Antonio grinned as he leaned gently against one of the bakery's rickety tables. He couldn't believe Lovino was actually asking him to stay. He would have felt bad if he wasn't so happy about his circumstances. He had come to the bakery to find evidence against the Vargas family in actuality. He had, once again, lied right through his teeth. He figured he could find a secret room in the bakery where they might have stored a Torah or two. Maybe something else written in hebrew. Anything, really. Though he was hoping that he found a cross instead, but he knew that wouldn't have happened. Lovino was so incredibly obvious when it came to secrets. Antonio could see it in his eyes when he wasn't telling the truth. And his fear was more obvious than anyone elses he had ever known.
Antonio still wasn't sure if he would be able to turn in Lovino. He was so sure that it would have been easy. He'd turned in so many other people with no guilt. He'd even seen them killed. But he couldn't imagine Lovino being killed like they had. Come to think of it, he had felt something for the Jew in the cathedral the other day. Something that had dried his throat and nipped at his heart. Perhaps it was simply because the man looked a little like Lovino. He couldn't be sure. He wouldn't feel guilty. Not now after everything he'd seen. A little Italian couldn't change him so much.
"Bastard, why do you look like that? Are you going to throw up? Go outside if you're going to do that," Lovino said.
Antonio pulled himself out of his thoughts and smiled at Lovino. "You did hit me pretty hard, Lovi. I was actually surprised at your strength. Not that you look or seem weak. It just caught me off guard, for sure." Antonio rubbed the side of his head, brushing his fingers through his hair. Lovino watched with wide eyes, his nose scrunching up slightly. Antonio watched him, his eyebrow raised. "What?"
Lovino shook his head and backed away to the front of the counter. The wooden slabs in front of the counter groaned beneath Lovino's bare feet. "You, uh, you're bleeding. The side of your head is. I can see the blood on your hand." Antonio didn't respond. His eyes were glued on Lovino's pale feet and the bottom of his legs. He hadn't realized that Lovino was just wearing a nightshirt until now. How much did Lovino weigh? Not much. Not much at all.
"Bastard, what the hell is wrong with you? You're bleeding. Do you hear me, idiota? Hold on." Lovino shuffled around the bakery. There was the occasional fuck when he ran his foot into a box or bag of flour on the floor. He grabbed a rag and a bowl. "Water, where the hell did he put it? Oh, I see."
Antonio listened to Lovino mutter for a few minutes, his eyes still focused on that same spot. He remembered that spot squeaking when he had first entered the bakery a week before. There was something under the floorboards. From how casual Lovino acted around the spot, not even he knew that there was something hidden there. This was purely the grandfathers doing. He stood up straight and walked over to the spot. Lovino was rubbing a rag with a lump of soap and squeezing the excess water out. Antonio gulped and stomped on the spot. There was a few groans and a hollow noise.
He had been correct in his assumption. He stomped again. It wasn't huge, so there were no people in the spot. It wasn't even room size. It seemed to be about the size of a coffin, though that wasn't what was down there. But there were things down there. He could tell from the way the sound rang back. It would have been a deeper noise if the spot was empty. He shook his head. No. Not tonight. He couldn't check beneath the floorboards with Lovino here. Maybe there was a bible down there? And a small Christ figurine? No. He was in denial. Antonio flinched when he felt something cool touch the side of his head. Lovino was wiping the blood out of the Spaniard's hair. He really didn't want someone to bleed to death in the bakery. Not the bastard, anyways.
"Why the hell were you stomping?" Lovino looked at the bloody rag and gagged slightly. "Fucking gross."
Antonio laughed, his eyes lighting up in a desperate attempt to regain his composure. "I saw a spider, actually. And it took a few times to get it. It was very quick." Lovino "hmphed" and continued cleaning the wound on Antonio's head. It looked like he had just busted a vein. Lovino felt pained at the sight of the new bruise ripening on Antonio's head. "Hey, bastard. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you so hard. But you shouldn't have broke in like that. So it's your fault."
Antonio closed his eyes and focused on the way Lovino's fingers felt through the rag. "Don't apologize. It was my fault. And I'm sorry for shoving you. And stepping on you. You're alright, si?" Lovino grumbled. "Yeah, I'm okay."
They were silent for a minute or so. Lovino was nearly done cleaning the blood out of Antonio's hair, much to Antonio's disappointment.
"So, Lovi, why were you in here? I know you didn't hear me from your room," the Spaniard said through a yawn. Lovino threw the rag in the bowl of now pink water.
"Feli wouldn't shut his mouth. And I figured it would be easier to sleep in here because it's completely silent." Lovino grabbed a rag and ripped it into even shreds. He didn't want to ruin it, but he thought this was a good excuse. He wrapped Antonio's head up lazily. God, he was tired.
Antonio, of course, was smiling at something Lovino had said. Lovino scoffed. "Why the fuck are you looking at me like that? Stupid bastard. I'm tired. I haven't slept since you took me to that gallery. You probably cursed me or something."
Antonio stifled a laugh. "Cursed you? Lovi, please. Don't make me laugh. You must just be stressed." Lovino rolled his eyes, then said, "You probably cursed me when you kissed my hand, bastard."
Lovino looked up at Antonio and took a step back. He really didn't want to talk about that. He tried to not think about it when he looked at Antonio. And now here he was, not just thinking about it, but talking about it. He fought back a blush. Why had he said that? Sure, he had been thinking about it. But he hadn't really meant to say it aloud. But Antonio gave him a reassuring smile and put a hand on his shoulder. "Has it truly had so much of an effect on you that you would call it a curse? I didn't think you'd trouble yourself with remembering such an insignificant thing, Lovino." Lovino couldn't help but notice the emphasis the Spaniard had put on his name. The way he said it made him feel warm and light-headed. "Anyways, you really should be getting some sleep. When I was little my madre would tell me stories before bed. And they helped me sleep. Maybe it would help you sleep."
Lovino sneered. "I'm not a child. And besides, I don't want to sleep if there is a thief somewhere in this part of Barcelona. I can't take any chances." Antonio smiled at the thought of the thief he had created. Lovino wasn't in any real danger, but he couldn't tell him that. "Tell you what, Lovi. I'll tell you a story so you can sleep. Because I can tell you need rest. And I'll stay up and stand guard. I'll keep my hand on my sword the entire time."
Lovino crossed his arms and grumbled to himself. He didn't want to give in, but he was exhausted. He felt as if he might fall over at any moment. But he didn't want to be treated like a child. He was seventeen years old. But it would be nice to find something to finally lull him. He pinched the bridge of his nose and finally said, "Alright. As long as you make sure that Feliciano and Grandpa Roma aren't in danger of being murdered by a thief."
Antonio's eyes lit up and any worry he had melted away for the time being. "Buena, Lovi." Lovino shuffled over to his chair and sat. It was freezing in the bakery. Antonio was fully dressed in a coat and boots. Lovino really envied him. This was noticed by Antonio, who shrugged off his coat and handed it to Lovino.
"Put this on. And don't argue, I can tell you're colder than I am." Lovino looked at the coat. He could've refused it, but he really was cold. He grabbed it and slipped it on. It was already warm from Antonio's body heat. It smelled like a blown out candle and a weird kind of smoke from something burnt that he'd never smelled before. It reminded him of the time that Feliciano had attempted to cook a chicken and the entire thing had just fallen into the flames. Lovino almost smiled at the memory.
Antonio sat down next to Lovino. "What now, tomato bastard? You tell me a story?" Antonio laughed lightly at Lovino's tone. "Si, Lovi. What are your two favourite colours?" Lovino glared at the bastard. What did that have to do with anything? "Green and red, I guess."
Antonio beemed. "Gracias, Lovi. My madre used to tell me this story. It was always my favourite one."
Lovino scoffed. "Tell the story! I'm tired as hell!" Antonio cleared his throat and took his sword off in one swift motion. It was too heavy to keep on. He rolled down his sleeves and leaned into Lovino. "Once, there were two bears. A green bear and a red bear. The green bear and red bear were very good friends and saw each other every day. But one day the- oh wait, Lovino, which colour is your least favourite?" Lovino opened one eye. "Purple, I think." Antonio nodded. "As I was saying, one day the purple bears declared war on the red bears. Every bear was to participate in the great battle. But the red bear didn't want to go. And-"
"God, I don't know if I can listen to this, bastard. I'm seventeen fucking years old."
Antonio smiled very faintly, his eyebrows raising slightly. "As I was saying, Lovi-" Lovino sighed. "As I was saying, the red bear didn't want to go. He couldn't stand to not see the green bear every day. And the green bear couldn't stand to be away from the red bear. But the fact remained the same; the red bear had to fight for the other red bears. There was no way around it. So he came to the green bear on their final day together to bid him farewell, but before the red bear left the green bear said to him: 'Red bear, we will meet again someday. But until then, take this to remember me by.'" Antonio leaned into Lovino and kissed him lightly on the temple. Lovino opened his eyes in shock. " 'A kiss on the head to keep you wise during battle so that you may come back to me.' "
Lovino gulped, but said nothing. His heart throbbed uncontrollably beneath the blanket and the coat. "The red bear fought wisely, and he came back. The red bear and the green bear once again spent many days together. But the purple bears called for a battle once more, and the red bear was called upon. So the red bear went to the green bear for a final meeting before the battle. At this point, the red bear was a captain, and it was his job to give out orders. Before the red bear left, the green bear pulled him close and said to him: 'Red bear, we will meet again someday. But until then, take this to remember me by.' " Antonio leaned in once more and kissed Lovino on the cheek. Lovino turned red, but listened to the story. " 'A kiss on the cheek, right beside your lips, so that they know the exact orders to call out so that you may come back to me.' "
"Now, the red bear fought and commanded very well, and he came back. The red bear and the green bear spent many days together once more. But the purple bears called for one final battle, and the red bear was called upon. At this point, the red bear was very tired. He had fought in the previous battles, and though he had fought well, he was worn. So on the very last day before the battle, the green bear and the red bear met. It was the red bear this time who pulled the green bear in closely and said, 'Green bear, we will meet again someday. But until then, take this to remember me by.' " Antonio leaned in very closely this time. He moved aside his red coat and pressed a soft kiss to Lovino's collarbone, just above his chest. Lovino's breath caught in his throat as his eyes fluttered shut again. The kiss felt so wonderful. " 'A kiss above your heart, so that you may never forget how much I love you.' " Lovino watched Antonio's green eyes intensely, his bottom lip quivering as he did so. Antonio smiled faintly once he saw Lovino watching him. "The story is almost over, Lovi."
"This time, the red bear fought very hard. But the purple bears were too strong, and he wasn't able to make it back to the green bear. But the green bear wasn't discouraged or sad, for when he felt upset by the loss of the red bear, he placed his palm over his heart and said: "We will meet again someday, red bear. And until then, I will never forget how much you love me.' " Lovino watched Antonio. He almost wished the story wasn't over.
"Wait, bastard. That wasn't right. You were kissing me as the green bear, but in the last part, it is the red bear who kisses the green bear." Lovino sat up and scooted closer to Antonio. "It should have been me kissing you."
Lovino leaned into Antonio and kissed his collarbone, though he had to move his shirt out of the way. Antonio's eyes grew wide and his lips parted. It was the most wonderful kiss he'd ever felt in his life. Lovino blushed, wondering why the hell he had actually done that.
"Yeah, so that story wasn't really right. I just wanted to tell you that you told it wrong. Bastard." Lovino looked down and kept rambling. It was clear how nervous he was. Antonio leaned into the Italians face, prepared to give him a final kiss on the lips, but stopped himself. He wanted to feel those lips on his more than anything, but he didn't want to move too fast or scare Lovino away. The only thing worse than not kissing Lovino tonight would be to not kiss Lovino ever. So he refrained.
"Lovi, I think you might be a little too tired. I'll stay here and stand guard as promised. Goodnight, querido," Antonio said.
Lovino didn't want to sleep after what had just happened, but he could already feel himself drifting away. The last thing Lovino saw as he fell asleep was the side's of Antonio's lips turned up into a warm smile.
To Be Continued . . . .