Lovino crouched over a clear piece of mylar, carefully brushing ink over it's surface in the soft red glow of the safelights. He had been hiding out in the dark room since the early evening, when he decided he couldn't afford to spend another night away from the studio. It had been an easy decision, Antonio had already proven he didn't mind visiting his dorm, and as long as Lovino stayed tucked away in the print studio's cramped dark room, he didn't think the Spaniard would be able to find him. Lovino wondered what time it was as he held a transparency up to dim light to study the half-toned image. He hated himself for choosing to hide away instead of confronting his problems, he knew the only way to truly expel Antonio's attention would be to treat the man as cruelly as possible. Lovino was certainly capable of it, being nasty was a talent he had cultivated over the years, it was his true art. He knew just how to cut a person down, he often felt like a surgeon, studying every characteristic his admirer might find endearing or likable and carefully severing it, replacing it with something ugly and unrecognizable.
He couldn't do it with Antonio, though, he realized as he grabbed a spare piece of black foam core from its place leaning against the wall and dropped it to the floor between his legs. He couldn't be mean to Antonio, because, if he was honest, he didn't want the boy to hate him. It was one thing if the Spaniard grew bored of him or lost interest because he could never find him, but it was another to have him dislike him and not want to be around him. Lovino placed a transparency on the black surface and leaned over it, straining his eyes to see where he needed to cut and wishing he didn't have to struggle with only the glow of the red lights to guide him. He clicked open his box cutter and grabbed a metal ruler from his side, laying it over the transparency where he thought the image ended and running his razor over it carefully, immediately holding it up to the light to examine his handiwork when he had finished.
'Not bad,' Lovino considered, his cutting job wasn't perfect, but it was no worse than it would have been if he had perfect lighting. He had never been good at anything that required a great deal of precision, he was better at dealing with a big picture than the parts that made it. Lovino clicked his tongue quietly at the black dots speckled on his hands and arms, he was normally so careful when he coated his mesh screens with emulsion, but this time he had spilled the gluey green goop all down his arms and into the metal flatbed. It was embarrassing and annoying, he was an advanced student and was supposed to be above stupid mistakes like filling the trough-like scoop coat too much and letting the emulsion drip over the sides. He glanced up at his drying screens, normally he coated them very cleanly and uniformly, but this time there were dark patches littering their surfaces, a clear indication of his varying pressure and unsteady hands. 'That's going to be a nightmare to print,' Lovino thought to himself bitterly, he would be lucky to salvage them at all, but for all the time he had spent coating them, he couldn't bear to clean the large screens off and try again.
Besides, he had already ducked out to the sink once to clean his emulsion stained scoop coater, and his heart had beat so heavily at the prospect of being caught that he he was certain it would burst through his chest. He hadn't even bothered to wash his green muck covered hands, frightened that every second he spent out of his dimly lit sanctuary was daring fate to end its mercy. Lovino placed the freshly cropped transparency to the side and pulled a new one over, holding it to the red light before placing it on the foam surface and slicing it, too. He had given up trying to listen for any indication that Antonio had come, the door for the dark room was too thick, and the Spaniard would probably wait in the room with the presses. The cave, as the printmaking students liked to call it, was situated across from the sinks in the silkscreen room, close to the door but, to Lovino's disappointment, not close enough to hear footsteps in the hall.
Lovino squinted as he held the clear sheet up to the light again, studying his handiwork before laying it to the side and picking up a new piece to crop. He bit his bottom lip slightly in concentration as he worked, he didn't know why he was so anxious to know if Antonio was there or not. The thought of the Spaniard's presence, only feet away from his own, made an uncomfortable heat climb from the sides of his neck to his cheeks. Lovino told himself he didn't want to see Antonio, that the man wasn't anything but a burden to him and a distraction from the work that needed to be completed, but despite his efforts to make his mind believe it, his body wouldn't cooperate. Every tiny sound made his heart jump to his throat, at one point the fan he had set up to dry his screens had blown a rogue transparency across the room, and the accompanying clap of the hard plastic folding in on itself made Lovino's mind swirl numbly in fear and anticipation. The Italian shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts, brushing a distracted hand through his bangs when the soft tendrils stuck to his sweaty forehead.
'I can't do this,' Lovino thought to himself tiredly, picking the sliced foam core from the floor and propping it back up against the wall. He didn't know what he was referring to exactly, there were so many things he couldn't handle recently: his heavy course load, his increasingly strained relationship with his brother, his flimsy grasp of a concept for his art, just to name a few. But Lovino knew what he meant, he couldn't make Antonio hate him, he had already become attached, though he didn't know why. He wracked his brain, desperate to discover the moment the Spaniard had worked his way under his skin. It should've been easy, he could count their encounters on one hand after all, but he couldn't nail down the exact event, the precise characteristic that had drawn him to Antonio. He supposed it might be his similarities to his brother that had captured him, and it was that oblivious and unyieldingly kind personality that rendered his defenses useless.
It would be okay, though, Lovino considered as he pulled a dispenser of clear tape from his pocket and started to adjust the transparencies on the concrete floor until their images were aligned. Antonio was going to be a challenge to shake off, but he was determined to do it, because as much as his body wished for Antonio, his mind was terrified of him. Letting the Spaniard in would be like casting a fresh wound in dirty water and hoping not to acquire an infection. The world was a cesspool of bad people and circumstances, and Lovino had dealt with enough of both to not want to risk opening his heart any more than he had. To do so would open a floodgate of emotions and weakness that Lovino wasn't ready to deal with.
'But how do you repel an idiot without being obvious,' the Italian wracked his brain as he pulled a strip of tape from the dispenser, wincing at the short scream it released from being stretched from it's roll. Lovino was going to have to start from the back and move forward. It was like printmaking, he pondered as he squinted his eyes, making sure the two transparencies were perfectly connected before placing the tape over the seam to seal their bond. When making a print you work from the bottom layer, painstakingly deciding what color and element belongs on the bottom or the top in order to assure the final product is what the artist envisioned. It was almost impossible to correct a mistake, once a color was applied it was permanent, and that was why the design process was so important. Lovino would have to do the same thing with Antonio, it wouldn't be enough to make the Spaniard hate him, his affection for the older man had wound itself too deep, and as long as he felt those connections, he would never be able to fully separate from him.
Lovino pulled a longer strip of tape from the roll and hovered it over the partially connected transparencies, ghosting the adhesive hesitantly a few seconds before swiftly lowering it across the seam. Instead of making Antonio hate Lovino, Lovino was going to have to learn to hate the Spaniard. Once that was done, it would be easy to act out, to let his old ways of acting mercilessly cruel and spiteful turn Antonio away. Lovino stuffed the tape dispenser back in his pocket and grunted quietly as he pushed himself onto his knees and then, after picking up the newly bonded transparencies, his feet. He scooted to his side and hovered over the large light table, laying the clear sheet over it and studying the image for a while, struggling to remember if he was supposed to place the mylar face-up or face-down. He understood what making himself hate Antonio would entail, it meant he would have to actually spend time with the boy, and not hide from him as he had found so tempting to do. Lovino wasn't excited about the prospect, spending time with Antonio meant risking him forming feelings beyond just those of his traitorous body, and that meant when he finally found a reason to hate the Spaniard, it would be that much more painful to do so. That short term pain would be worth it though, he assured himself, if it meant not having to experience the perpetual agony an actual relationship would afford.
When he was sure his transparencies were facing the right way, Lovino leaned over and plucked a screen from the metal flatbed, rubbing his hand on the surface to make sure the emulsion had hardened before laying it on top of the light table. He reached behind him and thumbed through a few sheets of black foam core, finally location a big enough piece and pulling it from the pile to ease inside the wooden frames of his screen. It made him nervous to consider spending time with Antonio, he realized as he turned to his side and wrapped a hand around each side of the large piece of glass resting on the ledge next to him. He gasped a little as he hoisted it up, having forgotten how heavy the glass was, and panicked when his hands wobbled precariously under the weight. He thrust a knee up under the edge brittle material, standing that way until his hands stopped trembling. It was stupid to get so worked up, Lovino scolded himself when his palms started to sweat. The Italian had never met anyone that hadn't disgusted him almost immediately, the idea of Antonio being any different was ridiculous. His exposure would be short and then he could rip the Spaniard away like a band-aid that wasn't given time to properly adhere to the skin it was protecting.
Lovino's leg started to shake from its precarious position and the Italian was forced to place it back on the floor. He tightened his grip around the glass, intending to hoist it quickly onto the light table, only to watch helplessly as the heavy glass slipped immediately from his moist palms, shattering impossibly loudly on the hard cement floor. Lovino stood gaping at the glinting pieces, unsure if the sound echoing in his ears was the splintering of the glass or the high pitched shriek he had let out when it happened. He vaguely registered the sound of heavy footsteps and someone knocking frantically at the door, "is everything okay?" The concerned voice sounded.
Lovino blinked heavily, trying to remember how to transmit words from his brain to his mouth. "F-fine," he croaked out, taking a hesitant step back and wincing at the sound of crunching glass beneath his feet.
"Lovi?" The voice sounded through the thick door, "is that you?"
Lovino clenched his eyes shut, balling his fists at his side as he willed his body to cave in on itself. 'I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this,' he lost himself to all sound as his mind throbbed against the pulsing mantra. His toes vibrated with nerves, the uncomfortable sensation pushing its way to his chest, collecting there in a heavy knot of unreleased emotion. Lovino knew he was dangerously close to crying, he could already see the tears blurring in his periphery, stinging his eyes with their unpleasant saltiness. He tried to inhale deeply and clear the distress away, but his breath kept catching in his throat, hitching uncomfortably against the pressure in his chest.
"Lovi, I'm going to come in, alright?" Antonio sounded, not waiting for an answer before turning the knob and pushing his way into the dark room's red glow.
Lovino threw a hand up to protest, croaking out a weak "no," and grimacing at how pathetic he sounded. It was a useless gesture, as Antonio rushed forward and grabbed the Italian by his outstretched wrist, gently pulling him out of the dark room. Lovino tried to resist, if anything the red light would keep Antonio from noticing the dark blush he knew was marring his face, but the Spaniard was stronger than him and easily guided him out into the brightly lit studio. Lovino blinked against the painful illumination, trying to clear away the light green tint that shaded his vision from heavy exposure to the safelights while Antonio grabbed him by the elbows and stretched his arms out, carefully checking over every inch of the Italian's exposed skin to be certain he hadn't hurt himself.
"I'm fine, you idiot," Lovino snapped, jerking his arms away from the Spaniard's grasp when he finally started coming to his senses.
"What did you break?" Antonio knit his eyebrows in concern when Lovino cast his glistening eyes to the side and gasped.
"You can't leave this door open, the screens are light sensitive!" The Italian fretted, rushing over and slamming the door shut. Antonio cocked his head to the side curiously when Lovino stood, staring at the door. He reached an arm out to pat the Italian's shoulder comfortingly when the boy let his forehead thump heavily against the hard wood.
"It's ok Lovi, it was an acci-"
"What time is it?" The Italian interrupted, not pulling his eyes from the door as he fought to keep his composure.
"Uh, I guess it's like 7:30, why?"
Lovino let out a heavy sigh, "I can't fucking believe this." He seethed through clenched teeth, squeezing his eyes shut in frustration. "I have to get a new piece of glass," he mumbled more to himself than Antonio, "now." He added for emphasis.
Antonio fought the impulse to pull the Italian into his chest and pet his soft hair, the boy might look like Feliciano, but he was certain the same methods of comforting wouldn't work on him. Still, he couldn't help but want to coddle the boy, he supposed it was due to his similarities to his younger brother, or maybe it was just how fragile he looked all the time. It was weird that someone that acted so mean could also look like the slightest thing could break him, but it made Antonio feel oddly protective. It didn't feel like a burden to take care of the boy, it just felt right, like he was born to do it. "You look like you've had a rough day, why don't we just clean up the mess and you can buy glass tomorrow," Antonio reasoned, reaching a hesitant hand out to brush away the hairs hiding Lovino's clenched eyes.
Lovino lifted his forehead from the door and stared into the Spaniard's emerald eyes. "It can't wait till tomorrow you bastard, my professor will kill me if he finds out what I've done!" Lovino grimaced when his throat clenched painfully, "I'm a fucking advanced student, I shouldn't be making stupid fucking mistakes like this!" He hated the way his voice was catching, but he just felt so stupid, so utterly useless, and it was killing him.
Antonio gazed at the Italian, his heart wrenching painfully at the way the boy's cheeks turned red and his eyes shimmered with tears. He pushed his lips into a line and let out a small "hmm" of understanding before grabbing Lovino by the wrist and pulling him out into the hall.
"Wh-what are you doing," Lovino sputtered, stumbling behind the Spaniard's quick pace.
Antonio glanced over his shoulder and smiled widely, "you need glass, right?" It was a question but Lovino knew he didn't expect an answer.
"I don't have a car, idiot!" He said instead, finally gaining his footing and wrenching his wrist from the Spaniard's strong grasp.
Antonio only laughed and slowed down his pace so Lovino was walking next to him, "we'll take mine, of course."
Lovino wanted to argue, the thought of being stuck in a car with Antonio was anything but ideal, especially in his current emotional state. But, he admitted to himself with a small sigh, he wasn't in a position to argue. He couldn't get any work done that night without a piece of glass, and more than that, his pride wouldn't allow him to let his professor or fellow classmates find out he had made such a novice mistake. As the pair made their way to the end of the hall, Lovino couldn't help but note how slight he looked next to Antonio. He was a good head shorter than the man and his thin frame was puny compared to the Spaniard's filled out and muscular body. His stomach churned miserably when he considered how physically inferior he was to Antonio. All this time he had been concerned with the prospect of forming a relationship with the older boy, never had the idea dawned on him that Antonio could do much better and most likely wasn't even attracted to him. Not that he would blame him, Lovino thought as he neared closer to the reflecting double doors, his hair splayed messily around his face and his clothes hung a little too loosely around his thin body. He hated the way his bones had become more pronounced, he much preferred his soft baby fat to this skeletal figure.
"After you," Antonio moved around Lovino to push the door open, pressing his body against the cold glass so the Italian could pass by him into the drizzly evening weather.
Lovino pulled down the sleeves he had earlier pushed up and tightened his jacket around him, cold raindrops lazily dotted his shoulder and cheeks, igniting his body with shivers every time the chilly contact was made.
"Don't you love this fall weather?" Antonio said dreamily, walking up to Lovino's side and draping an arm casually across his shoulders. The Italian only shrugged, he wanted to pull away from Antonio's touch but the warmth his body provided was too tempting.
"How far away is your car?" Lovino asked, tremors shooting down his back when another raindrop pelted his cheek.
"Just across the street, why, are you cold?" Antonio cooed playfully, wrapping his arms around the boy in a tight hug only to shrink back with a grunt when he was elbowed in the stomach. "Not cute." He gasped out, clutching his gut with one hand while he dug around in his pockets for his keys.
Lovino ignored him, mouth turned in a slight frown as he considered the night's misfortunes. He knew he should consider it something of a blessing that Antonio was willing to drive him out to get new glass, yet it was the Spaniard's fault the accident had occurred in the first place. If he hadn't been sitting in the studio, disturbing Lovino with his presence, the Italian wouldn't have been so distracted. Lovino's shoulders shook with shock when the car next to him lit up, he shot his head back to Antonio , casting him a bitter scowl.
Antonio ignored the Italian's foul face and punched the unlock button a second time to open the passenger seat. "You just gonna stand in the rain?" He laughed, pushing past Lovino when he reached him and pulling the door open for the dumbfounded boy. Lovino looked from the bright red car to Antonio's smiling face, he hadn't expected to have to put his plan into action so early, in fact, he had intended to put it off as long as possible. Lovino sighed inwardly and pulled himself into the car, fastening his seatbelt immediately so he could cross his arms in front of his body and try to regain the heat in his freezing limbs. Antonio ran around the front of the car and flopped into the driver's seat, immediately revving the engine and turning the heat up for his shivering passenger. "Any idea where we should go to get the glass?" He turned his head to the boy, hands poised on the wheel, ready to drive away the moment they had a direction.
"I know of a few places, I just don't know if they'll be open." Lovino admitted, loosening his arms a bit when warm hair filtered through the vents.
Antonio nodded and put the car in reverse, wavy hair bouncing when he threw his head back to stare through the rearview mirror. "You just tell me where to go," he said, shifting into drive once he had pulled out far enough and easing forward over the wet and crunchy asphalt. Lovino leaned against the glass as the two rode in silence, it had been a long time since he had been in a car, and he enjoyed the experience, despite his company. He had always liked riding on dark, rainy nights, the slight buzz of the raindrops pelting the windows and the eerie glow of lights reflecting on the moisture was relaxing, it made him feel like he was outside of himself, like he was a spectator to his life. Outside there was turmoil and misery, but inside he was safe and warm, watching through the window with amused curiosity.
"Turn right here," Lovino piped up, pointing a finger towards the road he wanted Antonio to take. Antonio nodded in understanding and eased into the turning lane, flicking on his turning signal before slowing down and gently pulling his wheel to the right. Lovino bit his bottom lip as he searched the left side of the road, trying to spot the desired building. "Ah, all the lights are off," he sighed when they neared the neon sign on the street professing the stores ability to cater to the public's every glass need.
"It's alright, we'll just check the next place," Antonio comforted when he saw the Italian's lip quiver slightly in his periphery. He pulled into the darkened store's parking lot and turned around, heading the opposite way back up the street. "Most local places are probably closed by now," he reasoned, "you know any chains around here that might have what you need?"
"I guess we can try," Lovino snarled, the corner of his mouth curving into a scowl, "but local places have better quality."
Antonio nodded knowingly, "I'm a chef, you don't have to tell me that!" He laughed, "so which way should I go?" He asked when he neared the end of the road.
Lovino sat up in his seat and studied their location, "go right, there should be a place up the road," he decided, glancing nervously at the clock. It was pushing eight, and he was afraid even chain stores would be closing any time. Lovino's heart fluttered in anticipation as they neared the bright hardware store, he made Antonio drive by the automatic doors so he could be sure of the store hours before he ventured back out into the cold weather. "8:30," he sighed in relief when he had strained his eyes enough to see the tiny posted hours. Antonio cheered happily and swerved up a lane, pulling into a parking spot and rushing out to open Lovino's door.
The Italian only scoffed at the gesture, quickly pushing the door open before Antonio had a chance to grab the handle. "When did it get so damn cold," he mumbled to himself when he slammed the door shut and started padding across the glistening wet parking lot to the white light of the store.
"You just need some meat on your bones, Lovi," Antonio teased, stepping up next to the boy and patting him gently on the back.
"Why, so I can be fat like you?" Lovino spat back, rolling his eyes to the side when Antonio pouted and threw his arms to the sky in mock anguish.
"'Fat' he calls me, I can't help it that I love food!" The Spaniard yelled to the drizzling sky.
Lovino almost wanted to smile at the melodramatic display, but instead he elbowed the boy in his side, "stop it idiot, you're going to cause a scene." He hissed when they passed through the double doors into the blinding florescent lights.
Lovino walked a couple steps ahead of Antonio, determined to keep anyone from thinking they were anything more than acquaintances. Eventually he spotted the small station for glass and clapped down the gray cement aisle, ignoring the brightly colored packages of wood glue and spray paint and immediately jamming the red button next to the glass display for customer assistance. Antonio roamed the aisle while Lovino folded his arms over his chest and tapped his foot impatiently, "you'd think they'd want to get the customers out quickly so they could go home," Lovino seethed. He had already wasted too much time tonight, and he still had the mess to clean up in the dark room. He hadn't even considered what might happen if another student happened to wander in for a late night printing session, and cursed himself mentally for not leaving a note on the door.
"Aw, Lovi, don't get all worked up," Antonio teased, holding up a can of bright red spray paint and pressing it against the Italian's cheek. "It looks like you!" He laughed, throwing his hand over his mouth to muffle his chuckles when Lovino threw him a burning glare and slapped his hand away forcefully.
"This isn't funny, Bastard!" He roared, wishing the Spaniard could understand the seriousness of his situation. He was responsible for two things, his brother and that printmaking studio, and lately he had been letting both areas down. Lovino huffed and leaned against a shelf of packing tape, the combination of the piercing white lights and his lack of food since breakfast was making his temples start to throb. Antonio glanced at the red-faced Italian and placed the spray paint back in its place, walking over to where the boy leaned with his arms crossed over his chest.
"I'm sure they just didn't hear it," Antonio soothed, feeling sympathetic over the boy's miserable face. The Italian looked defeated, the florescent lights sucked his skin of its color and cast dark shadows across his eyes and cheekbones. "Right," Antonio nodded when the boy didn't immediately acknowledge him, he turned on his heel, ready to stomp down the aisle and harass the sales associates until someone came over to help the Italian, but paused when he felt cold fingers grab his wrist.
"No," Lovino said simply, some life returning to his eyes as he straightened up, "I'll do it." Antonio pouted slightly as he trailed behind the boy, he had wanted to impress Lovino with his heroic ways and maybe endear the Italian to him a little more. Every time he felt he was gaining some leverage with the boy, it was snatched away quickly. At this point he didn't know if he had made Lovino like him more or less, but if there was one observation people had always made about him, it was that he was he had an incredible and unwavering focus when it came to accomplishing his goals. Some called him narrow-minded for it, but he didn't care, he simply knew what he wanted in life and wasn't afraid to pursue it. So he wasn't ready to give up on Lovino, he knew he could make the boy like him, especially if it meant earning permission to court his brother.
Eventually Lovino was able to find someone to assist him with his glass needs, and after some verbal reaming from the Italian regarding the terrible quality of the too- sharp bevels, the pair made their way back to the car, Antonio holding the glass tightly to prevent repeating the earlier incident. Lovino fingered the key fob clumsily and held it close to his face, trying to find the picture of the trunk in the darkly lit parking lot before giving up and pressing the buttons randomly. After a few false attempts, the trunk unlatched with a click and the Italian eased it up, helping Antonio steady the glass into the compartment. Lovino fussed around for a while, crumpling spare pieces of newspaper and plastic bags around the corners of the fragile piece before carefully closing the trunk and sliding into the passenger seat.
He slumped forward slightly when Antonio revved the engine, he was relieved that he had been able to fix at least one problem in his life, but now that the stress was gone he was becoming aware of his body again. He head swirled painfully as he watched the windshield wipers squeak back and forth, and despite the heat circulating from the vents, his breaths felt cold and shallow. He realized he was about to pass out when the color drained from his vision, the world looked like a slow motion film with bad reception, everything was blurred together in a swirling snow of black and white. Lovino didn't want to call attention to himself, it seemed like every time he was around Antonio something had to go wrong. He was beginning to think that he wasn't going to have to find a characteristic about Antonio to hate, the bad luck he experienced when he was around the boy would be more than sufficient to make the Italian resent him. Lovino ducked his head between his knees when a dark vignette started to form in the edges of his vision, deciding anything would be better than passing out in the damn Spaniard's car.
Antonio glanced from the road, his eyebrows knit with concern. "Lovi?" He asked gently, "are you carsick?"
"No," Lovino breathed through his teeth, rubbing his forehead against his knees when he slowly shook his head, "just dizzy."
"Have you eaten since breakfast?" Antonio asked, wanting to reach over and comb his fingers through the boy's hair, but knowing he needed to keep his eyes on the road. When Lovino didn't immediately respond, the Spaniard sighed and searched for a place to stop. "Hold on," he comforted, flicking on his turning signal when he finally spotted a bright neon sign indicating a fast food restaurant. Lovino straightened up in his seat when he heard Antonio slide down his window and order a large soda, "what do you want to eat?" the Spaniard turned to the weary looking Italian.
Lovino blinked hard a few times, trying to figure out what was going on before letting his eyebrows dip in anger. "I don't eat fast food."
"I know, but you need something in your stomach and this is the quickest way. C'mon, just get fries or something." Antonio pleaded, laughing a little when Lovino's mouth gaped open in disgust.
"I hate potatoes!" The Italian declared, shuddering at the thought of trying to stomach a salty fry.
"How about chili, that would be good on a cold night, right?" Antonio continued, not disturbed by the Italian's irritable behavior.
Lovino shrugged and nodded, as much as he wanted to resist the Spaniard's kindness, the truth was that he was hungry, and the thought of eating something warm and spicy made his stomach churn in anticipation. Antonio grinned and turned to place the order, leaving the window down as he eased the car around the corner, stopping next to the second window and digging around in his middle console for cash.
"N-no, let me get it," Lovino argued, hoisting his pelvis up to reach into his back pocket for his wallet. Antonio waved a dismissing hand at the Italian and shushed him placatingly as he pulled out a few rogue bills and straightened them between his palms.
"My idea, my treat." He said simply, glancing up at Lovino when the boy had opened his mouth to argue. "You can get it next time," he smiled, holding back a chuckle when the Italian's cheeks darkened immediately.
"Like I'd ever get in a car with you again, this was an emergency." Lovino snapped, turning his head to the window when he felt his cheeks growing hot. He continued to stare at his reflection in the cold glass, barely listening as Antonio paid for the meal and threw his change back into the middle console.
"Here ya go," Antonio said, making Lovino jump when he thrust the frigid and moist drink against the Italian's turned cheek.
"What was that for, Bastard?" Lovino barked, turning his head around sharply and snatching the drink from Antonio's grasp.
The Spaniard grabbed the bag being offered to him from the server and placed it between his legs, flashing the woman a sweet smile and a kind "thanks" before rolling his window up and easing the car back towards the road. "You looked like you were drowning in thoughts," he said after a long while, letting the squeaking windshield wipers fill the silence a minute longer before adding, "it's okay to talk about things you know, Lovi."
Lovino's cheeks heated painfully as he sucked angrily at the thick, syrupy soda. "Idiot." He said simply, wishing he had the guts to reach over and grab the bag of chili from between the Spaniard's legs when his stomach began to growl.