And the Christmas arc rolls on…~!
In other news…geez, so many people voting on this! What, is there some kind of betting place online that I didn't hear about…?
/= [DAY 100] =/
/= "I Look to You" =/
Really, what was so bad about this year that made Christmas such a pain?
Lovino was mumbling crap to himself as he wandered down the hallways. Sure, he was going to spend Christmas with Feliciano, but really. He was going to want to be alone with Ludwig. Everyone knows that. Soon everyone was going to go their own ways, and Lovino was going to be alone. What bullshit.
He spat that upon himself before he realized that Antonio was standing just a few feet from him, staring at an empty meadow and not saying a word. Lovino walked up to him with a shake of his head.
"Oi, tomato bastard."
To his surprise, Antonio didn't say a word.
"Hey."
Lovino walked next to him and was surprised on what he saw. Antonio was staring at the grass as if there was something he was looking for…only he didn't look like he was looking for anyone at all…actually, he didn't even look like he was doing anything at all. He looked statuesque in appearance: an emotionless face with solid shoulders and dead eyes. He didn't like it…he saw this once before.
"Hey. Antonio."
He said nothing, not even make a move or acknowledge that he was listening. Lovino's eyes widened: he did see this before. It had to be the worst day of his life. For the first time since that one moment, fresh fear ran through his blood. He grabbed Antonio's shoulders.
"Hey. HEY!"
The eyes were dead…he was gone. Almost like a dead man standing. Lovino shook him one more time and saw with horror how Antonio just collapsed onto his knees like it wasn't that surprising. Lovino shook him one more time and almost panicked fully. It was almost as if Antonio was a doll. No heart…no soul…nothing.
"What the fuck happened to you, man? Did that bastard attack you? That murderer steal your soul? SHIT! Don't you fucking leave me, bastard! Don't you FUCKING leave me!"
The words just shot out of him like it was natural for him to scream like that. But no matter what he begged, Antonio would not move. After a few minutes Lovino just dropped in sobs. Did he just leave him, out of nowhere, for good? He hated himself, he hated Antonio, he hated the world at this point. Why him…?
"…Lovino…can I ask you a question?"
"…tch. B-bastard." Leave it to timing to get Antonio back to Earth. "What the fuck do you want?"
"Was I…a bad person to you?"
"Huh?"
"I've treated so many of my colonies with such harshness. I know that, I know it's wrong. And yet none of them want to make amends with it…move on from that…"
"Bastard. Haven't you forgotten about Charice?"
"I know, but…I don't even know if she's telling the truth or not. She's just a really kind person…she doesn't want anyone to feel sad. Maybe that's why she lied…"
"If Charice was nice enough to think about lying to you, I'm sure that she'd be nice enough to at least listen to you and then forgive you. Did all that emo crap ruin what was left of your brain cells?"
"I'm…I'm just not being used to having someone who loved me."
That came out of left field.
"The fuck does that mean? You shower people with your bastardizing love, cooing for affection like the nutjob you are on basically every singleBASTARD you meet. What the hell are you talking about?"
"I mean the same way that Charice has Rizal…how you have your brother." Antonio sat up. "Yes, I give people my open affection. And I mean it. But I never have it returned. No one ever had the interest that I give them."
"So…that's why you stayed with me even though I spat it all back in your face."
"I'm used to rejection, Lovino. It's how I live."
Lovino had no idea what the heck he was listening to. He was so used to seeing women with Antonio. He was so used to seeing him hit on basically anything with an ass and legs. And now here he was, telling him that through all that time he never fell in love with any of those flings and yet the ones that did catch him never loved him back. He sounded like…
"Takes one to know one." Lovino sighed, looking away. "You're looking at the man who was rejected by his own grandfather. You're looking at the bastard who's never been acknowledged about anything past being Feliciano's brother."
"Lovino…"
"…I haven't told you this, but…when our bosses decided to reunite the Italian lands, they decided that they were going to get rid of one of us. You know what happened?" Lovino glared at him. "They all unanimously voted on me."
"Wh-what?"
"I was on the run for months. I was a freaking convict of the land that I was supposed to be. I was supposed to be a dead man. No one wanted me…I was the rejected piece. It was only after my brother begged that they dropped the hit on me…but still…being hated by your own people…"
Antonio had no idea what to think. He was always the boy cursing people off. He was always the boy terrified to death about Charice and wherever she was coming from. And he was…
"I don't hate you."
"I know you don't. Must've been nice that I evolved from the inheritance of my grandfather to being your rusted silver metal."
"Lovino…silver doesn't rust."
"I took the damn class. It tarnishes. Big whoop."
"But the tarnish can be wiped away…and it will always shine underneath." Antonio laughed, rustling through his hair. "Besides…silver is rarer than gold."
"Bullcrap."
"Well…who pays attention to Chemistry class, anyway?"
Antonio slowly drifted his arm over Lovino's body, feeling the strange warmth of the Italian as he decided to lean himself onto his shoulder. Antonio could only laugh and look to the field, his eyes almost glazing over.
"What were you seeing out there?" Lovino asked.
"…the battle I had with Rizal." He answered. "Out of all my colonies, they were the ones that were freed only to be captive yet again."
"I'm sure all of them did the same thing, bastard."
"But they were the ones that suffered through the wars, Lovino. Charice hadn't even seen a dead body until we saved your brother."
"Innocence is bound to break."
"It's a sad fact, but yet that is truth…"
"…is it bad that I actually like Charice as an innocent soul?"
"Yeah…she's not one to cast vengeance on people."
"Her Cute-Obsession mode does that."
"Yeah…true…"
It was then that their chests began glowing. Antonio and Lovino froze as they stared at their Persona cards as they escaped their body and turned into a strange ruby color, going to sink back into their bodies. They stared at each other.
"…what the hell was that?"
"Don't ask me. I don't have a clue." Antonio laughed. "But it's nice to see that you're thinking about it."
"Why's that?"
"Your face is so cute when it thinks. It scrunches up like that."
Lovino could only blush as Antonio lightly pressed a kiss on his cheek. The both of them had the same plan: find the nearest mistletoe and just harass the other one to death…if it wasn't from suffocation.
/=+=/
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