mmmmm~ Just to let you guys know, these next two chapters are a few of my favorites~

free internets to those who've already guessed the true meaning of the choker~

on another note ... ay dios mio has become my new favorite saying ... i say it all the time for everything ... new review? ay dios mio! it's already time to update 'Kismet'? ay dios mio! work has me so busy, i didn't realize three days had already passed? ay dios mio! XD anyways ... me and my craziness ...

Kismet

Chapter Twenty-Three: Misunderstanding and Clarification

Lovino rubbed the back of his head and was waiting for his cue to take the food and drink out to the feast Antonio was serving for the nobles and friends who had already arrived. He was secretly grateful that Francis would not be attending, much less he end up in a dress again. This year, he thought about what to give Antonio for a gift, but nothing came up and now he was practically out of time. He'd saved the dress and had it altered for Femke and would give it to her later. For Tessa, he'd made a necklace out of some of the shells from his trip and would also give that to her.

But Antonio hadn't let on that he wanted anything except Lovino's happiness and … well … what kind of gift was that? He already gave the tomato bastard smiles reserved only for him, his love, which hadn't been easy to give. The man just didn't seem interested in material object other than that choker, which he always wore in private.

It was too expensive to get another, not that two would do the older man any good, and what would you get a man who had anything he wanted? The only thing he knew Antonio wanted, he couldn't have … not anymore … not since his promise to love only him and be with only him.

He let out a sigh and picked up two trays and carried them out to the large table. His eyes scanned the people, wondering if he knew any of them and sure enough, his face became red when he noticed Lukas, Mathias, Emil, Tino and Berwald all at the table. Mathias looked up and grinned, knocking his elbow into Lukas, whom turned to him and pulled his necklace angrily. Tino waved and Berwald just looked at him with that scary look. Emil looked his way and waved once, before returning his attention to the weird bird.

Lovino set the trays down along the table and shot Antonio a deadly glare. That man would get it for embarrassing him like this.

Dinner commenced and he stood beside Antonio's chair, making sure the king had anything he wanted, food, drink, or the next course. The table buzzed happily with talk about the party, about their year, about their lives, anything they felt like, including gossip about a young woman who the king supposedly loved, but faded into the night, never to be seen again. With these rumors, his face burned.

His mind wandered back to what to get Antonio. The previous year, as every year since they became friendly, he'd given him an IOU kind of thing, while Antonio gave him new clothes or something equally nice. But this was their first year together and he just had to get him something good. Maybe he'd do that thing Antonio did for him in the carriage. His face burned. He didn't really know how, but it seemed like a good enough gift. Or maybe he'd get him something hand made. But what? Ugh, he thought, why is this so hard?

Lovino walked back to the king's room, his head throbbing from over thinking the situation and grabbed the two boxes the gifts for Femke and Tessa were in and he headed to their room. Femke answered the door, "Lovi? What are you doing here? I thought Toni was throwing a feast."

"He let me go early so that I could bring you guys your gifts. I know the stupid thing is tomorrow, but I might be too busy to bring them anytime else." he tossed his best friend her gift, and set the other down for Tessa for when she got back from her chores.

"Thanks, Lovi~! Here's the one I got you!" she handed him a box. He opened it and inside lay a bunch of chocolates, "I made those myself, best in the world~! So you'd better enjoy~!" he grinned. Lovino wasn't a big fan of certain things, chocolate being one, but when Femke made them by hand or her hot chocolate, he devoured them.

"Thank you, Femke, I can't wait to eat them." he smiled.

She smiled back, "They're not all for you, some are for Toni, too … so do share!" Femke opened up her box and gasped.

"Lovino! This looks expensive!" the dress had been tailored to be a bit shorter, some of the layers removed and the sleeves shortened. He also had it dyed to fit her her complexion and eyes better, something he'd learned from Tessa once.

"It wasn't really. I hope it fits. I had to have it tailored and altered already." he muttered, watching her hold it up to herself.

"I can't imagine when I'd wear something so lovely, though, but thank you! Thank you so much! I love it!" she kissed his cheek and ran off to try it on. When she came back in, she was wearing the dress and a huge smile, "It fit's perfectly!" she held up the edges and looked down at her toes, "Wait 'til mama sees it!"

Lovino grinned, happy to see Femke so happy. They chatted for a moment, but he regretfully had to head back to the king's room to draw a bath.

"Thank you again, Lovi~!" she waved him goodbye. He made his way to Antonio's room and felt he was at the end of his rope. There wasn't any time left to think of a gift to give the older man. There would be no time tomorrow to get him one and it would be too late by then anyway.

He sighed and entered the room and walked straight to the bathing room, already running a bit late. To his surprise, Antonio was already in the bath, wine by the edge and his eyes on Lovino. Lovino's face went red and he set Femke's chocolates on a small table, "What the hell is this about, bastard?"

"I thought I'd surprise you with a romantic evening for your gift~ come, sit in the bath and enjoy some wine~" already forgetting his anger from earlier, the younger man slipped into his nightly ritual of putting on the choker and stripping down. He grabbed the box, figuring what better time to enjoy them?

He slid into the water and let out a soft sigh as the hot water soothed his muscles from working all day on decorations and his regular chores.

"Here~" the king poured a small goblet of wine for Lovino. The Illonian took it and sipped the liquid. He rarely got to drink wine, but loved the flavor, just not the way certain kinds burned his throat as they went down. "What's in the box, Lovi~?"

Lovino turned his eyes to the package, "Our present from Femke. Have you ever tried her homemade chocolates?"

Antonio shook his head and Lovino set the cup down to open the box and pull one out, "Try." he held the small, flat square to his lover's lips. The king parted his lips and happily took the sweet into his mouth. He chewed and smiled brightly, "Amazing!"

Lovino smirked, "Yeah. I'm not a big fan of chocolate, and even I love them." he said, sticking one onto his tongue, letting it melt.

The king chuckled, "They really are good~!" he grabbed a cloth and lathered it up with some soap and began rubbing Lovino's back with it. After a few small cups of wine and some chocolates, Antonio pulled Lovino from the bath and dried him off, but left him naked for part two of the gift.

He made sure the door was locked, before grabbing a bottle of scented oils, "Lay down on your belly, my love~" Lovino nodded and did as he was told, slightly confused until Antonio poured the oils onto his hands and began rubbing Lovino's back and shoulders.

The Illonian moaned into the pillow as Antonio aimed for knots and tense spots. Lovino was confused on how a spoiled brat knew how to do such wonderful things. Antonio's fingers worked all over his back and then his legs, and even a few embarrassing seconds on his backside.

Antonio finished the massage, leaving Lovino completely relaxed and happy. The Illonian looked over at Antonio who was stretching, about to climb into the bed to go to sleep. His cheeks became red and instead of getting dressed in the clothes Antonio had handed him, he crawled over to Antonio, whom was looking at him with confusion.

He connected their lips in a kiss which quickly became heated. Lovino broke the kiss and nibbled Antonio's neck, mostly biding his time to make his heart stop throbbing so fast and work up the courage to actually make a move to give Antonio that special gift. His hand fumbled awkwardly with the laces on Antonio's night pants and he began to panic, until the tie came undone.

Antonio lifted his hands to Lovino's arms and tried to push him down, but Lovino crushed his lips to Antonio's and pressed him back against the pillows. The king looked at him in shock, when he finally pulled away from the kiss.

Lovino looked away, still self-conscious and unsure about what he was doing. He pulled the pants down a little, enough to release Antonio from the tight hold the pants had on him. His fingers gently brushed over the hardened member and Antonio sucked in air in a small pleasure hiss. The Illonian took it as a sign he was doing things right.

He gripped the base and slowly moved his hand up. With each stroke, it brought another pleasured noise from his lover's lips and it gave him a little more courage he managed to work up to move his body away from Antonio's and face the task he'd given himself. Lovino ignored the glazed look in Antonio's eyes as he lowered his lips to the awaiting member. He slowly took it into his mouth and tried to recall what Antonio had done to him.

His tongue swirled around lightly and his fingers tentatively massaged the base, earning groans of pleasure from Antonio. This urged him to take it a step further and begin sucking gently. Antonio moaned Lovino's name and gripped his hair, pushing his head down a bit further. Tears sprung up in Lovino's eyes as the head hit the back of his throat.

Lovino blinked them away and continued what he had been doing, hoping Antonio hadn't been grossed out by his gagging. The king seemed to not notice as moaned soft commands, leading Lovino in what he was doing.

The Illonian felt his cheeks grow sore, but it wasn't long before Antonio warned him he was on the edge of his orgasm. Lovino gagged again as Antonio shot his seed into his mouth. He swallowed what he could before coughing and pulling his face away and sitting back on his legs.

"God, Lovi~" Antonio said, breathlessly, reaching forward and wiping a stray bit of his essence from his lover's face. He grabbed Lovino and pulled him down to kiss him, deeply. His hand found Lovino's own erection and rubbed at it softly, making Lovino writhe and moan. Antonio grabbed the oil and slicked his fingers before plunging them into his lover, causing Lovino to yell out his name.

He pumped them into his Lovino, purposefully hitting his spot until his own erection returned. He removed his fingers, making Lovino whimper and he quickly replaced them with his member. They both let out throaty moans as he pushed himself as deep as he could into his lover.

Lovino moved underneath him, letting him know to continue. Antonio was happy to oblige and began thrusting into him. He pressed his lips tightly against Lovino's and let one of hands slip between them to grip his lover. Lovino moaned his name, "A-Antonio … p-please … I-I need r-release!"

Antonio hit Lovino's spot and simultaneously began stroking him, his own release was not far off, but he wanted to see Lovino's face twisting in pleasure just a little bit more.

"Beg for it." Antonio whispered huskily.

Lovino tried to glare, but Antonio slowed down, moving inside at an agonizingly slow pace, "P-please … please … Antonio … I n-need it!"

Antonio grinned and picked up his pace again. He slammed into Lovino's spot and the man cried out, spilling himself. The king thrust a few more times before following. He moaned and pulled himself from Lovino, kissing the younger man softly. He let his eyes fall closed, sleepily.

Lovino took it upon himself to stumble to the water pitcher and pour the water to clean himself and Antonio up before letting himself fall into a very deep and relaxed sleep.

The next morning, Lovino was extremely reluctant to get out of bed. Antonio had him in his arms, warmly curled beneath the blanket, far away from the cold air that always plagued the castle in the mornings of winter. It made it worse that he was still naked.

"Wake up bastard …" Lovino grumbled, pushing up. He shivered when the blanket fell from his body and he stepped onto the cold stone ground. Antonio sat up as well and tiredly followed Lovino's lead and getting dressed.

Lovino slipped the choker from his neck, like usual and tucked it into his pocket.

"I love you, Lovi~" Antonio whispered, kissing Lovino on the lips. Lovino wrapped his arms around Antonio in a short hug, "Love you, too."

They parted and Lovino made his way to breakfast, where Femke told him that Tessa loved the gift. Lovino was in a rather sore mood due to the fact that Antonio was being served someone else that day for a breakfast and lunch. Not to mention he was now stuck doing last minute decoration on the ball room, making sure it was ready for the party.

Once that was finished, Lovino was given his uniform and job. People filled the large room and Antonio gave a speech, before the music began and people started dancing. Lovino held up his tray of hors d'oeurvres, watching Antonio take the hands of some random woman and dance with her. He rolled his eyes, the jealousy not as strong as it used to be. He knew he could trust Antonio with his heart.

"Well, if it isn't the kid!" Lovino had completely forgotten that little fact. He turned to see Mathias approaching.

"Mathias." Lovino nodded his head, "It's good to see you here." he ground out, kind of annoyed.

The elf laughed, "No need to be so cold. Besides, I thought you were together with … well … anyway, what are you doing serving … whatever these things are?" Mathias asked, grabbing some of the bits of food and popping them into his mouth.

"I'm his majesty's servant." the Illonian glared, "Now if you'll excuse me, I should probably keep moving."

"I can see that … but whatever, kid, see you later." the elf shrugged walking off to find something else to do, or to find Lukas to bother him.

Antonio faked another smile as the girl grinned up at him, her cheeks dusted pink, "I am enjoying the party, your majesty," she said sweetly.

"Thank you, my lady." he spun her around and let his eyes drift to the man his eyes had been on ever since he'd entered the room. Lovi looked absolutely miserable. He wanted to dance with him.

"Is your majesty distracted tonight?" the girl asked, tilting her head.

Antonio's attention snapped back to her, "I'm terribly sorry, please forgive me. I just thought I'd remembered something I had to do, but I must have been mistaken."

She laughed lightly, "It's quite all right, your majesty." he switched partners and sighed, recognizing many faces that he'd seen at the previous parties. This was Carol. She'd been a dance partner for Antonio at five previous balls and parties. He knew she was the daughter of a wealthy trader in this village. She was sixteen and was well mannered and sweet. The perfect noblewoman.

He also knew she was either infatuated with him … or the crown … because she had told him a few parties ago that she loved him. Antonio still hadn't told Lovino about it, afraid of his love's reaction.

The king spun the girl around and stepped back, but tripped lightly. Antonio straightened up and looked down to see the choker Lovino had given him had fallen out of the shallow pockets the tailor had sewn on. He quickly snatched it up, but Carol spotted it. Her hands grabbed his and her fingers ran over the dragon's leather, "Is this …?" tears welled up in her eyes.

Antonio stared confused for a moment before it dawned on him that she thought he was giving it to her. He shook his head, "Wait … no … it's …" She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips tightly against his.

Lovino had lost sight of Antonio and was trying to stay out of sight of the old man, who was trying to get him to keep serving the bastards that were wanting food. He'd seen Femke dressed up in the dress he'd given her, all pretty and noble looking, with Christian. He was happy for her.

He let out a soft sigh and wished he had been able to dance with Antonio, at least once. A crowd of dancers turned and 'oohs' and 'ahs' traveled quickly. Lovino raised his brow curiously and stepped forward, his blood running cold. He let his tray slip from his fingers at what he saw before him. Antonio was kissing some girl, the choker he'd given the older man clutched in her hands.

Anger began to boil over and Lovino exploded. He stormed forward in a blind fury and as the girl dropped from Antonio's arms, Lovino slammed his fist into Antonio's stomach, "You bastard!"

"Lo-Lovi?" Antonio wheezed, clutching his stomach.

"Don't you fucking 'Lovi' me! I didn't … I can't …" tears welled up in his eyes, "I fucking hate you, bastard!" he felt his arms being pulled back as the guards seized him.

"Lovi, I can-"

Lovino tried to kick him, "Shut up! Fuck you! And here-" Lovino ripped his arm away from the guard to take off the bracelet with the inscription and threw it at him, along with the choker in his pocket, "Go to hell! I don't want them anyway!" he refused to let the tears fall as the guards dragged him down to the dungeon. He was thrown into a cell and one of the guards let him know he was in there for assaulting the king. Then, when he was all alone, he cried. Lovino cried harder than he had in a very long time, his heart broken in two and his trust shattered. On top of that, he couldn't even leave to go back to Illonia and find Feliciano.

Antonio stood, shocked. He held in his hands the choker and bracelet Lovi had thrown at him. People were staring, but he couldn't care less. Carol stepped forward, her face red, "I-I'm so sorry, your majesty … I … this is yours … isn't it?" she handed him his choker and she hurried away.

"What is the meaning of this?" he looked up and saw his mother walking up. Antonio swallowed hard.

"What is going on here? I don't understand … you actually proposed to that filth?" she glared, pointing to the doors that Lovino had gone through, "You were going to throw your life away to marry some servant? A male, no less! You can't make an heir with another man!" she hissed. The rest of the court had taken to clearing the room.

Once it was empty the former queen shook her head, "I can't believe this … I knew he was bad … from the very first moment … I should have gotten rid of him when I had the chance!" she looked at her silent son, "Are you not going to say anything? Are you not going to speak for your actions?"

Antonio looked from her down to his hands, where the chokers and the bracelet sat. He had been careless and he'd lost his Lovi, his only love. Now his mother knew of what had been going on.

"How long has this even been going on? Can you at least answer that?" she snapped, the rest of the court members were now standing before him.

He looked up, "Since Lovi's anniversary day." he said softly, the warm memories crawling into his mind, however, they made him sad right after. Would he ever share a moment like that with his love again? Did … did Lovi really hate him? "In February …"

The former queen paled, "So the vacation … and all this time …" she glared, "You'll put this out of your head and think about your kingdom."

"She's right. The people will be talking forever after this whole mess!" another member spoke. The rest agreed.

Another spoke, "Not only that, he's a commoner!"

"And can't bear the throne an heir!"

"Is this why you've refused a bride? For him?" his mother spit the word venomously.

Antonio felt his anger slowly rising and the shock of what had occurred, fading. He clutched the chokers tightly in one hand and the bracelet in the other. He looked up with a fierce look, straight at his court, the words forming in his mind as his darker side rose to the surface to take over.

TBC

Ve~ I'm so sleepy lol XD going to go read myself to sleep ^_^

~Lady Pyrien