Wheel of Fortune, Chapter 16, Scene 1 (and a half)
Since it's almost certain that my project for NaNoWriMo this year will be a Mythical Detective Loki fic (the sequel to my Seeds of Discord fic), the next update for Wheel of Fortune will probably be further delayed. Therefore, I'm posting here the first scene and a half of the next chapter. Without italics, if there are any. Please ignore any typos or awkward wording, especially in the second scene. I haven't really proofread this yet.
“You want to switch places again?!”
“Hush, Feliciano!” Lovino threw a quick glance at the closed door of his brother’s bedroom, hoping that no one was eavesdropping or passing by. “This time, I have a specific task for you.”
“Oh?” Curious, Feliciano leant forwards so that he could whisper, “What kind of task?”
“I want to test Antonio.”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to know if he could be fooled by you.” Lovino smirked. “He’s known me since I was a little kid, so one would think he’d be able to tell us apart. On the other hand, he’s an idiot, so he just might completely miss the differences between us. I want to know which one is stronger in him - his friendship with me or his denseness.”
“Okay, sounds fun,” Feliciano acquiesced, with a tentative smile that was short-lived. He seemed to think about something for a moment. “Say, were you with Ludwig when we switched places the other day?”
Lovino hesitated, wary. Had Ludwig talked to Feliciano about that conversation? He had been counting on Ludwig’s penchant for reticence and ineptness in dealing with personal or emotional situations, but maybe the brawny idiot had actually decided to open up to his master for once.
“Yes,” he admitted, voice cautious.
“And... was he able to tell it wasn’t really me?” Feliciano asked timidly, fidgeting like a little child.
This time, there was no hesitation on Lovino’s part, and he was quick to respond, “No, he wasn’t. He never even suspected a thing.” In reality, Lovino wasn’t certain that Ludwig had never suspected anything, but he was feeling spiteful and this was the perfect opportunity to show Feliciano that his manservant was no saint. “I guess I’m a really good actor, or maybe Ludwig”-he pronounced the name slowly, mockingly-“doesn’t really know you that well. Hopefully, Antonio will turn out to be a little better than him.”
Red tinted Feliciano’s pale cheeks and for a moment he looked like he was going to tear up, but for once he managed to hold back his oncoming tears with a few quick blinks, though not without a soft sniffle, and he even got a little smile on his face. “Yeah, I hope so.”
Lovino felt a little disconcerted at this, remembering his dream. His brother was obviously hurt, and it was Lovino’s... No, no, it wasn’t his fault. He had only answered a question honestly. Ludwig hadn’t realised the truth, or else he would have definitely called Lovino on it. Ludwig was the only one at fault here. He was the blind, oblivious idiot who couldn’t tell his master from his brother, despite the numerous differences between them. In fact, Lovino had just done his brother a favour. If Feliciano realised that Ludwig wasn’t fit to be his friend, he would stop clinging to him once and for all and find someone better. Lovino was really saving his naïve brother from that brute!
With the nagging guilt now out of the way, Lovino addressed Feliciano again. “And no cheating! You must absolutely do your best to imitate me!”
“Of course, Lovino!” Feliciano reassured him.
“And keep close to Antonio, no matter what! Do not get away from him under any circumstance! And if you see those creepy men again, come back right away, as quickly as possible.”
“Okay! Don’t worry!” Feliciano paused. “By the way, what are you going to do in the meantime?”
“Oh, I’m still feeling a little tired,” said Lovino, in a casual tone. “I’ll just take a siesta or lounge in your art room while you’re gone, don’t worry.”
And so they swapped clothes and parted their hair accordingly. Lovino waited until Feliciano left before going to talk to Ludwig, once again making a perfect imitation of his brother’s squinting, smiley look and skipping gait.
“Oh Luuudwiiig!” he called out in a high-pitched, singsong tone. He found the man in one of the sitting rooms, mercilessly nitpicking at the maids’ cleaning work.
“Yes, Master, what can I do for you?” he replied in that grave voice of his.
Lovino suppressed the shudders that voice sent down his spine and giggled. “Oh, you silly, I’ve told you a million times to call me Feliciano,” he said, merely to keep himself as in-character as possible. “Anyway, I have a little favour to ask of you!”
“Anything, Master.”
“You see, I’m feeling very inspired! I want to paint something!” Lovino made some wild, expansive gestures, which he knew confused and annoyed Ludwig.
“Very well...?”
“But I need reference! And I need it right in front of me to keep my inspiration alive!”
“I understand, sir. What do you need me to fetch you, exactly?”
“Ten peaches!”
Ludwig’s narrow eyes widened just a little bit in surprise. “Ten... peaches?”
“Ten perfect, spotless peaches,” affirmed Lovino, nodding resolutely.
“But... My Lord, how am I supposed to find ten perfect peaches at this time of the year?”
“I’m sure you can do it if you try.” And then, because Ludwig was so efficient that he really might be able to accomplish such a feat after all, Lovino hurriedly added the first thing that came to his mind, “And a nightingale!”
“What?”
“A nightingale. A female nightingale. And ten perfect, spotless peaches.” Lovino was beginning to sweat a little. “Please, Ludwig, you need to find them and bring them to me as quickly as possible, or else I won’t be able to paint and I’ll lose all my inspiration, and I’ll never be able to smile again, and... and...” He lowered his head and sniffled pitifully.
“All right, all right, I will do as you wish, My Lord!” said a very flustered Ludwig. “Don’t... don’t cry! I promise I will be as quick as I can!”
“You can do it, Ludwig! I believe in you!” Lovino shouted dramatically as Ludwig rushed out of the room.
The maids exchanged amused glances, but seemed to shrug the whole thing off. Feliciano had always been quite the eccentric character. Lovino himself had to hold back a chuckle as he wiped his crocodile tears and made his way upstairs, where his accomplice was lurking and waiting for him.
“How did it go?” Elisabetta asked him in a whisper.
“Perfect. They’re all gone. Only the maids are left.”
“Good job, Lovino!” She grinned and thumped him in the arm, a rather masculine gesture that took him aback briefly. “Now, are you sure the maids are still coming up to clean the bedrooms?”
“I’m sure. I don’t know if they still have to clean Feliciano’s room, but they’ll definitely come to clean mine. I was there all morning. Even if no one walks in on us right away, someone will definitely overhear us and come to take a look...”
Elisabetta nodded in approval. “Okay, let’s go, then.”
Lovino felt his heart pound in excitement. He could barely believe this was happening. He leant forwards and lifted his hands.
“Before we get started,” she said, making him freeze, and held him by the shoulders as if to keep him still, “There are some rules you have to keep in mind. One, don’t touch me under the waist. Two, don’t touch me in the breasts. Three, don’t look at my cleavage. Four, don’t try to take off my clothes. If you break any of these rules, I’m going to amputate your hands, and then I’ll castrate you and force-feed you your own dick. Do you understand?”
Lovino was still frozen like a statue, except for his eyes, which had widened considerably.
“Um... um... o-okay...”
And before he could attempt to say anything else or even have second thoughts about this plan, Elisabetta was all over him, her moist lips on his, her hands travelling his body. Her breath came in increasingly harsh pants, and soon he was following her example, with the only exception being that his hands were carefully placed in safe areas and there they chastely stayed.
She stepped back towards the door behind her, pulling Lovino along, and she made a point of making noise when she pushed the door open and then kicked it back so that it was half-closed again. She pulled back from the kiss for the first time, took a quick breather, and dragged Lovino to the bed.
Feeling a little dizzy, Lovino suddenly found himself crouching on top of a panting, sweaty, red-faced Elisabetta while she worked on unbuttoning his clothes and making a mess of his hair and her own. He held still, a little uncertain. It felt so odd to be on his brother’s bed with a woman, and he couldn’t even touch her the way one normally would in this kind of situation. What exactly was he supposed to do now?
“Just kiss me!” Elisabetta said, as if she had read his mind. “Make some noise! Pant, moan, gasp, say sweet and dirty things to me, make it look like we’re about to have passionate, mind-blowing sex!”
Suddenly, Lovino’s body seemed to move of its own accord, and he didn’t even have to force himself to do most of those things Elisabetta had asked of him. If not for her threats still very present in his mind, bringing him less than pleasant memories of Natalia on their honeymoon, he might have lost himself completely in the heat of passion.
It wasn’t long before they were interrupted by a soft gasp from the door. Elisabetta smiled, her eyes twinkling at the ceiling.
“We’ve been found!” she said gleefully.
Lovino was uncertain again. “What now?”
“Let’s keep it up. She barely saw us. Maybe we can get more witnesses. I want them to see us.”
So they kept going for a while. Eventually, Lovino began to feel a little frustrated. Sure, it was very enjoyable to be on top of a beautiful woman in bed and kiss her while she made the most delightful noises, but he wanted to go beyond. He could barely touch or look at her! It felt like they weren’t going anywhere, like they were stuck in some sort of cycle... God, if they didn’t get past this in a minute, he was going to go crazy and-
“Feliciano’s brother, are you-” came a loud, raspy voice accompanied by a loud bang that made Lovino jump a little. “Whoa!”
He looked in the direction of the door and saw Gilbert standing there, for once gawking like a complete idiot, his eyes full of uncertainty and disbelief. A moment later, Gilbert frowned and blinked. “Feliciano’s... brother...?”
Elisabetta nudged him, urging him to respond, but Lovino was still too shocked by Gilbert’s unexpected and abrupt arrival. She then resorted to more drastic measures and grabbed... him in her hand. One could say it had the effect of a bucket of cold water, but only in the sense that it woke him up. It wasn’t fair; why could she touch him when he couldn’t touch her?
“Oh, h-hi, Gilbert!” he gasped in his brother’s high-pitched voice - given the circumstances, it was even less of an effort than usual. “Sorry, I’m a little... busy right now, but if you...” He paused to take a deep, shaky breath, struggling to keep a cute smile on. “If you’re looking for my brother... he left a while ago...” He bit back a moan and closed his eyes. He was mortified and wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole, and yet, at the same time, he felt like he was one step away from heaven.
If possible, Gilbert paled even more, and his red eyes were impossibly wide. He backed away, looking as if he were in a daze. “Right... I gotta go... Sorry for, um, interrupting...”
Lovino sighed in relief when Gilbert finally left, and he turned to look at Elisabetta again, hoping they could go on with what they had been doing. However, what he met was a sadistically gleeful Elisabetta, just barely holding back a laughter.
“Perfect, just perfect,” she whispered breathlessly to herself, her eyes glinting maniacally at the door. “It went much better than I hoped for!” With this, she shoved Lovino off her, jumped off the bed, and hurried out of the room without another word to Lovino, who was still feeling very hot and bothered.
She wasn’t coming back, was she?
“Fuuuuck...” Lovino moaned and collapsed on the bed.
oOo
Antonio had always been the eternal optimist, and although he was aware of Lovino’s faults, he had always been confident that he could trust him. Well, okay, he didn’t trust Lovino to give him a gratuitous pat on the back and not surreptitiously relieve him of his pocket money in the process, nor did he trust Lovino anywhere near anything breakable. But he knew that Lovino was a good person deep down and could be trusted when it came down to it. He was a good friend.
However, he couldn’t deny that Lovino was no saint, or that he had indeed been acting a little... odd. He was more high-strung than usual and seemed to be avoiding Antonio, not to mention spending too much time locked up in his house or in his room. Back when they had lived in Monterosso, they would be together almost the entire time, and Lovino would go outside at every chance he got, even if he had to break some rules. He had always been more of an outdoors kind of person who enjoyed the feeling of the sun on his skin, the fresh wind blowing on his hair, and the admiring, less-than-chaste gazes of young women on his person. He claimed that spending too much time inside made him look pale and sickly, not to mention it bored him to death.
Was it the change in scenery? Was he feeling ill at ease because this city was so much larger and chaotic than Monterosso? Or was he really in some kind of trouble, like Ludwig had suggested? Whatever his problem was, why wouldn’t he talk to Antonio about it? Lovino had never had any qualms about telling Antonio at length about every single thing that bothered him, no matter how petty or inconsequential. Why would it be any different now?
“Um... say, Lovino,” he ventured, hoping that with some coaching, he would eventually be able to get his friend to open up.
Lovino had apparently been distracted with something, for he quickly turned his head and his eyes widened for a split second, as if he were startled. Then he squinted his eyes - was the sunlight bothering him? - and averted his gaze again, with a grunt. Antonio had known Lovino long enough to recognize that as a sign he was listening.
“You’re not still mad about what happened, right?” Antonio asked, attempting to smile.
Lovino hesitated.
“I’m... not sure what you’re talking about,” he gruffly admitted. Then, almost like an afterthought, he added, “Dammit.”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure, myself.” Antonio laughed. “But I was wondering if maybe what happened back in Pontebianco was still bothering you? You know, that... fight?” Antonio cringed a little at having to say it out loud. He was so stupid; maybe Lovino had already forgotten about it and now Antonio had just gone and reminded him!
Lovino looked slightly nervous. After another brief moment of hesitation, still avoiding Antonio’s gaze, he responded, “Uh, no, that’s stupid. Fucking stupid, I mean. Just forget about it. Dammit.”
“So, you’re not mad about that?” Antonio breathed a small sigh of relief, but he knew it was too soon to feel reassured. “Are you mad, though? About something else? I know I’m stupid sometimes and I say things that get you mad without even realizing it, but...”
“Uh, no, I’m, uh, already used to your stupidity,” replied Lovino.
“Oh! So, you’re not mad at all! That’s great...” Antonio laughed weakly, but then reminded himself that even if he wasn’t in trouble, himself, Lovino might still be. He sobered up and leant a little closer to Lovino, putting a warm hand over his friend’s shoulder. “So, we’re friends, right? You know you can count on me. I know I’m not too bright, but I know how to... say, keep a secret. And how to forgive a friend’s mistake. N-not that I’m saying you’ve done anything wrong!” he hurried to add. “But, you know, no matter what kind of trouble you get into, I’ll always stay on your side and... do my best to help you... And I’m sure your brother would, too.”
“Hmm,” was the noncommittal reply. Lovino looked a little worried; his shoulder had got progressively tense during Antonio’s speech. Rather than remove his hand, Antonio only squeezed his shoulder, in a supportive way.
“You haven’t got into trouble, have you? Please, just tell me. I won’t... I swear I won’t judge you for it, whatever it may be. You can count on me. Please... just tell me... if you really trust me...”
“Antonio...” Lovino whispered. Antonio thought he could see tears budding at the corner of his eye. He looked touched by Antonio’s words. “Th-thanks, but... I’m not in any trouble.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” Lovino even smiled a little, and it didn’t even look as awkward as usual. “If I were in trouble, you’d be the first I’d tell, Antonio. I’ve always known that. I mean... shit!” he burst out and punched Antonio on the side, not painfully. Antonio knew this was just a weak attempt at distracting him from Lovino’s embarrassed face. “We’ve always been there for me, even when my brother wasn’t... It’s only natural... dammit.”
Now it was Antonio’s time to feel the sting of touched tears in his eyes. He had never expected Lovino to be this honest with him, especially not after so little prodding. Suddenly, he felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he could see the world more clearly, with brighter colours. Even Lovino looked lighter, though it could very well be just the effect of the sunlight on him, the way his hair reflected it.
Except... now that he was taking a good look at Lovino for the first time during this whole conversation, there seemed to be something... off about him.
“You want to switch places again?!”
“Hush, Feliciano!” Lovino threw a quick glance at the closed door of his brother’s bedroom, hoping that no one was eavesdropping or passing by. “This time, I have a specific task for you.”
“Oh?” Curious, Feliciano leant forwards so that he could whisper, “What kind of task?”
“I want to test Antonio.”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to know if he could be fooled by you.” Lovino smirked. “He’s known me since I was a little kid, so one would think he’d be able to tell us apart. On the other hand, he’s an idiot, so he just might completely miss the differences between us. I want to know which one is stronger in him - his friendship with me or his denseness.”
“Okay, sounds fun,” Feliciano acquiesced, with a tentative smile that was short-lived. He seemed to think about something for a moment. “Say, were you with Ludwig when we switched places the other day?”
Lovino hesitated, wary. Had Ludwig talked to Feliciano about that conversation? He had been counting on Ludwig’s penchant for reticence and ineptness in dealing with personal or emotional situations, but maybe the brawny idiot had actually decided to open up to his master for once.
“Yes,” he admitted, voice cautious.
“And... was he able to tell it wasn’t really me?” Feliciano asked timidly, fidgeting like a little child.
This time, there was no hesitation on Lovino’s part, and he was quick to respond, “No, he wasn’t. He never even suspected a thing.” In reality, Lovino wasn’t certain that Ludwig had never suspected anything, but he was feeling spiteful and this was the perfect opportunity to show Feliciano that his manservant was no saint. “I guess I’m a really good actor, or maybe Ludwig”-he pronounced the name slowly, mockingly-“doesn’t really know you that well. Hopefully, Antonio will turn out to be a little better than him.”
Red tinted Feliciano’s pale cheeks and for a moment he looked like he was going to tear up, but for once he managed to hold back his oncoming tears with a few quick blinks, though not without a soft sniffle, and he even got a little smile on his face. “Yeah, I hope so.”
Lovino felt a little disconcerted at this, remembering his dream. His brother was obviously hurt, and it was Lovino’s... No, no, it wasn’t his fault. He had only answered a question honestly. Ludwig hadn’t realised the truth, or else he would have definitely called Lovino on it. Ludwig was the only one at fault here. He was the blind, oblivious idiot who couldn’t tell his master from his brother, despite the numerous differences between them. In fact, Lovino had just done his brother a favour. If Feliciano realised that Ludwig wasn’t fit to be his friend, he would stop clinging to him once and for all and find someone better. Lovino was really saving his naïve brother from that brute!
With the nagging guilt now out of the way, Lovino addressed Feliciano again. “And no cheating! You must absolutely do your best to imitate me!”
“Of course, Lovino!” Feliciano reassured him.
“And keep close to Antonio, no matter what! Do not get away from him under any circumstance! And if you see those creepy men again, come back right away, as quickly as possible.”
“Okay! Don’t worry!” Feliciano paused. “By the way, what are you going to do in the meantime?”
“Oh, I’m still feeling a little tired,” said Lovino, in a casual tone. “I’ll just take a siesta or lounge in your art room while you’re gone, don’t worry.”
And so they swapped clothes and parted their hair accordingly. Lovino waited until Feliciano left before going to talk to Ludwig, once again making a perfect imitation of his brother’s squinting, smiley look and skipping gait.
“Oh Luuudwiiig!” he called out in a high-pitched, singsong tone. He found the man in one of the sitting rooms, mercilessly nitpicking at the maids’ cleaning work.
“Yes, Master, what can I do for you?” he replied in that grave voice of his.
Lovino suppressed the shudders that voice sent down his spine and giggled. “Oh, you silly, I’ve told you a million times to call me Feliciano,” he said, merely to keep himself as in-character as possible. “Anyway, I have a little favour to ask of you!”
“Anything, Master.”
“You see, I’m feeling very inspired! I want to paint something!” Lovino made some wild, expansive gestures, which he knew confused and annoyed Ludwig.
“Very well...?”
“But I need reference! And I need it right in front of me to keep my inspiration alive!”
“I understand, sir. What do you need me to fetch you, exactly?”
“Ten peaches!”
Ludwig’s narrow eyes widened just a little bit in surprise. “Ten... peaches?”
“Ten perfect, spotless peaches,” affirmed Lovino, nodding resolutely.
“But... My Lord, how am I supposed to find ten perfect peaches at this time of the year?”
“I’m sure you can do it if you try.” And then, because Ludwig was so efficient that he really might be able to accomplish such a feat after all, Lovino hurriedly added the first thing that came to his mind, “And a nightingale!”
“What?”
“A nightingale. A female nightingale. And ten perfect, spotless peaches.” Lovino was beginning to sweat a little. “Please, Ludwig, you need to find them and bring them to me as quickly as possible, or else I won’t be able to paint and I’ll lose all my inspiration, and I’ll never be able to smile again, and... and...” He lowered his head and sniffled pitifully.
“All right, all right, I will do as you wish, My Lord!” said a very flustered Ludwig. “Don’t... don’t cry! I promise I will be as quick as I can!”
“You can do it, Ludwig! I believe in you!” Lovino shouted dramatically as Ludwig rushed out of the room.
The maids exchanged amused glances, but seemed to shrug the whole thing off. Feliciano had always been quite the eccentric character. Lovino himself had to hold back a chuckle as he wiped his crocodile tears and made his way upstairs, where his accomplice was lurking and waiting for him.
“How did it go?” Elisabetta asked him in a whisper.
“Perfect. They’re all gone. Only the maids are left.”
“Good job, Lovino!” She grinned and thumped him in the arm, a rather masculine gesture that took him aback briefly. “Now, are you sure the maids are still coming up to clean the bedrooms?”
“I’m sure. I don’t know if they still have to clean Feliciano’s room, but they’ll definitely come to clean mine. I was there all morning. Even if no one walks in on us right away, someone will definitely overhear us and come to take a look...”
Elisabetta nodded in approval. “Okay, let’s go, then.”
Lovino felt his heart pound in excitement. He could barely believe this was happening. He leant forwards and lifted his hands.
“Before we get started,” she said, making him freeze, and held him by the shoulders as if to keep him still, “There are some rules you have to keep in mind. One, don’t touch me under the waist. Two, don’t touch me in the breasts. Three, don’t look at my cleavage. Four, don’t try to take off my clothes. If you break any of these rules, I’m going to amputate your hands, and then I’ll castrate you and force-feed you your own dick. Do you understand?”
Lovino was still frozen like a statue, except for his eyes, which had widened considerably.
“Um... um... o-okay...”
And before he could attempt to say anything else or even have second thoughts about this plan, Elisabetta was all over him, her moist lips on his, her hands travelling his body. Her breath came in increasingly harsh pants, and soon he was following her example, with the only exception being that his hands were carefully placed in safe areas and there they chastely stayed.
She stepped back towards the door behind her, pulling Lovino along, and she made a point of making noise when she pushed the door open and then kicked it back so that it was half-closed again. She pulled back from the kiss for the first time, took a quick breather, and dragged Lovino to the bed.
Feeling a little dizzy, Lovino suddenly found himself crouching on top of a panting, sweaty, red-faced Elisabetta while she worked on unbuttoning his clothes and making a mess of his hair and her own. He held still, a little uncertain. It felt so odd to be on his brother’s bed with a woman, and he couldn’t even touch her the way one normally would in this kind of situation. What exactly was he supposed to do now?
“Just kiss me!” Elisabetta said, as if she had read his mind. “Make some noise! Pant, moan, gasp, say sweet and dirty things to me, make it look like we’re about to have passionate, mind-blowing sex!”
Suddenly, Lovino’s body seemed to move of its own accord, and he didn’t even have to force himself to do most of those things Elisabetta had asked of him. If not for her threats still very present in his mind, bringing him less than pleasant memories of Natalia on their honeymoon, he might have lost himself completely in the heat of passion.
It wasn’t long before they were interrupted by a soft gasp from the door. Elisabetta smiled, her eyes twinkling at the ceiling.
“We’ve been found!” she said gleefully.
Lovino was uncertain again. “What now?”
“Let’s keep it up. She barely saw us. Maybe we can get more witnesses. I want them to see us.”
So they kept going for a while. Eventually, Lovino began to feel a little frustrated. Sure, it was very enjoyable to be on top of a beautiful woman in bed and kiss her while she made the most delightful noises, but he wanted to go beyond. He could barely touch or look at her! It felt like they weren’t going anywhere, like they were stuck in some sort of cycle... God, if they didn’t get past this in a minute, he was going to go crazy and-
“Feliciano’s brother, are you-” came a loud, raspy voice accompanied by a loud bang that made Lovino jump a little. “Whoa!”
He looked in the direction of the door and saw Gilbert standing there, for once gawking like a complete idiot, his eyes full of uncertainty and disbelief. A moment later, Gilbert frowned and blinked. “Feliciano’s... brother...?”
Elisabetta nudged him, urging him to respond, but Lovino was still too shocked by Gilbert’s unexpected and abrupt arrival. She then resorted to more drastic measures and grabbed... him in her hand. One could say it had the effect of a bucket of cold water, but only in the sense that it woke him up. It wasn’t fair; why could she touch him when he couldn’t touch her?
“Oh, h-hi, Gilbert!” he gasped in his brother’s high-pitched voice - given the circumstances, it was even less of an effort than usual. “Sorry, I’m a little... busy right now, but if you...” He paused to take a deep, shaky breath, struggling to keep a cute smile on. “If you’re looking for my brother... he left a while ago...” He bit back a moan and closed his eyes. He was mortified and wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole, and yet, at the same time, he felt like he was one step away from heaven.
If possible, Gilbert paled even more, and his red eyes were impossibly wide. He backed away, looking as if he were in a daze. “Right... I gotta go... Sorry for, um, interrupting...”
Lovino sighed in relief when Gilbert finally left, and he turned to look at Elisabetta again, hoping they could go on with what they had been doing. However, what he met was a sadistically gleeful Elisabetta, just barely holding back a laughter.
“Perfect, just perfect,” she whispered breathlessly to herself, her eyes glinting maniacally at the door. “It went much better than I hoped for!” With this, she shoved Lovino off her, jumped off the bed, and hurried out of the room without another word to Lovino, who was still feeling very hot and bothered.
She wasn’t coming back, was she?
“Fuuuuck...” Lovino moaned and collapsed on the bed.
oOo
Antonio had always been the eternal optimist, and although he was aware of Lovino’s faults, he had always been confident that he could trust him. Well, okay, he didn’t trust Lovino to give him a gratuitous pat on the back and not surreptitiously relieve him of his pocket money in the process, nor did he trust Lovino anywhere near anything breakable. But he knew that Lovino was a good person deep down and could be trusted when it came down to it. He was a good friend.
However, he couldn’t deny that Lovino was no saint, or that he had indeed been acting a little... odd. He was more high-strung than usual and seemed to be avoiding Antonio, not to mention spending too much time locked up in his house or in his room. Back when they had lived in Monterosso, they would be together almost the entire time, and Lovino would go outside at every chance he got, even if he had to break some rules. He had always been more of an outdoors kind of person who enjoyed the feeling of the sun on his skin, the fresh wind blowing on his hair, and the admiring, less-than-chaste gazes of young women on his person. He claimed that spending too much time inside made him look pale and sickly, not to mention it bored him to death.
Was it the change in scenery? Was he feeling ill at ease because this city was so much larger and chaotic than Monterosso? Or was he really in some kind of trouble, like Ludwig had suggested? Whatever his problem was, why wouldn’t he talk to Antonio about it? Lovino had never had any qualms about telling Antonio at length about every single thing that bothered him, no matter how petty or inconsequential. Why would it be any different now?
“Um... say, Lovino,” he ventured, hoping that with some coaching, he would eventually be able to get his friend to open up.
Lovino had apparently been distracted with something, for he quickly turned his head and his eyes widened for a split second, as if he were startled. Then he squinted his eyes - was the sunlight bothering him? - and averted his gaze again, with a grunt. Antonio had known Lovino long enough to recognize that as a sign he was listening.
“You’re not still mad about what happened, right?” Antonio asked, attempting to smile.
Lovino hesitated.
“I’m... not sure what you’re talking about,” he gruffly admitted. Then, almost like an afterthought, he added, “Dammit.”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure, myself.” Antonio laughed. “But I was wondering if maybe what happened back in Pontebianco was still bothering you? You know, that... fight?” Antonio cringed a little at having to say it out loud. He was so stupid; maybe Lovino had already forgotten about it and now Antonio had just gone and reminded him!
Lovino looked slightly nervous. After another brief moment of hesitation, still avoiding Antonio’s gaze, he responded, “Uh, no, that’s stupid. Fucking stupid, I mean. Just forget about it. Dammit.”
“So, you’re not mad about that?” Antonio breathed a small sigh of relief, but he knew it was too soon to feel reassured. “Are you mad, though? About something else? I know I’m stupid sometimes and I say things that get you mad without even realizing it, but...”
“Uh, no, I’m, uh, already used to your stupidity,” replied Lovino.
“Oh! So, you’re not mad at all! That’s great...” Antonio laughed weakly, but then reminded himself that even if he wasn’t in trouble, himself, Lovino might still be. He sobered up and leant a little closer to Lovino, putting a warm hand over his friend’s shoulder. “So, we’re friends, right? You know you can count on me. I know I’m not too bright, but I know how to... say, keep a secret. And how to forgive a friend’s mistake. N-not that I’m saying you’ve done anything wrong!” he hurried to add. “But, you know, no matter what kind of trouble you get into, I’ll always stay on your side and... do my best to help you... And I’m sure your brother would, too.”
“Hmm,” was the noncommittal reply. Lovino looked a little worried; his shoulder had got progressively tense during Antonio’s speech. Rather than remove his hand, Antonio only squeezed his shoulder, in a supportive way.
“You haven’t got into trouble, have you? Please, just tell me. I won’t... I swear I won’t judge you for it, whatever it may be. You can count on me. Please... just tell me... if you really trust me...”
“Antonio...” Lovino whispered. Antonio thought he could see tears budding at the corner of his eye. He looked touched by Antonio’s words. “Th-thanks, but... I’m not in any trouble.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” Lovino even smiled a little, and it didn’t even look as awkward as usual. “If I were in trouble, you’d be the first I’d tell, Antonio. I’ve always known that. I mean... shit!” he burst out and punched Antonio on the side, not painfully. Antonio knew this was just a weak attempt at distracting him from Lovino’s embarrassed face. “We’ve always been there for me, even when my brother wasn’t... It’s only natural... dammit.”
Now it was Antonio’s time to feel the sting of touched tears in his eyes. He had never expected Lovino to be this honest with him, especially not after so little prodding. Suddenly, he felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he could see the world more clearly, with brighter colours. Even Lovino looked lighter, though it could very well be just the effect of the sunlight on him, the way his hair reflected it.
Except... now that he was taking a good look at Lovino for the first time during this whole conversation, there seemed to be something... off about him.