Ciao~! It's Monday~! I tried hard to find all the mistakes this week! I think all I have to say... :D
The very next month, the four vampires were on their way to the Vargas house, the bright full moon lighting their path.
Ludwig glanced up at the moon and muttered, "Looks like enough time has passed. They should be ready for us to arrive anytime now."
Francis laughed and said, "So strict~. But it was so kind of those two to invite us over~. Maybe it's because they're lonely during the full moon?"
"Lovino said as much. And remember what I told you guys. Watch their movements and listen to their growls to understand what they want. And Francis, don't purposefully do anything to make them angry. You to Gil!" Antonio said, looking at his friends pointedly.
Gilbert held his hands up. "Hey, I'm not going to do anything as unawesome as mess with a couple a wolves. I'm not stupid," he said, cackling.
"Oh poo…." Francis pouted. "I can't even pet them or hug them? But they seem so soft….." Then he calmed down and said, "But I DID find out something interesting~. Remember that new upstate shopping mall with all those restaurants? The one that looks like a Roman building with angels holding up the pillars? Apparently, a certain Romulus Vargas is the architect of it~. Certainly is interesting, oui?"
"Ja! No wonder those guys have such a huge house," Gilbert said.
"Will all of you just act your age?" Ludwig sighed. "We're already here." Then he knocked on the door.
A few seconds later, there was the muffled noises of claws clicking on wood then some scuffles and growls before the door slowly started opening and a dark furred wolf face peeking out.
When he saw Ludwig, Lovino growled and bared his teeth a bit but moved aside to let the vampires in.
"Hola, Lovi~!" Antonio greeted, waving at him as he entered the house. There were a couple of thumps from upstairs then more claws on wood and a lighter colored wolf appeared at the top of the stairs, starring down at them, happiness showing in his eyes.
Ludwig looked up and nodded at Feliciano. "Er… Hallo. It's… er… good you're not feeling sick anymore…."
Feliciano crouched, then launched himself down the steps, landing directly on top of the German vampire and sending him into the ground. The Italian wolf happily licked his face in greeting.
Gilbert cackled. "Looks like you've finally got a friend, bruder!"
"G-Gilbert! Shut up!" Ludwig yelled over at the albino vampire. Then he started trying to gently push Feliciano away from his face. "F-Feliciano! S-Stop that!"
Lovino glanced up at Antonio's face then huffed and reared up on his hinds legs to close the door with his paws, but surprisingly enough he looked to be at his own normal height when he stood like that. Then he got back down on all fours while grasping part of Antonio's shirt in his mouth and started dragging him to the living room.
Francis laughed at the sight. "I think Lovi wants you to follow him Toni~," he said, causing Lovino to growl at the French vampire and bare his teeth.
"Shut up, Francis," Antonio laughed, following Lovino into the living room.
Lovino let go of the shirt then turned and headed into the kitchen, looking around before jumping up onto the counter and pawing at one of the upper cabinets.
"Want help Lovi?" Antonio asked. He heard Gilbert calling for Francis to come see his brother's new friend.
Lovino glared over at Antonio and growled, then went back to trying to get the cabinet open with his paw and mouth, but was still failing due to the fact that Romulus had yet to change the cabinet handles yet.
Antonio knew that Lovino had said no, but he decided to use his dense nature to his advantage and pretend he though Lovino had said yes. "Alright~! I'll help~!" he said. He stepped forward and pulled the cupboard open for the wolf, smiling all the while.
Lovino glare more while he growled and nipped at Antonio's arm but then stuck his face into the cabinet and pulled out a large pot they used for cooking that had a long handle on the side.
"De nada~!" he chirped, happy to have helped Lovino, even if it had been unwanted.
With an annoyed huff, Lovino went and walked across the counter to the sink and used a paw to turn the faucet on while he held the pot under it with his mouth. Then he turned off the water and jumped down the floor and started drinking.
Antonio watched him, smiling brightly. 'Lovi is just so cute~!' he cooed to himself.
Lovino, feeling Antonio's gaze on him, looked up with water dripping off the sides of his muzzle. Then he tilted his head to the side a bit and growled, confused.
"Tan lindo~!" Antonio squealed.
Lovino blinked then growled as he picked up the pot by the handle and flung the water on the vampire. Then, with his tail twitching, he turned and walked back out to the living room.
Antonio squealed again, this time from the cold. "Loooooovvvvviiii!" he cried after the wolf.
Meanwhile, Ludwig was still trying to get the overly affectionate wolf off him, but as Ludwig was just finding out, Feliciano was a LOT stronger than he looked. "F-Feliciano! Stop that right now and get off!"
"Ooh~. You're right Gilbert~," Francis purred. "He really DOES have a new friend~. Or perhaps a new boyfriend~?"
Feliciano looked up, pausing his inpromptitude bath of Ludwig's face and gave a small whine of confusion, tilting his head and blinking at the French vampire. He stayed on top of Ludwig, his large paws pressing down on the boy's shoulders while his sat on his stomach.
"You've confused him, Franny. Way to go," Gilbert said, patting his friend on the back and cackling loudly.
Francis laughed and patted Feliciano's head. "Nothing you need to worry about for now~. But… Maybe you could ask Ludwig about it tomorrow~."
Ludwig groaned as he gently moved the wolf off him and set Feliciano down next to him as he stood up. "Stop doing that. The both of you."
Feliciano grabbed Ludwig's sleeve and tugged it once then let go and moved towards the living room.
"I think he wants some more kisses, little bruder," Gilbert teased, his crimson eyes flashing with mirth.
Ludwig shot him a warning glare. "Bruder… I am warning you right now…." Then he turned and followed Feliciano to the living room.
"Hey! Maybe Feli can help you get that stick out of your ass!" Gilbert called after him.
Feliciano was curled up on the couch and the moment his eyes fell on Ludwig, they lit up once more and he gave a wolfy version of his smile.
Ludwig ignored Gilbert as he walked over to small empty spot next to Feliciano. "Er… Is it alright if I sit down next to you?"
Feliciano nodded and moved over slightly to give the vampire more space.
Just as Ludwig went to sit down, Lovino jumped into the spot and glared him down while growling and his fur bristling.
Feliciano leaned over and nuzzled his twin, making a soft noise somewhere between a growl and a purr.
Lovino growled and scooted away, but still managed to stay on the couch and block Ludwig from it.
Francis stood by the side with Gilbert, both trying to keep from laughing. "I think someone's older brother doesn't want you near him Ludwig~," Francis purred with a mixed laugh in it. Then he glanced back at the kitchen. "But I wonder what made Toni make a noise like that….."
Gilbert shrugged. "Dunno. I'm sure he's alright."
Antonio entered the room a few seconds later, his hair still dripping. He was still smiling though. "That was cold Lovi~!" he said.
Feliciano whined. He stood up on the cushions and moved towards Lovino, pushing his head against Lovino's side.
Lovino scooted back more then curled up in a ball and turned away.
The smaller wolf refused back down and he got off the couch, went around to stand in front of Lovino, and whined in his face.
Lovino growled as he nipped at Feliciano then turned more away.
Francis tried and failed to keep an amused smile in at the sight of his friend. "Oh my, Toni… What on earth happened to you?"
"Lovi's water attacked me!" the Spaniard reported, wringing out his hair.
"Er….. What do you mean by that Antonio…..?" Ludwig asked as Romulus walked into the room and leaned against the wall while watching the vampires with a hawk like stare.
Antonio shook his head and smiled. "It doesn't matter. It was cold though~!" he said, laughing. He hadn't noticed Romulus was even in the room.
Gilbert did, however. He watched the twins' grandfather curiously.
Feliciano whimpered and shifted forward, pressing against the couch. He leaned towards Lovino as much as he could and gently licked the tip of his ear.
Lovino snarled a bit and swatted at Feliciano with his paw and nipped him a bit.
"Lovi. Don't do that to your brother. He's only trying to check on you," Romulus spoke up causing both wolves to jump and yip in surprise.
Feliciano turned to their grandfather and whimpered, crouching low so that his stomach brushed the floor. He slunk to Romulus and stared up at him with baleful eyes.
Romulus knelt down and petted Feliciano's head. "It's alright, Feli. You know he doesn't mean it."
As Romulus was over talking to Feliciano, Lovino slowly snuck off the couch and made his way to the front door. Carefully opening it, he walked out and closed it with his paw, along with a small sad whimper of his own.
Antonio, who had been watching Lovino, slipped outside just before the door shut. "Lovi, what's the matter?" he asked gently, kneeling down to be closer to Lovino's eye level.
Lovino glanced at him then shook his head and started to walk off.
"You aren't getting away that easily, chico," Antonio said, standing up and following him.
Lovino stopped and glared back at him with a growl in his throat and his teeth bared a tiny bit.
"Don't be like that, Lovi. I want to make sure you're alright. You seem so sad. I care about you," Antonio said, stopping as well.
Hearing that made Lovino stop and blink. Walking up to Antonio, he stood up on his hind legs with his paws on Antonio's shoulders to hold himself up as he stared into the vampire's face.
"You think I'm lying don't you?" Antonio asked softly. He set his hands on Lovino's shoulder. "I'm not. I really do care about you, Lovi. I want you to be happy. I don't like seeing you upset."
Lovino glanced down at one of the hands then back up to Antonio's face. Giving Antonio's cheek a quick, small lick, he jumped away and started to walk off again.
Antonio was frozen for a moment then a huge grin took over his face and he trotted quickly after the wolf. His heart was pounding and he felt light. 'What is this weird feeling...?' he wondered. 'I'll ask Francis later. He knows a ton about stuff that deals with the heart~!'
Inside the house, Feliciano's ears flicked and he pushed away from his grandfather and ran to the window, staring into the dark woods behind the house intensely. He growled softly and pawed at the door into the back yard, to excited about something to work with the handle himself.
Ludwig, who was the closest, walked over and opened it. "Is this what you wanted?" He asked as he looked down at the wolf.
Feliciano didn't look at Ludwig or anyone else as he ran out of the house and into the forest, his golden eyes remaining locked on something.
"Should we go after him...?" Gilbert wondered out loud.
Romulus shrugged. "If you want to. He'll be fine. Probably just saw something he wanted to hunt."
"Hunt….? What do you mean….? I thought they both drank that potion or whatever it was they had to take," Francis asked while Ludwig ran off after Feliciano.
"The potion makes it so they don't go crazy and attack anything and everything that isn't each other. It can't stop certain instincts, like the need to hunt or fight back against something that's attacked them," Romulus said, giving the two vampires a pointed look.
"Uh... We're going to follow Ludwig. We'll see you later, Romulus," Gilbert said. He grabbed Francis' hand and took off after his little brother, missing the smile and chuckle Romulus sent after them.
"Oui! W-We'll see you later!" Francis called back and let Gilbert drag him, but still missed the smile and chuckle.
Feliciano ran through the brush with incredible stealth, barely brushing the leaves on the bushes around him as he flew past. Finally, he stopped and sniffed the air and turned to his right, crouching down and preparing to spring.
Ludwig followed closely behind but still made sure to keep his distance so he wouldn't distract the wolf.
Something burst into the clearing and Feliciano pounced, bringing the animal crashing into the ground in a less-friendly version of the jump he had used on Ludwig. Feliciano snarled and growled as the animal fought to escape. Soon the struggle was over and the creature lay dead under the wolf. Feliciano licked his claws clean then bit into it's neck and started dragging it back towards the house.
A few seconds later, Lovino, who had been smelling the scent for a while and was tracking it, finally reached where Feliciano was. Growling questioningly, he approached his brother and stared at him.
Feliciano dropped the carcass and ran to his twin, yipping excitedly and looking back and forth between the two.
Lovino padded over and started smelling the carcass.
Ludwig looked up as Antonio started walk over. "Antonio? You're out here too?"
"Si. I was with Lovino. What's Feli doing with that deer?" Antonio asked, pointing to the corpse.
Ludwig glanced back over at the wolves. "He was hunting it. I'm not sure why."
Feliciano watched Lovino nervously and hopefully, wanting his twin to feel better from whatever had upset him earlier.
Lovino stopped and glanced at Feliciano. Ripping off a part of the deer, Lovino walked over to Feliciano and held the piece out for him to take.
Feliciano took the offered meat and set it by his side. He licked the blood from his face and nuzzled his head under Lovino's chin, glad Lovino had accepted his gift.
"Huh... Maybe it's a wolf thing... I guess we can just asked them tomorrow," Antonio said, watching the interaction.
"Ja….. I guess. It wouldn't do anything to ask them now since they can't really actually speak to us…." Ludwig answered as he also watched.
Lovino nuzzled back for a second then walked back over to the deer and started eating.
Feliciano nibbled on his own piece, looking tired, but much happier than earlier.
Lovino ripped off another piece then walked over to Antonio and held it up as he looked up at Antonio's face.
"Hm? Are you giving this to me?" Antonio asked, taking the bloody meat.
Lovino nodded, then quickly turned and ran back to the carcass and started eating again.
The Spanish vampire smiled and licked some of the blood from his hand. "Gracias, Lovi," he said.
Lovino huffed a bit and kept eating, then walked back over to Antonio and stared up at his face when he was finished.
Antonio had sucked the blood from the meat and he licked his lips and looked down at Lovino and smiled. "Hola, Lovi~! Thanks again for the blood~."
Feliciano finished what Lovino had given him, yawned, and curled up, falling asleep where he had been sitting.
Ludwig noticed it and walked over to the wolf and set his hand on Feliciano's shoulder. "Feliciano? Are you tired? I'll take you in if you are."
Feliciano cracked open one of his eyes and stared the the German, growling softly before letting it sink closed again.
Ludwig nodded then knelt down and gently picked the wolf up and held him close. "Let's go then."
Lovino snorted in response then grabbed Antonio's shirt in his mouth and started dragging him into the more open area of the backyard. Then he let go and stepped over to the side before crouching down and staring at Antonio with an expectant look on his face.
"What is it, Lovi?" Antonio asked, confused. He looked around, examined Lovino's position, then looked around again. His smile broke into a smile as he suddenly understood. "You wanna race?"
Lovino growled and nodded then went back to staring straight ahead and bracing himself to run.
Antonio stood next to him, tensing his legs. "To that tree on the far end and back?"
Lovino nodded then waited for Antonio to do the countdown before taking off running, the speed he was going at making him look like a brown blur.
Antonio wasn't going to let himself be beaten. He rocketed after the Italian wolf, catching up to him in a matter of seconds.
Lovino glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Antonio, making him speed up even more and reached the tree then spun around and started racing back.
Antonio slammed into the tree, his palm imprinting itself into the bark before he was speeding back after Lovino. He pasted the wolf slightly and he laughed, powering forward.
Lovino growled and panted as he used an extra burst of speed to push himself forward so he and Antonio were level with each other as they ran.
Finally, the two crossed the finish line together and collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.
Antonio somehow managed to laugh. "Ha... ha...! That was... a lot of fun... Lovi!"
Lovino stared over at Antonio from where he was laying and panting with his whole tongue hanging out as he tried to cool himself down.
Antonio pushed himself onto his feet, slowly gaining his breath back. He picked Lovino up and started back to the house. "That was... crazy! I... don't think... I've ever run... that fast before!" he continued.
Lovino slowly stopped panting so much, but even then he was still too wore out to try to get out of Antonio's arms or snap at the vampire to put him down, so all he did was just lay his head on part of Antonio's arm closest to his head.
Antonio smiled and used his foot to pull the door open. He went into the empty living room and sat on the couch, draping Lovino half across his lap and half on the sofa.
As soon as Antonio had stopped moving, Lovino's eyes slowly started opening and closing until he slowly fell asleep right there on Antonio's lap with his face nuzzled back towards Antonio.
The vampire smiled and yawned, gently stroking Lovino's head. "Good night, Lovi," he murmured before slipping into a peaceful sleep of his own.
Despite being asleep, Lovino gently growled at the touch and inched closer.
Then, a moment later, Romulus walked into the room and smiled at the sight. Carrying a blanket, he wrapped it around his grandson and whispered, "Good night Lovino. Sweet dreams." Then he turned and walked out of the room to check on Feliciano, but not before taking one last glance back and smiling softly.