It was nine-thirty in the morning and Lovino Vargas hated the world. After his brother handed him a cup of their grandfather’s not favorite coffee but screw it, that didn’t matter because Lovino thought it was fine, perfectly fine, it was fucking capable enough to manage the store on his own dammit, Lovino Vargas hated the world a little bit less. Mostly. After a few sips of coffee, the smell of which brought back enough twisting emotional memories that made Lovino unsure why he kept drinking it, Lovino Vargas only hated the world as much as a normal person should. “Good morning.”
He only said it to Kiku, but Feli took the chance to give his brother a good morning hug. “Good morning!”
Kiku nodded her head. “Good morning to you as well, Lovino.”
Lovino had no idea how his twit of a brother had had the good fortune to land a woman like Kiku. She was pretty, intelligent, and most importantly, wasn’t an idiot: she and Feli weren’t compatible at all. Sometimes Lovino had an easier time accepting her as a sister than he did failing to pretend that he and Feliciano weren’t related. But other times, like later when Feliciano started poking him mercilessly on the shoulder, Lovino made a good effort for the latter.
Feliciano had only been talking to his brother for ten minutes and he was already irritating the fuck out of him. “What?”
Kiku watched her husband and brother-in-law start and end a short tussle before they settled on staring at each other with teary eyes. “It is wonderful that we have so many customers today.”
Oh. Lovino and Feliciano wiped their eyes and hid their embarrassed blushes as one. Customers.
Never one to be mollified long, Feliciano pointed at one particular customer and stage whispered out of the corner of his mouth. “Lovi, ve, he’s staring at you. Did you notice?”
Lovino hadn’t. “O-of course I did!” Surreptitiously, because he already know who Feliciano was talking about because he had noticed, Lovino leaned around his brother’s shoulder to see who the hell Feli was talking about.
“Gilbert?”
Startled out of a daydream involving fencing on horseback, Antonio waved. To be friendly, Feliciano waved back. To be polite, so did Kiku. Lovino did nothing because he was too busy being confused to pretend to be friendly or polite. Gilbert… hadn’t been kidding. Here he was, in the café, smiling, still waving, early as fuck in the morning, waving some more, and “stop that already.”
Lovino half-stomped over to Gilbert’s seat, noticed it had a perfect view of his seat back in the store and frowned. All the waving was getting obnoxious. Almost as obnoxious as Feli and Kiku’s furiously whispered conversation behind him, Lovino could hear it (“ve, but Kiku, Lovi hasn’t gotten any in so long, he should take every chance he gets!”), he bet Gilbert could hear it too and why did Lovino’s relatives only exist to embarrass him?
By some miracle, Antonio had remembered the alias he had given the extra bad-tempered bookstore owner from the night before. And even though he didn’t stop waving like an idiot, he wasn’t an idiot by any stretch. Idiots were people who didn’t have passion; Antonio had passion in spades. In hearts even. “Good morning Lovino! You know,” he paused for a split second before he thought up the perfect cover story. “Everybody calls me Toni!” ‘Toni’ would be much easier for Antonio to remember. And it wasn’t even a lie: plenty of people called Antonio that.
“…why?”
Damn, Lovino was a tricky one. It didn’t matter, or, it mattered but in a good way. Antonio liked his heroes to be clever. But he was clever too. “It’s a nickname! You know… Gilber…ttttt. Tttttoni. They sound alike.” He smiled, lopsidedly, for good measure.
Lovino wondered again why all the good-looking ones were idiots. He wasn’t sure whether to hope that Antonio would be as forward as he’d been the night before, or to hope he would go away so Feli didn’t have so much to work with.
“Lovi sit closer to him!”
Feli was a bastard. “I… apologize on my brother’s behalf. His stupidity is too much for us to contain for long.”
Most Fragrant Rose of Summer [3d/?]
He only said it to Kiku, but Feli took the chance to give his brother a good morning hug. “Good morning!”
Kiku nodded her head. “Good morning to you as well, Lovino.”
Lovino had no idea how his twit of a brother had had the good fortune to land a woman like Kiku. She was pretty, intelligent, and most importantly, wasn’t an idiot: she and Feli weren’t compatible at all. Sometimes Lovino had an easier time accepting her as a sister than he did failing to pretend that he and Feliciano weren’t related. But other times, like later when Feliciano started poking him mercilessly on the shoulder, Lovino made a good effort for the latter.
Feliciano had only been talking to his brother for ten minutes and he was already irritating the fuck out of him. “What?”
“Shhh!” He didn’t stop poking.
Lovino wished he’d stop poking. “Feli, dammit, stop that.”
Kiku watched her husband and brother-in-law start and end a short tussle before they settled on staring at each other with teary eyes. “It is wonderful that we have so many customers today.”
Oh. Lovino and Feliciano wiped their eyes and hid their embarrassed blushes as one. Customers.
Never one to be mollified long, Feliciano pointed at one particular customer and stage whispered out of the corner of his mouth. “Lovi, ve, he’s staring at you. Did you notice?”
Lovino hadn’t. “O-of course I did!” Surreptitiously, because he already know who Feliciano was talking about because he had noticed, Lovino leaned around his brother’s shoulder to see who the hell Feli was talking about.
“Gilbert?”
Startled out of a daydream involving fencing on horseback, Antonio waved. To be friendly, Feliciano waved back. To be polite, so did Kiku. Lovino did nothing because he was too busy being confused to pretend to be friendly or polite. Gilbert… hadn’t been kidding. Here he was, in the café, smiling, still waving, early as fuck in the morning, waving some more, and “stop that already.”
Lovino half-stomped over to Gilbert’s seat, noticed it had a perfect view of his seat back in the store and frowned. All the waving was getting obnoxious. Almost as obnoxious as Feli and Kiku’s furiously whispered conversation behind him, Lovino could hear it (“ve, but Kiku, Lovi hasn’t gotten any in so long, he should take every chance he gets!”), he bet Gilbert could hear it too and why did Lovino’s relatives only exist to embarrass him?
By some miracle, Antonio had remembered the alias he had given the extra bad-tempered bookstore owner from the night before. And even though he didn’t stop waving like an idiot, he wasn’t an idiot by any stretch. Idiots were people who didn’t have passion; Antonio had passion in spades. In hearts even. “Good morning Lovino! You know,” he paused for a split second before he thought up the perfect cover story. “Everybody calls me Toni!” ‘Toni’ would be much easier for Antonio to remember. And it wasn’t even a lie: plenty of people called Antonio that.
“…why?”
Damn, Lovino was a tricky one. It didn’t matter, or, it mattered but in a good way. Antonio liked his heroes to be clever. But he was clever too. “It’s a nickname! You know… Gilber…ttttt. Tttttoni. They sound alike.” He smiled, lopsidedly, for good measure.
Lovino wondered again why all the good-looking ones were idiots. He wasn’t sure whether to hope that Antonio would be as forward as he’d been the night before, or to hope he would go away so Feli didn’t have so much to work with.
“Lovi sit closer to him!”
Feli was a bastard. “I… apologize on my brother’s behalf. His stupidity is too much for us to contain for long.”