[fic] Born Normal Chapter 3
Lovino stared at him, “What did you just call me?”
“Lovi. Isn’t it cute?” Antonio replied with a smile, “I came up with it own my own!”
“Where the hell do you get around calling me nicknames?!”
Once again they were sitting in Lovino’s room, doing nothing in a companionable silence. Until Antonio had broken it of course.
“Well, I call Gilbert ‘Gil’ sometimes. And sometimes he and Francis will call me ‘Tony’,” Antonio looked up at the ceiling as if he were pondering the workings of the universe, “So can’t friends give each other nicknames?”
Still staring, Lovino finally turned his head away to look out the window, pressing his bruise against the glass, “Idiot. Who ever said I was your friend. Or that I wanted to be!”
“But we are, right?” he inquired, tilting his head to the side. Taking Lovino’s non-answer as a yes, he grinned and took up a place on the window seat himself. Lovino scowled at him but didn’t say anything about the invasion of his personal space, “If you want you can come up with a nickname for me too!”
“Tomato bastard…” Lovino mumbled in response.
“See, Lovi? That’s a kind of nickname!” Lovino rolled his eyes, “And that means that we’re,” he grabbed Lovino’s hand holding it firmly in his own, blissfully unaware of the miniscule blush that was spreading across the student’s cheeks, “friends. Okay?”
~*~*~*~*~*~
At lunch the next day Lovino’s jaw was decorated purple by another nasty bruise. As he walked to his usual seat students turned to look, then turned to each other and started talking about it. Antonio watched Lovino as he sat down, a scowl set into his face as usual, ate his sandwich and walked out again. Apologizing to Gilbert and Francis, he quickly left as well, hurrying up to the roof again.
His face fell when he realized that Lovino wasn’t there. He thought for sure that Lovino would be-
“What the hell are you doing up here?” Came a voice from behind him. He turned and there was Lovino, wiping at his mouth with the back of his sleeve. Antonio smiled.
“Hi, Lovi! I just wanted to see how you were doing!”
“My ass,” Lovino replied walking past him and sitting against the railing, taking out a pad of paper and pencil from his bag, “I told you that I don’t need your pity. So jerk off.”
“But Lovi…” walking over he sat down across from Lovino, “I don’t want you to get hurt. You’re my friend.”
Drawing an angry line across the page Lovino glared at him, “I never asked to be your friend! You have no idea what my life is like! All I need to do is protect Feliciano and I’ll be fine!”
“Lovino…” he reached forward, placing a hand on Lovino’s cheek. The boy blushed but didn’t move, “I worry about you. Isn’t that alright? Isn’t that what friends do?”
“I… I…!” Suddenly Lovino stood, stuffing his supplies into his bag. Without a word he ran across the surface of the roof, not even taking the time to look back. Antonio sighed, stretching as he climbed back to his feet. Surely there must be some way to get through to Lovino…
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Lovi!”
Antonio practically bounced into Lovino’s room, closing the door behind him. The Italian was in his usual seat by the window, staring out at the rain trickling down the glass.
“Lovino,” he said, walking over, smile plastered to his face, “I got you something~!”
For a second Lovino looked at him and then turned away, “Like I care.”
“Come on, Lovi. Guess what it is!”
“Something that will keep me away from you,” he deadpanned.
“Nope!” Antonio shook his head, “Here!”
He held out a plastic container. After a bit Lovino took it and opened the lid, glancing inside, “Tomatoes?”
“Yep. Cherry tomatoes,” he sat down next to Lovino, swinging his legs against the window seat, “You told me that tomatoes were your favorite food. I grew these myself! I don’t have any room for the bigger plants but these are just as good!” he watched as Lovino rolled his eyes, “Well?”
“Well what, tomato bastard?”
“Aren’t you going to try one?”
Sighing Lovino picked one out, sinking his teeth into the flesh. He chewed thoughtfully, then popped the other half into his mouth, “I guess they’re okay.”
“Really? I’m glad!”
“Why?” Lovino asked, eating another, “Its not like it matters.”
“Well… I guess I like seeing you happy!”
“…Because?” Antonio felt himself at the end of Lovino’s stare. He put his head on his hand, thinking about it.
“I… I’m not really sure…”
Antonio watched as Lovino sighed again, turning his head to gaze out the window. Why did he care so much? Why was he bothered when Lovino was in a bad mood? After all, they had only known each other for… three months? Wait, it had been three months already? He hadn’t even noticed the time go by. It was kind of weird. But… kind of not weird. Seeing and being around Lovino was just something he had gotten used to. And he did really did care about him. After all he was-
As he was thinking this Lovino realized he was staring at him, “Wha… what are you looking at, jackass?”
“You’re cute…” the words slipped out before Antonio even realized he had said anything. His eyes widened, and Lovino’s face turned as red as the tomatoes he held in his hand. Had he really just said that?
“Wha-what the hell is that supposed to mean, you-you bastard?!”
“It means I think you’re cute, Lovi,” there it was, slipping out of his mouth again.
Lovino’s face went an even darker shade of red, contrasting with the bruises new and old on his skin. Which only managed to make him look cuter somehow. Antonio paused. He had never thought that before about Lovino. So why now? Mentally shrugging he decided it was probably best to just go with it.
And that ‘it’ was taking him considerably closer to Lovino’s mouth. Lovino looked a bit panicked making him chuckle, if only a little. Slowly he moved closer and, as if instinct had taken over, brushed their lips together. When Lovino didn’t move Antonio stopped hesitating, pressing his mouth against the other’s more firmly. Lovino’s lips were slightly chapped but soft, tasting faintly of the tomatoes he himself had picked just that morning. With careful movements he wound his mouth against the other’s lips, smiling when Lovino started to reply in his own fantastic language. It was shy and nervous, lost… and Antonio was happy to lead it deeper and deeper.
Suddenly everything stopped. Lovino pushed him away, eyes wide in his head, “Move!”
“L-Lovi?” Antonio said, worried, “Did… wasn’t that okay?”
“Move!” with a violent shove to his shoulder he fell back. Instantly Lovino was up, running out of the room and a hand covering his mouth. Antonio heard the door to the bathroom slam shut as he got back to his feet.
Like Lovino had done earlier he sighed. He really hoped he hadn’t done something wrong. It wasn’t like he had ever thought about kissing another guy before but with Lovino… it seemed natural. It wasn’t like he had anything against that; Francis had been with as many guys as girls in his time after all and Gilbert was dating some Canadian a year ago… Or maybe they were still dating? He couldn’t remember. Either way it was just never something he had pictured for himself.
But Lovino… he was so cute.
Laughing to himself Antonio looked around the room. Briefly he wondered if Lovino liked him too but decided it didn’t matter. Searching for something to do he picked up a folder off Lovino’s desk and started flipping through it. They were all pictures of people. Really good ones too. Could Lovino have drawn all of…
Wasn’t that one of their classmates?
Opening the folder more fully he took a better look at the image. Yep, that was Alfred for sure. Same glasses and jacket over his uniform. He looked as if he were speaking, and below a subtitle was carefully etched in black pen.
That kid… What a freakazoid.
He flipped the page to the next drawing. There was a group of students, heads all bent together.
I bet he’s on drugs.
I heard somewhere that he’s bulimic.
Why is he even here? Its not like he fits in.
Little jerk.
Another page flip. Arthur talking to the new girl from Seychelles.
And be sure to stay away from Lovino Vargas. His brother Feliciano is nice if a little hyper but Lovino… he’s a pill. Violent too. Stay away from him.
Flip. Flip.
All images of students. All with subtitles reading something or other about Lovino. None of them good.
Flip. Flip.
Why talk to Mr. Violent-Hermit over there when you have us?
Antonio stopped, staring in awe and shock at the picture. There was Gilbert, waving his spoon around with jell-o on his cheek. There was Francis, his arm wrapped around his shoulders, agreeing with everything Gilbert was saying. And there he was, looking directly back at himself.
Or maybe looking at Lovino for the first time.
Next door he head the toilet flush. Hurriedly Antonio put the pictures back, closing the folder and sitting on the window seat once more. A few seconds later Lovino came in, his face tired and drawn, “Isn’t it about time for you to go?”
“Oh… um, if that’s what you want Lovi.”
Quickly he gathered his things, putting them with little care into his bag. He left the tomatoes behind. As he walked to the door he felt Lovino’s hand on his arm, stopping him from leaving. Antonio looked at him, “Yes?”
“That was okay.”
It took a second for Antonio to process exactly what Lovino meant. But when he did a huge smile rolled over his face, “I’m glad, Lovi.”
Lovino nodded, letting go of his arm and walking into the room, “Now get out of here before I smash your face into my window.”
So Antonio left, walking calmly through the apartment, down the stairs…
And running a fast as he could all the way to the bus stop.