Nope! No fucking slumber party here. We're going home, right now."

In the blink of an eye, Lovino had sprung up from the couch and was now practically dragging Feliciano back to the front door and away from the macho potato-loving bastard.

"Ah, goodnight, Lovino!" Gilbert called out from couch.

Lovino's hands were shaking as he opened the front door and muttered a goodnight, then he and his brother walked out of the apartment and made their way back to his car.

"So, what were you two doing? I hope that you weren't eating anything on the couch."

"It's a secret!" Gilbert chimed, leaning over the back of the couch, which is what Ludwig always told him not to do. However, the younger German didn't really notice this time. The mysterious happy expression on Gilbert's face was far too distracting.

"A… secret?"

"Yup! But, don't worry, I have a feeling that you will find out soon enough. In fact, everyone will! Er, if Lovino is up for that. If not then it's fine, I can wait until he's ready to spill the beans."

Gilbert was mostly happily chatting to himself now, as he stood up and went into his bedroom, deep within his own thoughts. Ludwig still had no idea what was going on, but if Gilbert was happy and his couch was still spotless, then whatever. He wasn't sure if he liked the sound of some secret that everyone would soon find out about, though.

"Um… are you sure that you're okay?" Feliciano asked.

He had been curiously watching as Lovino paced back and forth earlier that morning, and was now sitting in front of his empty coffee mug at the dining room table in a daze. However, it wasn't the good type of daze, because he looked miserable and confused. Feliciano was sure he even heard Lovino throw something against his bedroom wall the night before, sometime after they had arrived home. He didn't pay much attention, even though Lovino had retreated to his room as soon as they got there.

"What?" Lovino finally responded, but his eyes never left the mug.

"I asked if you were okay! You can tell me what's wrong, I won't judge you. I'll try to help!"

"What the fuck makes you think that something is wrong? And why are you so sure that it's something bad that I did? No one even asked for your help."

That snarl from Lovino's mouth hurt more than Feliciano thought it would. He was about to ask again or just start whimpering, when Lovino let out a loud sigh and ran a hand through his messy hair.

"I didn't mean it like that, so don't think about it too much… it's just, I don't know what I'm even doing anymore."

"Oh… well, that's easy! Ludwig told me once, that when I don't know what I'm doing, I just need to sit down and think about it! After a long while, it'll come to me. Then I will remember what I was doing in the first place."

"It's not that fucking simple. It's more than that… much more."

Feliciano rested a reassuring hand on top of his brother's, and smiled.

"Tell me about it?"

After a short moment of hesitation, Lovino nodded and took a deep breath.

"Last night, I kissed Gilbert."

"You did?" Feliciano's smile widened greatly, but before he could celebrate and squeeze Lovino to death, he noticed his brother's frown and sad tone of voice still remained. "Isn't that a good thing, though? Or was the kiss not as good as you wanted it to be?"

"That's not what it's about, dammit! And, it wasn't just a kiss… it was more like making-out on the stupid potato bastard's couch and feeling each other up, until you two walked in on us."

Lovino bit his bottom lip as he thought about it now. How far would they have gone, if Ludwig and Feliciano never came back that night and decided to sleep over at Kiku's? By now, he obviously knew that it was no fantasy. It was reality, and that was just an excuse because he was in denial about the fact that Gilbert would kiss him. Which could only mean that Gilbert has the same feelings that he does, right? But, that's impossible!

"I don't get it. Why aren't you happy about it? I know how much you like him!"

"Because, you idiot. Friends don't kiss friends. Not the way that we kissed each other. That's not how it works, and it shouldn't have happened."

"Why not just become more than friends? You two have so much in common! You're really making this harder for yourself, Lovino."

"More than friends? If it were that fucking simple, I would have done that by now! But, I can't. Because I—"

Lovino found himself choking on his own words, as he desperately tried to swallow the knot in his throat. The hug that Feliciano offered to him wouldn't help a single thing, either. He knew the reason that he couldn't be with Gilbert. He wouldn't say it aloud, but he knew it. And it stung. It pierced his chest mercilessly, but dealing with it was all that he could do.

"Ah! Your cell phone is ringing."

"Get the fuck off of me so that I can answer it, then."

"But, you were about to cry! So I had to hug you! Will you be alright now?"

"Yes, I will! Now get off!"

What an annoying little— Lovino's thoughts froze when he saw the caller ID. Great, Gilbert would be the one to call him now, of all times. These sorts of coincidences needed to stop, because Lovino was sure he'd have a heart attack one of these days if he was caught off guard again. Now the question was, to answer? Or not to answer? Only if it was important, Gilbert would call him. Otherwise, it would simply be a text message. He supposed that he had no choice, then. Taking a deep breath, Lovino answered the phone and held it up to his ear.

"Hey, Lovi! You there? Hello?" Gilbert spoke first, without waiting for any answers. Lovino could easily hear the excitement in his voice.

"Yeah… what is it? What do you want?"

"God, you sound awful. Are you sick or something? Please tell me you aren't, that would ruin everything!"

Seeing as Feliciano was practically glaring at him the entire time, Lovino rolled his eyes and quickly moved into another room for more privacy.

"No, I'm not fucking sick. And… ruin what?"

"Good! Because, I wanted to ask you something."

This conversation was taking longer than Lovino had wanted. He hoped that Gilbert would blurt out whatever the hell he had to say, so that they could be done with it. It was awkward enough that they had nearly sucked each other's lungs out the night before, and now they were having another casual conversation as if it had never happened. Sure, they talked to each other just about everyday, but he hadn't expected Gilbert to contact him so soon.

With a small sigh, he answered. "What did you want to ask me, Gilbert?"

"Well… I had a lot of fun last night. I mean, it was just one of the most amazing times with you that I have had in so long. It made me really happy, and well… I was wondering if you would like to go on another date sometime."

Earth to Lovino's mind, do you copy? No, his mind had failed at the mention of "last night" and took awhile to process all of that. He heard those two words, along with it being amazing, and the part about Gilbert being happy. But, another date? The one last night had only been a bet, though. That must've been it! The only reason Gilbert wasn't feeling awkward about them kissing the night before, was because he still saw it as apart of the challenge! Lovino was just stressing over nothing, he should've known that Gilbert thought this was all a game. And he wanted to play it again, but once was more than enough.

"Another challenge, huh? I'll have to pass on that."

"No! Not a challenge, silly. I meant that I want to go on a real date with you, perhaps next Friday. You know, where we go someplace as more than just friends… it doesn't have to be fancy or anything. It's awesome no matter where we go, because you and I are together and we're better than everyone else!"

Gilbert laughed to himself on the other side of the line, but Lovino had gone completely silent.

"No," he finally answered.

"No? Oh, are you busy on that night? Hm, I'm free Saturday. What about you?"

"That's not what I meant… no, as in I can't go on a date with you."

"But… why not?" All of the previous high spirits and joy in Gilbert's voice had fled away.

"Because! Isn't it obvious? You and I, we can't be together… not in that way. We just can't! Last night I… should have never kissed you. It was a mistake, and I couldn't help myself. None of this was supposed to happen and I just— well… I'm sorry. I can't go."

The last sound that Gilbert heard was the sound of Lovino hanging up. He had no idea what had just happened, and if he had even heard correctly. One thing he did know was that his heart suddenly ached so much, and he simply dropped the phone from where he sat on the couch. Lovino regretted kissing him last night? But, why? He was so sure that Lovino liked him back! He had been sure for weeks now. He picked up every little hint whenever they'd hung out together, and the small things that Lovino would say to him, and do for him whenever they were alone. He was so sure that Lovino returned his strong feelings. What the hell did this mean? It didn't make any sense. Not at all.

Ludwig walked into the living room and frowned at the empty bag of potato chips on the couch. Thankfully, there were no crumbs anywhere, as far as he could see. Even so, he had warned that disobedient brother of his not to eat on it! Sometimes he really did feel like the older sibling in their relationship.

"I thought I told you not to eat over… here. Um, are you alright?"

Very concerned with the dead expression on Gilbert's face that had looked so happy earlier that morning, Ludwig almost assumed that is brother had just been shot in the chest. The question simply slipped through Gilbert's ears, as he stared down at his lap. After a short moment, he bit his bottom lip which looked as if it would begin quivering.

"I… think I just got rejected."

A/N: Evil cliffhanger and unanswered questions galore! I'll try to update as soon as I can. Thanks for reading! Next chapter is the last~