Though Antonio texted every day, practically every hour of the trip, Lovino found himself responding less and less. He had plenty of excuses, of course. Friends probably didn't text each other every minute of every day, and when he wasn't hard at work schmoozing with customers, he was getting his rest or nourishing his body. The fact that it just felt weird was not a particularly solid excuse, so he left that one in the distant corners of his mind.
He considered informing Antonio of his flight just before it took off, and then again he considered telling Antonio that he had returned once his plane touched the ground, but then he caught himself. What did it matter to Antonio? Probably too much. He'd probably come over or something. Lovino tucked the phone away in his pocket and forgot about it, more or less, even after he collapsed into his own bed after a week of starched hotel sheets and crisp comforters.
Of course, his phone was always the first thing he looked at in the morning, so it was no surprise as he grabbed it and saw that there were three new texts from Antonio. If he told him now, he would probably be texting even more during the day, asking to come over, probably even wanting to see him at lunch. He would be too busy that day, dealing with all the new customers he had landed on his trip, and everything from meetings and everything else. It would be easier to deal with if he didn't have Antonio on his mind all day.
Scratching the back of his neck, he tossed the phone atop his pillow and stumbled out of bed for a shower and coffee.
Lovino soaked up the precious few moments he had in the peace and quiet of his own home before trekking out for another hard day of work and only glanced down at his phone every half hour or so, contemplating.
There was one text that made him pause, right when he was heading home. Lovino looked at his phone and bit his lip.
Wednesday, 5:37 PM Antonio: So when are you coming home?
He looked across the street both ways before dashing across and shouldered his way into a pastry shop, buying up a cannoli and coffee before heading right back out onto the dark sidewalk. Sticking the pastry in his mouth, he texted his reply one-handed - Already back.
Lovino thought it strange that he didn't get a reply to that. Normally Antonio replied pretty fast. But oh well. He finished off the pastry as he got home, unlocking the door and put his things away.
He showered away the day's grime and the smell of the office and turned on the radio, curling up on the couch with his head on the armrest, lazily flipping through the pages of a novel he had read so many times that its pages were worn thin when the metallic click of a key in his front door broke through the little bubble of soft music and ticking clocks.
Then there were quick steps, and just as Lovino turned around on the couch, Antonio came in the room, looking almost surprised to see him in his own house. "Lovi! How long have you been home? Why didn't you tell me? I was waiting!"
Lovino frowned over the back of his couch. "I was busy," he said, flopping back down. "Besides, you're not my mother. And don't you have anything better to do than to wait for me?"
"But I missed you! Didn't you miss me? You were gone for over a week!" Antonio practically whined, coming over to the couch and leaning over the back to peek at him. "You should have told me. I was going through Lovi withdrawal. And you hardly even texted me."
"I was busy!" he repeated, glaring up at Antonio. "You may have all the time in the world, but I had to fucking brown-nose my way into partnering and millions of dollars and sometimes that gets a little exhausting and I don't just have copious amounts time to spare between sleep and work and eating."
He turned around and awkwardly flopped over the back of the couch so he was sitting beside Lovino. "Fine, so you didn't text me while you were there, but couldn't you have spared two seconds on the drive to the airport to tell me you were coming home? Or even when you got here? How long have you been back?"
"Just a day," he said, staring over at Antonio. "I knew you were going to do something ridiculous, so I didn't want to tell you until I was done with work for the next few days."
Antonio was still pouting though, not buying the story. "Is this about the last night you were here? About when I kissed you on the cheek? Or something to do with your brother? Did I do something wrong? Tell me what I did. Please?"
Lovino groaned and closed his eyes. "Look, it's just... weird for friends to need to tell each other every little thing that happens, okay? Damn. It doesn't have to have anything to do with anything."
The Spaniard looked ahead, around where the TV was. "But it's not a little thing that happened; it's you coming back from your trip. And... I know that you always say we're just friends, but I consider you more than a friend. Way more. As much more-than-friends as we can be without having sex."
"I am definitely not drunk enough for this conversation," Lovino grumbled. The look he gave to Antonio was tired. "Look, I know you're interested, but it just... it isn't going to happen, okay? So if what's keeping you so interested is this weird..." He gestured abstractly with his hands. "... hope that one day I'll sleep with you, then you need to rethink this entire damned thing."
"That's not the reason I stick around, as I've told you hundreds of times. But I really think we would be good together! You're the first person since college that I've actually wanted a real relationship with, Lovino, and since we've been friends this long, it's pretty obvious that we go well together. Why do you try to deny it?"
"Obvious?" Lovino's facial features did no justice to the level of bewilderment he felt. "What the fuck are you on? It's not... obvious! When have we ever... went together? For fuck's sake, I barely spoke to you for a week, and you need attention constantly. You're a people person, and I've never had a real friend in my entire life. All of my affection is spent on my brother, and you- you just crave that too much. You're barking up the wrong fucking tree. I do well on my own. I can't... I just don't fit with... people."
Antonio nodded quickly. "Exactly! You're horrible with people! Hardly anyone likes you! But I like you. I like you a whole hell of a lot, and I've stayed friends with you even though you constantly say that you don't want me here and shit, and even after everything, you started leaving a spare key in a really obvious fake rock. I'm the only one for you, don't you see? I like that you yell a lot, I like that you hardly text me back, I like that you... you, you call me an idiot, I like that stuff! You're never going to find someone else who likes that so you're stuck with me!" He was breathing a little heavily after getting that all out, stuff that had been spinning around in his head all week long, and finally he had gotten it all out.
Lovino blinked up at him slowly and then pushed himself up until he was sitting. He uncurled and refolded his body until his back was against the sofa and his hands were linked tightly beneath his bent knees. "And if you leave," he said quietly, "then there will be no one. And you know that so fucking well. Don't you get it, you fucking idiot?" He tapped his forehead against his knees. "So you'll stay, even when you're fed up, because you're too nice and then... you're the one who will be stuck with me. It's not the other way around."
He was silent for a long time, obviously astounded that Lovino had said something like that, something to do with how he really felt, instead of just pushing him away. He couldn't let this opportunity go now. "Look, Lovino... I'm not going to say that we'll be together forever, or that we're meant for each other, or anything about true love. But I can promise you that I will never be fed up. Once I decide I like someone, I always like them. I don't see a possible way that I could be fed up with you."
Lovino's body gave a little shake and he made a noise and it took Antonio a moment to realize that he had laughed. "Give it another month or so," he said, finally lifting his head to let it rest on the back of the sofa with a little sigh. Then he turned his head slightly to finally meet Antonio's eyes. "Do you want me to congratulate you or something for being the one who's pursued me for this long? What's it been, three months? Bravo. Your endurance is admirable."
"That doesn't matter to me. I knew I was attracted to you within like two seconds, I knew I wanted more than sex after the first night we went for drinks. But I hate this whole 'just friends' thing, it's killing me! I can touch you casually, but if I touch for too long you get mad. Sometimes I can kiss you, but not normally. I want to make some kind of commitment." Antonio clutched his hand into a fist without even really thinking about it. "I can't be in the middle like this. If you don't want to go out with me... we can still be friends, but I can't continue to be like this."
"Middle... What have we been doing that's... in between?" He frowned. "Look, I seriously think you might be underestimating the accuracy of what I'm saying when I tell you that I've never had... friends. I don't know what's- what's proper and what's not. I've been following your fucking example!"
Antonio's shoulders shook a little with humorless laughter. "You've been following my example when you know I've been trying to get you to go out with me? You didn't see the problem with that?"
"You're right. I'm an idiot for trusting that you might actually respect my wishes for once."
The Spaniard sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, looking down to the ground. "Look, I'm fine with giving you time and shit if you need to sort out your feelings or whatever. But, I need to know if there is a light at the end of the tunnel, or whatever. Do you have feelings for me? Do you see yourself dating me in the future at all? Or have I been imagining your feelings to make me feel better?"
Lovino blinked at him a little curiously. "Can you do that? No, never mind, I don't want to think about it." He rubbed his eyes tiredly and let a little sigh pass over his knees. "You know, I'm like this... all the time." Antonio received a very pointed stare. "I've been the way I am since I was born, and I'm not going to change. I'm not going to become spontaneously more genial or sweet, and I wouldn't be there at your beck and call, and I would still call you names and say hurtful things. I can't apologize to anyone who doesn't own a company associated with Grandpa's, and I get irritable when I don't have my alone time. I... I don't know how much space you want at any given time and I'm a fucking social disaster waiting to happen. I get anal about messes, because I don't like cleaning, but I hate it when things aren't tidy. I'm ten times more trouble than I'll ever be worth. My sweet ass isn't going to make up for everything that's wrong with me, you know."
Antonio looked up at him, and turned so one leg was up on the couch. "Alright, when did I ever say I wanted you to change? First," he held up one finger, counting off, "I think you are really sweet, you're just good at hiding it. I don't need you all the time, just some of the time, and I want you to know that I will be at your beck and call. I consider all the mean names you call me to be pet names, so nothing wrong there. I don't need you to apologize, as long as I know you didn't mean it in the first place. I would be fine with giving you alone time if you need it, all you have to do is ask. The cleaning thing, alright, I may not be the tidiest person in the world, but I can clean. And," Antonio gently put his hand on Lovino's arm, rubbing it lightly. "I think you are a hundred times worth the trouble I might go through."
And confusion was written, clear as day, on Lovino's face as he looked down at Antonio's hand and then into his eyes. The tips of his ears were red. "I... um."
The Spaniard leaned forward a little, still not all the way, and his hand moved a little further up Lovino's arm. "I can also tell you that I'll never change. I'll always be a little flirty with everyone, I'll always push just a little farther to see what will break. And I'll always be somewhat manipulative." His hand slid to the back of Lovino's neck, touching the tips of his hair. "But... I'll always be yours... if you let me." Now his face was so close to Lovino's that he could feel his breath on his face, gold eyes staring into green. Lovino's eyelids dropped, just a bit, and Antonio moved forwards, their lips touching lightly, leaving enough room for Lovino to move back if he wanted to.
Lovino shifted, but hesitated at the last possible moment. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly. "I have... no self-confidence," he nearly whispered, fingernails dug snugly into the soft flesh of his own calves.
"That, we can fix," Antonio murmured, and pressed harder until they were most definitely kissing.
Lovino was rigid and unresponsive for a moment, but when Antonio gently squeezed his hand, he allowed himself to soften and open up, just slightly, to Antonio's advances.
With that, Antonio gave a sigh of relief, almost a sob after how long he had gone to even get this far. His hand at the back of Lovino's neck went up, his fingers running through the soft hair near the bottom of his skull.
Lovino shivered under the touch and he unlatched his nails from the abused flesh of his lower leg and curled them into Antonio's sleeve as he tilted his head just so, pressing a feather-light kiss to the corner of Antonio's mouth.
Antonio gave a breathless moan, after being pushed back for so long, this was like nothing he had ever imagined would happen. He kissed back, licking the crease of Lovino's lips until he parted them. Now was the part he was anxious about, because this was the farthest they had been. But even as he tilted his head a bit more, and eased his tongue into the Italian's mouth, Lovino seemed alright with it.
A sweet little noise bubbled up from Lovino's chest and he pulled back just slightly, his breaths light and quick and his eyes sharp. "So is this... are we... what happens now?"
He leaned his forehead against Lovino's, closing his eyes. "I really don't know. Normally I would take you to bed now, but I don't want to do that with you."
"Really?" Lovino blinked twice. His grip on Antonio's sleeve slackened and he hesitantly allowed his fingers to curl over Antonio's arm. "You... you think we can wait?"
Antonio smiled a little at that. "If you want. I'm letting you decide how fast we go, alright? I think it will be easier that way." Then he wouldn't go too fast and scare Lovino away.
"Oh. I. Fuck, okay." Lovino lifted his eyes to meet Antonio's. "You're being pretty damn sweet and considerate right now. It's weird."
He leaned back slightly and gave a bright smile. "Like I said, I'm fine with waiting for you as long as I know we have a future." Antonio put his hand on Lovino's knee lightly, just to be able to touch him. It made the poor thing jump. Lovino was very pointedly ignoring the hand on his knee and cleared his throat.
"Yeah, okay. I... I can swing that. Fuck, I can't remember the last time that's worked out, though. So how are we supposed to carry on from here? We don't, like... move in together, do we?" He frowned.
"Uh, no. Basically we keep doing the stuff we have been doing, but you don't push me away when I hug you unless you actually don't want to, and we can kiss. And when you're ready we... move on." Antonio wondered if there was anything he wanted to add. "Oh! And you tell me if anything is bothering you so I can make it all better."
"Make it better? What kind of bullshit is that?" One long, light finger circled Antonio's pulse idly. "You couldn't do anything about the stock market crashing or a partnership being terminated or a few hundred thousand being flushed for court cases. Those all bother me, but you won't be able to do anything about them."
He rolled his eyes a little. "I don't mean I'll fix it. I'll make it better. Make you feel better. Mostly for the emotional stuff that's bothering you, but I'm sure I could do something about the work stuff as well."
"Like what?" Lovino said with a skeptical little snort. "How could anything that isn't solving the problem make me feel better?"
"You've never had someone to really talk to about your problems, have you?" Antonio sighed, but shook his head. "Sometimes it's enough to tell someone instead of bottling it all up. But I can help you see that whatever trouble you have isn't the end of the world."
"You want me to talk out my feelings?" Lovino blinked. "That's... weird. Just weird. I can't... I don't know how to do that. That's not crucial, is it?"
Antonio smiled, and turned his hand around, grabbing Lovino's fingers. "Yeah, it is. But don't worry, we'll get to that point."
"Huh," Lovino grunted, just skeptical enough to make Antonio grin. A few seconds ticked by, and the track on Lovino's radio faded into the next, something slow with cellos and violins and the Italian took a breath. "So can we keep kissing, because I really fucking enjoyed that."
The Spaniard grinned, and just leaned forward and pressed their lips together. This was so wonderful he could hardly believe that Lovino was letting him do it.
And the Italian seemed to be nothing but complacent, brushing his lips over Antonio's with a hesitant tenderness that make Antonio's heart rise into his throat. Whatever he'd gotten himself into, it was bound to be good.
.oOo.
Feliciano was smiling as he and Ebony walked up the three steps to Lovino's house. His brother had finally agreed to let the dog come over, now that Feliciano could keep her between lessons with Ludwig. Lovino greeted him with kisses and pulled him inside. Ebony snuffled as she made herself acquainted with Feliciano's older brother.
"I'm sorry about how much she sheds. I brushed her a lot before we came over so that there shouldn't be too much hair." Feliciano smiled and took off his shoes, making a quick check to see if Antonio's shoes were there. He had called ahead, at least, so he shouldn't be interrupting anything.
"It's fine," Lovino said from the kitchen. "Have you eaten yet, Feli? Do you want something? I got some bruschetta and Mama sent me a care package. I still think she doesn't believe I know how to shop for myself."
He giggled and nodded. "She sent me one too. Mostly with things from her garden. So how was Greece? You used to say it was really beautiful there."
"Other than the shit economy? Fine. Same as ever." Lovino pulled the box out from the pantry and cracked it open. "I haven't even been able to try any of this, I've been so busy."
"Oh, I didn't know you were so busy. I'm sorry. Do you want me to do something?" In the kitchen, Feliciano felt safe letting Ebony's harness go, since he knew his way around here almost as much as his own kitchen.
"No, I've got this, don't worry about it. I just mean with work. I'm working from home for the rest of the week, so it's not as bad as usual. What do you want to drink?"
He sat down, scratching behind Ebony's ear a little. "Red wine please. Well hopefully it won't last very long. You don't want it to interfere with your love life." Feliciano grinned, happy to think of his brother in a good relationship. He heard Lovino clear his throat as one heavy bottle clinked against another.
"You're an idiot, Feli. If I even had a love life, I would never let it get in the way of my work."
"But you can't let your work get in the way of your love life, either. Lovi, you should let yourself have fun." Feliciano's hand moved over the table until he found Lovino's. "You work too hard. I worry about you, so don't work so hard, yeah?"
"You know I'm working to take over the company," Lovino sighed, patting his brother's hand. "I can't slack off now. But let's not talk about that. It's boring when I'm off."
Feli took his hand back, grinning at him. He took off his sunglasses and put them on the table. "Alright. Ludwig says I'm doing good with Ebony! I've had her for a week or so now. Ludwig was worried I would spoil her, but I've been good about it."
"Good thing he's socially constipated, then," Lovino grumbled. The sound of the thick liquid splashed against the delicate, thin glass and slid smoothly into Feliciano's hand. "Your dog has this... stony stare. It's freaking me out."
He let Ebony lick his hand for a few seconds. "Don't worry, she's the best dog in the world. And she's so fluffy! Want to pet her?" Feliciano took a sip of the wine.
"She looks like she might bite my hand off if I try. I don't think so. Cat person, remember? So do you just want a snack, or should we cook someth... hold up." Feliciano heard the sound of denim brushing denim and a few keys tap-tapping briefly. "Idiot..."
Feliciano looked to where it sounded like Lovino was. "Alright, yes please. You said that you had a bruschetta? That would be yummy. You make such good food, Lovi."
"Shut up, you modest bastard," Lovino chuckled, his tone warm and a little more smile-shaped than normal. That was... interesting.
He heard some small ticking noises. "Lovi, who are you texting? It's someone you like, isn't it?"
"What? No," he said quickly, giving a tap of finality. "No, this idiot is just too fucking persistent. I have some risotto left over from last night, if you want."
"But that's your happy voice. It's Antonio, right? Oh I'm so happy for you, Lovi!" Feliciano stood up and went over to his brother, holding a hand out, and when he found him, gave him a big hug. "You two are so good together!"
"W-what? Fuck, he must have told you. You couldn't possibly just know!"
He smiled and leaned back in his chair. "I know my brother. I could tell you liked him, because you didn't want him to know that when you were a kid, you burned all your paintings and never painted again. And don't worry, I didn't tell him that."
Lovino's happy voice faded quickly after that. "He doesn't need to know," the elder brother said firmly. "Do you understand? It isn't relevant. He won't last long anyway, so I might as well not speed up the process."
"Ve, alright. I wish you hadn't burnt your paintings because I'm sure they were really pretty." Feliciano kicked his legs under the chair, rocking back and forth.
"No." Lovino's voice was quiet, and all that filled the air for a few long moments was the sound of a knife against a cutting board. "Yours, though... I fucking hate you for it, but you always pick the nicest colors. Make sure to bring me whatever you make when your professors are done with them. And stop saving your best ones for Mama!"
"But I can't paint anything real, you used to paint landscapes and stuff. I remember one you described to me, it sounded really beautiful."
"You don't have to humor me, of all people," Lovino said with a sigh. "I know you don't even really get what I describe. Sometimes I talk just to hear myself talk. Did you want any Parmesan?"
He smiled and said yes, knowing his brother would have real Parmesan and not that dried stuff. "Well, with what I imagined it was really nice. I'm sure it would have felt nice, with the waves, the sand, and the grass. And smelt nice! It would have smelt like the sea!"
He heard the plate, Lovino's china, set on the table and felt a gentle touch at the top of his head- a rare, physical display of affection. "Yeah," Lovino agreed. "It did. And you know, we'll go again someday. You were just a baby then. You'll be able to remember it this time."
"It probably smells like Rome. I like the smell of the sea, it smells nice." Feliciano made a face then. "But it doesn't taste nice. I thought it would, but it's just really salty." He felt around for a fork, and started eating. "This is really good!"
"Of course it is," Lovino scoffed, and plopped down in the seat next to him. "I made it. Now. You said you needed to talk."
Feliciano swallowed what he had in his mouth and nodded. "Yes, I want advice, and you always know everything. I really, really like Ludwig, and I think he likes me too, but how do I take it to the next level? I need your help!"
All noises Lovino had been making previously - his tapping feet, bouncing knee, fiddling with something or other on the table - ceased. "What makes you think he feels that way?" came Lovino's tone, saturated in skepticism.
"Oh! Well, I just think he does, I don't know for sure, but when I like grab his hand or something for help, sometimes I hear a little hitch in his breathing, and when I'm really close, he gets really warm, and I can just kind of tell, you know? How did you first know that Antonio liked you?"
"He tried to seduce me the first time we met. In a grocery store. That isn't an example you want to take." Lovino sighed. "Damn, Feli, you had to pick the constipated human equivalent of a roadblock. I don't know what you'd need to do to get through to that hulking thing." The toe-tapping resumed. "I don't know. Have you told him you want to fuck him?"
Feliciano's pale eyes widened and he laughed. "I couldn't do that! Even if I could say it like you, I don't think Ludwig would say yes. He would probably stutter a lot and either change the subject or run away. Maybe I should get him flowers?"
"Subtle. Romantic. You think that lump of flesh would be moved?" He heard the sound of another fork click on his plate and smiled. He wouldn't say anything about Lovino stealing bites for now. "You might as well just go for it. The worst he can say is no, and then you'll just be right back where you started, and then you can try again."
"You think? But I kind of want him to kiss me first. I think that would be nice." He had never really had this problem before, as all his other lovers had made the first move.
"We don't always get what we want, Feliciano. If you throw yourself at him, he might not be able to refuse. Unless you want to take your time."
He hummed thoughtfully, tapping a finger on the table. "So that's what Antonio did? He threw himself at you?" It seemed funny to think that that would work on Lovino, since he was normally so rude to the Spaniard.
"Well, yeah, but... well, I guess you're right. It just creeped me the fuck out. Have you done anything at all to, I dunno... seduce him? Have you even tried?"
Feliciano bit his lip, thinking. "Well, I bought him lunch a while ago. Maybe I should ask him if he wants to be my friend? That would be good!" Hopefully that wouldn't be too forward and scare Ludwig off or something.
"Your friend. Feli, that's... well, I mean, that worked for Antonio and I, but that's only because he was fucking panting for it in the first place. I had to set that up as a barrier to protect my ass. You sort of want the opposite."
He pouted, and reached down to rub Ebony's ear. "But if he doesn't want to date me, I at least want to be his friend. After that I can try to get further."
"That's noble of you. Okay. Do what you think is best, Feli. Try not to get too disappointed."
"I won't. And you don't either." Feliciano smiled, and ate some more. He stayed for almost an hour after that, enjoying the company of his brother, and left with a light heart.
.oOo.
Rifling through the disarray of films on his living room floor, Antonio propped the phone in between his ear and shoulder, chuckling at Lovino's snippy tone. "No, I don't want to watch Sleeping Beauty. What the fuck am I, six? And why do you even have it?"
"It's my favorite movie in the whole world!" Antonio said, laughing a bit. "Actually, I got it when I was taking care of my niece for a week. Oooh, how about The Bird Cage?"
"You're such a stereotypical gay fuckwad," came Lovino's low grumble. "... But I do like that movie. So I-"
"Sorry, it's VHS. Do you still have a VCR stashed away or something?" He had tried to find one in DVD, but it was such an old movie that the search hadn't been easy.
"I'll just come to your place. I'm assuming you have a VCR."
Antonio changed which hand he was holding the phone with. "Oh, yeah, I do. You've never been over yet, have you?" he asked, already going to get the VCR from storage.
"Nope. And since you're an unthoughtful bastard, I had to invite myself this time around. Good going." Was that a hint of derision in his tone?
He lifted an eyebrow at that. "Unthoughtful? What are you talking about? It's not my fault that you live in a mansion and I live in a small apartment. It's way nicer hanging out in a big house instead of here." Plus, he wasn't as clean as Lovino. He looked around the house, hoping he would at least have an hour to clean up a bit.
The Italian huffed. "It's not like I'm bringing my family over," he said tetchily. "It's just fucking me. Unless you don't actually- never mind."
"Don't actually what?" Antonio was quick to ask, having picked up on Lovino's 'moods' a while ago.
"Nothing! Look, I'm busy, so if you don't really want to do this tonight, I can skip out. There's plenty of shit here for me to do."
Antonio let out a breathy laugh. "Who said I didn't want to do it? All I said was that my place is small. I don't have a guest bedroom, with an attached bathroom, or five bathrooms, or anything else that you have, but that doesn't mean that I don't want you to come over."
Lovino grumbled something intelligible, and Antonio could easily picture the cute little frown creasing the dip between his eyebrows and bowing at his lips. "...Whatever. I'll be off in twenty, so text me your address and let me finish up here."
"Alright. See you in a bit." As soon as he put the phone down, Antonio started cleaning. First, pick everything up off the floor, then maybe he could get in a quick vacuum. Damn, and there was a sink full of dirty dishes...
He had only just finished tidying up the kitchen and the sitting room when a few curt little knocks rapped on the front door, and upon answering, revealed a neat young man in a dark gray suit and haughty eyes.
"Hey! That was quicker than I thought. Glad you found the place." Antonio stepped back to let Lovino in, and when the door was closed he pointed to his lips, something he had started three days after they had started dating. Otherwise he feared he might never would get a hello kiss! Rolling his eyes, Lovino nevertheless turned a little pink around the edges and stepped closer, leaning up to plant a very quick peck on his mouth. "GPS is built into my phone. Of course it was fast."
He smiled at the kiss. "Right. Of course. Well, this is my place. Sorry, I tried to tidy up a bit, haven't been here much lately so I haven't cleaned for a while," Antonio explained, leading them through the kitchen to the living room.
Lovino followed him doggedly, and when Antonio looked, he found the young man taking in the whole sordid affair with curiosity. Well. At least that was better than disdain. "It's very... cozy," he said, his eyes only flickering toward Antonio's for a brief moment.
"Yeah, the nice way of saying small as shit. I'm surprised you said it the nice way actually." He knelt down in front of the TV, fiddling with the VCR until all the wires were connected to the right place.
"No, it's..." Lovinio shuffled from one foot to another, and had that awkward, tentative look that he only had when he was being honest. His cheeks were dark. Painfully honest, then. "It's comfortable."
But Antonio still couldn't believe that he actually meant it. "Comfortable, hey? Yeah, for a fifteen year old couch. Nothing compared to your thousand dollar sofa though, that thing is so nice." He put in the movie, and had to rewind it a little.
Lovino rubbed the back of his neck and stood there, frowning at the wall. It wasn't until Antonio called for his attention that he seemed to come back to himself. When Antonio pulled him down onto the couch he followed, settling himself stiffly, and as Antonio set to rewinding the tape, he blurted, "It was a gift."
"What was?" Antonio asked, turning around and coming to sit on the couch now that the movie was all set up.
Lovino frowned at the screen, refusing to meet Antonio's eyes. "The couch. Mama took Feliciano furniture shopping and they left it in my house while I was away on business. They wouldn't let me take it back."
He smiled, putting an arm over the back of the couch. "That was nice of them. It's a really nice couch. Uh, speaking of couches, watch out, this one has a loose spring in the corner, sorry. I usually sit on that side when I have company."
Lovino made a noise and shifted minutely closer to Antonio. He began to relax as the opening credits appeared and, very slowly, Antonio managed to pull him closer against his side.
Antonio moved his hand from the back of the couch to Lovino's shoulder, enjoying being so close to Lovino, who wasn't even doing work on his phone. The Italian didn't like talking during movies, so he stayed mostly silent. He smelled like the office, Antonio noticed. It wasn't a bad smell; nothing like that. Paper and ink and something cool, metallic, possibly chemical. Nothing like how he smelled fresh out of the shower, when he was all Lovino. Antonio's nose bumped against his temple and he smiled when Lovino gave a little jump.
The Spaniard laughed a bit, even when Lovino turned back to watch the movie. "I think we make a much cuter gay couple than those two."
Lovino grunted his affirmative. "Significantly less hairy." Then he cracked a tiny smile- just a brief quirk of lips, but it was there.
"And you would make a way sexier drag queen." Antonio murmured, turning his eyes from the movie to Lovino, who seemed to be enjoying this scene very much.
"Shut up," he growled, nudging Antonio with his elbow when the Spaniard began to mouth at the side of his neck. "There's a movie on."
Antonio grinned, his hand playing absently with Lovino's hair at the back of his head. "How can you expect me to pay attention to the movie when you're so much more interesting?" But he did stop most of his actions, if only to appease Lovino. Finally, finally when the credits rolled, Lovino turned his eyes to Antonio's.
"You're a real fucking piece of work. Is your attention span actually that short, or am I just lucky?"
"Aw, don't be like that. It's not my fault that I would rather watch you than Robin Williams." Antonio smirked, and as 'Birds of a Feather' played in the background, he pushed their lips together, moving languidly against Lovino's mouth. Fortunately for him, Lovino was pleasantly receptive to his affections then. Slowly, the Italian opened up, his fingers curling into the hair at the back of Antonio's head and pulled him closer. Antonio pulled his mouth away, and started kissing down Lovino's jaw to his neck. Lovino tilted his head up a bit, and tried to change positions to make it easier, but as he did, the loose spring in the couch pushed uncomfortably against his side. He pulled away, and Antonio laughed a little. "Sorry about that, I hate that spring."
"No, it's... yeah, no, that's dangerous. I hope you don't have any kids over here." He sat forward instead, his mouth pressing against the corner of Antonio's.
He moaned a little, placing his hand at the small of Lovino's back. "Only my niece, and she knows not to sit there." He glanced at the clock and sighed. It was getting late for a week day. "So, as I said, I don't have a guest room. So either you go home, sleep on the couch, or..." He grinned winked. "Sleep with me."
Lovino blinked and glanced over at the cushion with the loose spring. He shifted over it, winced, and moved away. "Yeah, okay, but we're not fucking. I'll need a shower and some clothes."
Antonio's grin grew into a genuine smile. "The bathroom is through there and to the right. Oh, and Lovi! I'm sorry, but it's not really big enough for two, so I can't join you." He laughed as Lovino got out of the couch. Of course he received a punch to the shoulder and the younger man relocated, apparently having found the bathroom as he heard a door close with a quick, loud snap seconds later.
This was the first night since the very first time they drank together that Lovino had agreed to sleep with Antonio. Of course, he wouldn't ruin it by trying to get him to go all the way, but he was probably entitled to some touching, and a lot of cuddling.
Antonio contented himself with tidying up the room until he heard the door outside crack and a sharp voice call, "I need clothes!"
He went to his room and grabbed some pajama bottoms. "I disagree. But if you insist on wearing clothes..." Antonio went to the door and opened it, throwing the pants in. "They'll probably be a bit big, but oh well, they'll work."
Lovino glared at him, sopping wet with a towel draped around his waist. Unfortunately. "And a shirt, you perverted fuck. Nice try."
"Oh come on, I thought you Italian's were all about going natural! You're such a party pooper." He went back to his room to get a shirt, and by the time he was back at the bathroom, Lovino already had the pants on.
They sagged a bit about his hips, and when Antonio passed him the shirt, he smirked. "Bit of a fatass, aren't you."
"All muscle, baby," he said, flexing one arm. "And you're unnaturally slender for a man your age. But that's what makes you cute." Antonio got another towel, and threw it over Lovino's wet hair, rubbing it so that it would dry. "And you don't mind if I sleep in the nude, do you?"
"Of course I do!" Lovino spluttered, glaring at him from under the towel. "Just put some other clothes on!"
He sighed dramatically. "Fine. But I get hot in the night, I may throw the covers off." Maybe if he only wore the pants. Who needed a shirt anyway? They were men, after all.
Rolling his eyes, Lovino brushed past him and into the bedroom, testing the bed with little bounces briefly before he rolled in, sticking his legs under the covers. He must have noticed Antonio watching him from the doorway because he looked up and, a little red around the edges, ordered, "Well, come on then."
"Yeah, give me a sec." Antonio went to the closet and grabbed some pants, glanced at Lovino and started stripping. He heard the Italian scoff and he looked away, quickly changing into the pants.
When he crawled in beside Lovino and turned off the light, immediately he rolled toward the Italian, grinning when he received an indignant noise for his troubles. "Really. There's plenty of room."
"Nope, it's a small bed, so nothing else to do but cuddle right up to each other." Really, it wasn't that small, it was a double, but any excuse to be close to Lovino was a good excuse. Antonio propped his head up on one hand, looking at him, and put the other hand on the Italian's hip. He was warm under Antonio's shirt and he stiffened.
"I... I know I don't have work tomorrow, but that doesn't mean you can get into my pants. You still have to get up."
Antonio rolled his eyes, rubbing circles with his thumb into the fabric of his pants around Lovino's hips. "I'm not trying to. Remember? I promised to wait. But that doesn't mean we can't touch, right? It's not like I'm grabbing your butt or anything."
"No," Lovino grumbled, "you're not. And as long as you keep it that way, we'll be fine." He shifted slightly, burrowing further into the covers, his fingertips resting on Antonio's upper arm.
He shifted closer, arm curling around Lovino's waist. "Night Lovi."
With a yawn, Lovino hummed his ascent. "Mm. Night, 'Toni..."
"Ew, don't call me Toni! That's not sexy at all." Antonio complained, pouting a little.
"Not trying to be sexy," he mumbled. "Said 'ntonio... just didn't hear it. Idiot."
He huffed and put his head down near Lovino's shoulder. "Alright. At least when I say Lovi it's cute."
To his great delight, Lovino's cheek soon nestled in his hair. "Shut up. Is not."
Antonio just smiled and stayed silent, content to let Lovino fall asleep against him.
.oOo.
Lovino heard Antonio stumble into the kitchen as he pulled up the yellow pages on his phone, scrolling through for the number of his building's manager. The Spaniard grabbed a cup from the cupboard and kissed Lovino's shoulder. "Not work, I hope," he said. "It's our four-month anniversary. You promised no work."
"It's not work. Shut up, you whiney baby. I'm gonna call the manager to come change that light on the entryway ceiling."
As he poured some juice into his cup, Antonio looked at him. "Calling the manager just to change a light? That's stupid, it'll probably take him forever to get here. If it's just the light bulb, that'll take like two seconds to fix."
"It's too high to reach," he answered, disgruntled. "And I don't have a ladder."
Antonio rolled his eyes and put his cup down. "A chair will do just fine. Do you have a bulb? I'll do it for you."
Lovino snatched a lightbulb from on top of the refrigerator and sized Antonio up before handing it over. "You might be tall enough. Might. But that ceiling is high, dammit!"
"Right. Just because you've never had to change a light bulb in your life doesn't mean the rest of us are that lucky." Antonio shot him a smirk and grabbed a chair, going to the front hall. He saw the burnt out light quickly and set up the chair under it.
Lovino watched him climb atop the chair and begin to fiddle with unscrewing the wide dome around the burnt out bulb and leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. Antonio handed the milk glass dome down to Lovino, and the Italian took it, a funny little tremble clenching in his chest. As Antonio straightened to replace the bulb, a little brown strip of skin flashed from under his shirt, and Lovino cleared his throat. "Hey."
Antonio glanced down, both his arms still above his head. "What's up? Don't worry, I won't get electrocuted."
"Fuck, yeah, don't do that. I just thought you should know that I think I'm ready now. To. You know. Do it." He scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. "Whenever."
Green eyes went wide, and Antonio almost dropped the bulb. "Really? Like... really? Wait, you mean sex, right? I would hate to get that messed up." He quickly screwed in the new bulb and reached for the glass dome to put back up.
Lovino handed it back with a little scoff. "Of course I mean sex. What else would I mean? Do you make an effort to be this slow, or is it just natural?"
"Just wanted to be sure is all. It would suck if I thought you meant sex, and I jumped you, and you say you meant getting a puppy." Soon he had the dome screwed on, then he jumped down off the chair, in front of Lovino.
The younger of the two cleared his throat and looked down. "We should wash our hands, though," he said, and quickly added, "I mean, if you wanted to do it now. That thing was dusty as fuck and there's no way I want dead skin particles and shit down my pants, if that's what you were planning to, you know, do."
Antonio laughed, shaking his head a little. "Way to kill the mood. Alright then, let's go wash our hands. And then get them dirty again."
When Lovino pulled Antonio down with him on his bed, he didn't know what he had been expecting. Something drawn out and awkward, probably, or Antonio immediately divesting him of his clothes and just getting on with it. But Antonio just held him and kissed him, though his hands were quite bold in their conquests. He moved his hands up Lovino's shirt, pulling it up slowly as he thoroughly kissed his mouth. Antonio grazed his fingers over a pert nipple, trying to gauge how sensitive Lovino was there. They hardened slightly, and the Italian had a barely noticeable hitch in his breath, so he figured they were sensitive enough. "Mmrph," Lovino uttered eloquently, pulling himself away for a brief moment as he tugged at Antonio's shirt. "You first."
"Tease," Antonio said, laughter in his voice. But he went on his knees, lifting his shirt over his head, then went back down to deal with Lovino's. He had such a cute stomach, practically no hair at all. Then he giggled. "You kind of have love handles. They're so cute!"
"Shut up!" Lovino hissed, batting his hand away. "I do not! And if I did, it's just because I enjoy good food just as much as anybody else!"
Antonio moved down and kissed just above Lovino's belly button. "Don't worry, I love them. You would look way too skinny otherwise." Then he went back up, kissing up from his chest to his mouth. "I think you're perfect, just how you are."
A little noise burst from Lovino's mouth and he covered it quickly with a hand. "Whatever," he finally said when Antonio pulled back to look at him. "J-just keep going."
But he stopped, and pulled back completely. Antonio sat back on his knees, looking at Lovino, his head tilted to the side. "You know... you were always saying how you didn't know about relationships cause you've never been in one. Are you... are you a virgin?" He hadn't thought of it before, but now that they were going to be doing this...
"No!" Lovino barked, sitting up quickly. "No, fuck, no. I've just never been kept around for very long. The longest... thing I've had has been a couple weeks, tops. Couldn't really define that as a relationship."
"Alright. Not that it would be a problem if you were, I mean, I just wanted to know, just in case." He had slept with a few virgins, and he liked being extremely gentle with them so they would remember their first time as good, no matter what.
"Well, I'm not. It. Um." He flushed, rubbing his cheek nervously. "It has been a while, though, so just be... you know. Careful. And shit."
He grinned and went back over him. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you." Antonio kissed him more, his tongue exploring freely. His hand went between them, fiddling with Lovino's belt. "You have stuff, right? Lube and condoms? I would have brought some, but I wasn't exactly expecting this to happen."
"Uh." Lovino pulled back, his brow furrowed. "... Shit." He pushed Antonio away and crawled over to his bedside table, opening the little drawer inside and huffing before snapping it shut. He rolled out of bed and went through his sock drawer, and the underwear drawer beneath that, grumbling all the while. "Fuck."
Antonio laughed, leaning against the headboard. "Well then. Wanna go out and get some, or I can bring some tomorrow." He personally didn't mind doing it without a condom; he knew Lovino was clean, but he never thought saliva worked well.
Lovino chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully before his eyes lifted to meet Antonio's and he crawled over toward him slowly, carefully. "How about," he murmured, flashing Antonio an expression he'd seen many times while out at restaurants aimed at attractive servers, deep and warm and dangerous, and softly, he pressed a kiss to the underside of Antonio's jaw, "if you run to get what we need, I'll make sure to be all prepared by the time you get back."
That definitely tweaked his interest. "By 'prepared', do you mean... prepared, or like you'll slip into something a little more comfortable? You know, never mind, I would rather be surprised." He quickly got off the bed and put on his shirt, desperately trying to think of the least attractive thing possible to get rid of his erection. "I'll be right back."
Lovino watched him dash out the door and sighed. He waited for the sound of the front door to open and close before getting out of bed again and squirting a bit of lotion from the bathroom cabinet into one hand and shucking his belt and pants with the other.
It took Antonio seven long minutes to walk to the drug store. He couldn't get the picture out of his head of what Lovino would be doing, and it was a really good thing that he had a long shirt on to hide anything embarrassing. Once inside, he quickly grabbed a packet of condoms and the first thing of lube he saw and went to the counter. There were three people in line, and one of them was an old woman that took such a long time he thought he would explode.
The lady behind the counter smirked at him, but Antonio didn't even give a shit at this point. It was actually really lucky that he had remembered his wallet at all.
Seven minutes back. By the time he had put the spare key in the door and opened it, he was already grabbing the lube out of the bag, opening the top to take off the stupid foil thing. "Lovi, I'm back! You'd better be ready!"
He took a breath and pushed open the bedroom door, and stopped. And stared. Lovino twitched and pulled his fingers (three, Antonio noted numbly) out from inside of himself. His ass was lifted high in the air, presented quite nicely for Antonio, his smooth, olive-toned torso sloped gently downward with his face cushioned by the mattress. He rolled from the position on his knees to his back and spread his legs. A light flush spread across his neck and his chest, which rose with every little pant. "Took you long enough."
Antonio let out a breath, moving forward without even thinking about it. "Sorry, babe. Hope I didn't keep you waiting." He was out of his own clothes before he got to the bed, his cock already too hard to remain in his briefs. He ripped open one of the condoms with his teeth, not wanting to wait any longer.
Lovino's eyes widened and he tried to pace himself, leaning forward to kiss him once the rubber was on, and waited until Lovino's fingers were tangled in his hair before he reached down and stroked the Italian's cock, solid and smooth and wet under his touch.
"I'm glad you didn't finish when I was away," Antonio whispered, licking the shell of Lovino's ear. With his free hand, Antonio got some lube out and rubbed it over the condom, making sure it would go easily. "Fuck you're so sexy. I can't wait, Lovi."
"Y-yeah, fuck, just..." He gripped the shoulders when the Spaniard pushed in and made a little noise, the most contented and frustrated growl Antonio had ever heard, and he lifted a leg about Antonio's waist. "Fuck, fuck, move."
Antonio moaned in pleasure, his eyes closing of their own volition. Lovino had obviously had enough time to prepare himself, because his entrance was slick and loose enough for him to thrust immediately. "God, Lovi... feel so good..."
Lovino moved up against him and dug his nails into Antonio's shoulders, deeper and deeper with every move, and he shifted and lifted until Antonio's entire cock slid easily in and out. He brought his legs up more so that he could thrust quicker, his balls slapping against Lovino's ass. It had been a while for both of them, so it was obvious neither would last very long, but Antonio wanted it to be the best damn sex Lovino had ever had.
But when he slowed himself, Lovino all but snarled, "Don't you fucking dare, I'm so close, fuck, faster!"
Antonio swallowed, sat back a bit, and grabbed onto Lovino's hips to start slamming into him, again and again. He bit his lip, and let go with one hand to stroke Lovino's cock, precum already dripping from the tip. "Oh fuck Lovi!"
It didn't take long at all for Lovino to completely unravel with a sweet, loud cry, and Antonio followed not too long after, collapsing next to Lovino in a state of post-orgasmic bliss. His hand was sticky and he was softening slowly inside of Lovino, but he was just too damn comfortable to give it much thought.
With his clean hand, Antonio turned Lovino's head and kissed him slowly. They were both breathing heavily through their noses, but they didn't give a damn as they kissed. The Spaniard pulled away, closing his eyes and pressing their foreheads together. "Well. Hope that was... up to your standards," he said with a lazy smile.
"Mmm," Lovino grunted, his toes twitching against Antonio's leg. "Didn't even have time to appreciate it. Next time."
He chuckled deep in his throat, moving slightly so that he fell out of Lovino's hole. "Right. I'll remember, next time I'll go nice and slowly, savor it." That sounded like a good idea, that way he could appreciate all of Lovino, take his time, pleasure him until he begged for it.
The warm body pressed so neatly against his moved and settled, comfortable, soft and complacent. And when he began to snore, Antonio could only smile.
.oOo.
There was pink-tinged light filtering through the curtains as Antonio lazily opened his eyes. Lovino was still passed out, curled into his chest. He smiled fondly at him, how peaceful he looked like this. Then he, with a bit of hands-on exploration, realized that they both had matching morning woods. It was rather obvious, since neither of them had bothered getting dressed the night before. Antonio reached down, cupping Lovino's ass, and ran a finger along his crack. He was still pretty wet, the Spaniard noticed as he traced the sleeping brunet's puckered hole. And still fairly loose, as he slipped that finger inside for a feel, just as Lovino was starting to wake up.
Not nearly awake enough to protest, Lovino's hips rolled and pressed against him, searching for friction and a deep noise rumbled around in his throat. "Mmmmthe fuck're you doing?"
He chuckled, still moving his finger in and out slowly. "I didn't get to do this last night." Antonio slightly curled his finger, trying to find Lovino's spot.
The resulting arch of Lovino's body and subsequent gasp made the bed dip and curve to refit his body closer to Antonio's. "Fuuuuck," he breathed, canting his hips forward.
Antonio mouthed at his neck, and pushed in another finger, rubbing the spot that was making Lovino gasp. He could feel the Italian's cock twitch against his leg. "Tell me what you want."
Lovino's body stretched and curled and he made sweet little noises, panting hotly against Antonio's neck. "More," he bit out, "more, now, I want... ohhh fuck, Antonio, mmm..."
"More, hey?" Antonio smirked a little, and without taking his fingers out, he scurried beneath the covers to go down to Lovino's waist, mouthing at his erection as he rubbed the Italian's prostate. The sound that he made, partway between a shout and a moan, was priceless.
Lovino's thigh muscles contracted almost unnoticably under the soft layer of skin and fat and Antonio had to taste them. Soft and warm, like every other part of Lovino, he noted, and gently nibbled on the sensitive skin.
He gave them another lick, before going back to Lovino's erection, holding down his hips so he couldn't buck up. Antonio slowly worked his mouth down his cock, until his nose was close to the coarse dark hair.
A contented hum drifted over him from above, and Lovino's legs stretched over Antonio's shoulders. He could feel ten little toes curling against his shoulder blades. "Fuck, yeah, just... ah..."
Antonio swallowed around the cock in his mouth, his fingers still thrusting in and out. It was obvious that Lovino was close, so he wanted to finish him off quickly. With his free hand, he started massaging Lovino's balls. He came moments later with a strangled little shout, and fell back, boneless against the mattress. A healthy flush had spread all over his body and the look he gave Antonio was liquid in essence, hot and deliciously sated. "Fuck you."
"Are you feeling alright? For some reason, that didn't sound as angry as it normally does." Antonio smirked as he wiped off his mouth, laying back down beside him. Antonio's own erection was almost painfully hard, so he reached down to stroke the base.
Lovino mumbled something in reply and closed his eyes, stretching both of his arms languidly above his head. "Fuckin' fantastic, actually. Not a bad way to wake up."
He smiled lazily as he stroked his own cock. "I'll keep that in mind then." Antonio would have normally thought that Lovino would be mad, but if he liked it, he could do it more often. The Spaniard pushed his head forward, kissing him, stroking a little faster.
Slowly, Lovino's hands moved down Antonio's body, smoothing over shoulders and pectoral muscles and his taut abdomen before stroking the soft little dip between Antonio's hip bones.
"Aw, you're such a tease." Antonio complained, his eyes closing and biting his lip. He squeezed the top of his cock, twisted a little to get a different feeling.
"Don't I know it." Lovino leaned down and nipped at Antonio's jaw as he batted the Spaniard's hand away and gripped the cock himself. "Fuck, you're big," he mumbled, squeezing and stroking slowly.
Antonio grinned, moving his hips a little. "You love how big I am." He moaned, and put his hand over Lovino's, making the pace faster.
Lovino bit his shoulder and pushed his hand away. "Patience, damn. But fuck, I didn't really get much time to observe. How did this even fit inside of my fucking body?"
The Spaniard groaned, amazed that Lovino was actually talking dirty about his cock. He just leaned back on the bed, letting the brunet do what he was planning to do.
Lovino's thumb acquainted itself with the sensitive head and foreskin, marking up Antonio's neck as he traced a pulsing vein. "I'll probably feel you all week."
"Fuck..." Antonio whispered, there was no doubt that Lovino knew how to work a cock. He shivered as a finger traced below his head, then up the slit. It had been a long time for him since he had been with someone, so this, and last night, felt even better.
"Yeah. Fuck." Lovino finally wrapped his fingers around Antonio's cock solidly and began to pump at it, hard and fast. "Last night when you came, you were so far inside me that I could practically taste you in my throat."
Antonio bit his lip, then his hand shot out, bringing Lovino to his lips, kissing him deeply. He moaned when he came, most of the sound caught in Lovino's mouth.
As he drifted into a pleasant golden haze, the first thing he felt was the crafty little grin against his lips. Lovino pulled back and lazily settled onto a pillow. "You're going to be late for work," he said with a little yawn.
"Oh shit." He glanced at the clock, and sure enough he wouldn't even have time to go to his apartment and change. "I'm going for a shower." Antonio got out of the bed, picking up his clothes, but went back for a quick kiss.
"Yeah, yeah," Lovino huffed, pushing him off after the "quick kiss" delved sweetly past the two-minute mark. "Go on. Wash up."
He sighed and went to the bathroom, showering in record time. In the end he was only about ten minutes late for work, and Antonio couldn't get the smile off his face.
This is not the end! There will be a few more chapters after this!