Most Fragrant Rose of Summer [2a/?]
anonymous
December 29 2010, 05:45:01 UTC
The bookstore’s glass door had a light pink rose painted on it, green stem and leaves spiraling outward. Antonio could tell from the careful brushstrokes that it was done by the same sure hand as the falcon over the café’s entrance. Impressed by the level of artistry, he put a hand on the door’s brass handle, paused to admire it’s craftsmanship, and pushed. A light tingle cascaded over his head and Antonio looked up. There were three silver bells over the door: brushwork roses, brass doorknobs and bells greeting him with a chime… Antonio decided he needed to visit this shop more often, even though he’d only spent all of two seconds inside it. That didn’t matter. It had a good atmosphere.
He bet whoever owned Contrasts was a romantic at heart. And he instantly approved.
“Shut the door if you’re coming in already.”
…a romantic who employed slightly rude cashiers, but it was a little late and it was more than a little dismal outside. Antonio swept his annoyance into the far corner of his mind to mellow down into the contentment he normally showed the rest of the world. Maybe the cashier had had a bad day. Maybe his wife had left him for his cousin. Yeah! If something like that happened to him, Antonio might snap at strangers too! “Alright!”
He shut the door behind him with a chime and a slam, winced apologetically, and stepped further into the store.
The cashier, one eye on the customer buying books in front of him, the other on the customer dripping all over everything, frowned. Antonio didn’t think he’d met anyone who frowned so actively before. Not even Ludwig. Deciding that some people really needed to relax more, he took another step forward. There were hand-painted signs at the end of all the bookshelves and at the openings of curious little alcoves. The signs had little pictures to match their captions: ‘Mysteries!’ had a magnifying glass and dark footprints, ‘Romance ♥’ had a man and a woman staring into each others’ eyes. Every new detail Antonio noticed about Contrasts was something he liked, from the signs to the random piles of thick books scattered around the cashier’s desk to the small coziness of it all.
Antonio could fall in love with a store like this. Fully ready to embrace that love, he took another step. And slipped, comically, one foot flying into the air the other twisting beneath him, until he was a mess of books and limbs on the floor. Antonio realized what the cashier had been frowning about when he felt the puddle he’d made, and slipped in, cooling his abused face on the bookstore’s hardwood floor. “…I’m okay!”
The other customer bit his lip. “Are you sure?”
Antonio couldn’t feel his spine. “Definitely.”
“Oh.” The other customer didn’t seem satisfied by the answer, but also didn’t seem too troubled by it. He pulled at his collar instead and resumed his conversation with the cashier. “Can’t you give me a discount?”
“No.”
The customer sighed. “…Lovino.”
Lovino rolled his eyes and pulled the customer’s three books closer, just out of reach. “I can’t and I won’t, Ari. So stop asking: either pay for them or go away. It’s almost closing time.” Lovino sounded disgusted to still be working when it was almost closing time. Antonio was intrigued; Francis often sounded the same way when Antonio went to visit him at his office.
Ari opened his mouth. And closed it again. Antonio stood up in the quick silence that passed, but neither Ari nor Lovino noticed him. He didn’t really mind. His mind was too busy to mind, because he recognized two of the three books on the counter: he’d written them.
“…I’ll take this one then.” Ari quickly grabbed the thickest book, a copy of The Iliad, and slid it towards his chest, protectively. Lovino coughed. With his other hand, Ari reluctantly released a few crumpled Euros and two stray silver coins. Lovino frowned again. Ari, with even more reluctance, reached into his pants pocket for the last few necessary coins. “I don’t really need to read those other two. They were… they were for…” he stepped away from the desk quickly, “they weren’t for me.”
Most Fragrant Rose of Summer [2b/?]
anonymous
December 29 2010, 05:52:55 UTC
Were they gifts then? Antonio was overjoyed to hear that everyday people thought his books were good gift-giving material. Did people normally give romance novels as presents? Oh, that wasn’t important. What mattered was that the other customer, this ‘Ari,’ hadn’t been buying… Antonio craned his neck to see the titles and cover illustrations better… he hadn’t been buying His Majesty’s Horses and Sunset on the Rhein for himself. So he might not know Antonio’s face by sight. Antonio wasn’t as worried about the cashier: even though he was extra grumpy, he was still a book person. And book people were really good at protecting the identities of other book people.
Lovino picked up a brown paper bag from under his desk and lobbed it at Ari, before frowning again. “Weren’t for you?” Antonio noticed that Lovino frowned a lot. He wondered if it was a condition. “More like ‘aren’t for anyone.’ You’re better off spending your money on something that isn’t trash.”
Antonio tapped his ears, just to make sure they were working properly. He didn’t understand. Did this cashier… but wasn’t he a book person?
“…they’re not that bad.” Antonio would have said something a little bit more like ‘they’re really really really good’ but Ari was defending him so who was Antonio to complain? “At least you always know what’s going to happen in the end.”
“Yeah, sure,” Ari edged towards the door, book safely under his arm. Lovino, caught in his rant, didn’t appear to notice. Antonio was beginning to suspect something was wrong. …maybe those books were written by somebody else and only conveniently had the same titles and covers? “You know that the idiotic hero is going to sweep the moronic heroine off her feet for no goddamn good reason. And then they’ll ride off into the sunset or some stupid shit like that.”
Ari didn’t answer: three silvery chimes noted his escape. Which left Antonio alone with, “are you just going to stand there or are you going to buy something?”
Antonio ignored him and picked up the copy of Sunset on the Rhein from the desk. He turned to the first page. ‘…written by Antonio Fernandez Carriedo,’ alright these were definitely his books. Then what could possibly be wrong with them?
“Hey, I’ll save you the trouble.” Lovino reached for the book. “It’s just another crappy romance novel. They’re all the same. Actually, no, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo’s are the worst.” Antonio froze. Did this… did this mean Lovino didn’t like his stories? “Take the one you’re holding, for example.”
Antonio pulled back. “I’ve read it.” Of course he’d read it. He’d written it. “I thought it was really good.”
Lovino raised an eyebrow, as though he couldn’t believe anyone would willingly read something Antonio had written. “I can’t believe anyone would willingly read something this guy’s written.”
“Why?”
“The plots, if you can even call them that, are disgustingly unrealistic, even for a romance novel.” Lovino picked up His Majesty’s Horses and absentmindedly lobbed it over towards the ‘Romance ♥’ section. Antonio felt like someone had just thrown one of his children against a wall. He suppressed a whimper. “Like the way the hero won over the duchess in that one?” He nodded towards Sunset on the Rhein. “All he did was have a swordfight with her brother. What the hell, that magically made her fall in love with him? She should have gotten out while she still could and the bastard was stuck in jail. Who sings love poems in the middle of a fuc- fuh- a fight anyway?”
…Ludwig had said that had been a nice gesture, before they had broken up. Sure, he’d also said that Antonio and Gilbert had no need to fight, and had looked really scary when he’d found out that Antonio and Gil had borrowed some of his antique broadswords to use for their match, but he’d liked the poetry. Being called an apple-love strudel was romantic. Wasn’t it? Suddenly, Antonio needed to check. “But don’t you think it was romantic? When Carlos called Luise his apple-love strudel?” Gilbert had been really impressed by that line at the time, even if it had been directed at his little brother.
Most Fragrant Rose of Summer [2c/?]
anonymous
December 29 2010, 06:01:16 UTC
Lovino Vargas wondered, not for the first time in his life, why all the good-looking ones were idiots. Himself excluded, of course. “Are you serious?” The good-looking idiot standing in front of him didn’t look serious so much as he looked slightly heartbroken. It was probably prolonged contact with the literary trash he was cradling in his arms.
“Yes.”
Dear God, Lovino hoped the man was joking. Maybe it was a sick form of flirting: ‘pretend to like the things the object of your affection hates with the deepest fiber of his being.’ …with a face like that, Lovino would play along. “So I bet you liked when the cowboy in that one,” Lovino pointed at the book he’d thrown, “made sweet passionate love to the Spanish princess, on a horse, in the middle of a field of flowers?”
The potential (not if he didn’t fucking buy anything in the next five minutes) customer scratched the back of his head. “That’s actually really hard to do, did you know?”
Lovino didn’t. And he didn’t want to. “Look, it’s a quarter past six already. If you’re going to buy something then buy something. Otherwise,” 'I’m going to have to ask you and your perfect smile to come upstairs and fuck me against my personal collection' no he couldn’t say that, fuck what was he thinking, this guy liked the Fernandez stuff. And Lovino had standards. “Otherwise I’m going to have to ask you to come back tomorrow. I open at nine.”
He’d meant to say ‘we open at nine.’ Maybe.
“You?”
If Lovino’s chest puffed up a little at his answer, then it deserved to. He was proud of his store, even if he hadn’t started it, despite all the little touches that made it look as though Feli ran the place. “I own this place with my brother. But he only takes care of the café side.”
Antonio couldn’t believe it. “You do?” But if that was true, then Lovino was more than just a cranky bookselling cashier: he was a cranky bookselling bookstore owner, and Antonio was swiftly coming to the conclusion that Lovino might not even believe in the power of love. And Antonio couldn’t let that happen. Even if Lovino was grumpy, and even if he frowned too much, he was kind of cute in his own way. Antonio would do him a favor, from one book person to another: he would write Lovino the best romance that had yet to ever happen to him. And he would make it last. “What I meant was, I think I’ll come back tomorrow. Will you be here?”
Lovino fidgeted. This guy didn’t know how to ask somebody out properly; first he was roundabout and then he was forward? But Lovino found himself blushing anyway. He felt like one of the girls in a Fernandez book. It made him uncomfortable. “It’s not like there’s anybody else…”
“I’ll come back tomorrow then!” Antonio carefully set the copy of Sunset on the Rhein back onto Lovino’s desk and prepared to leave. He wasn’t looking forward to riding home in the rain, but hopefully the start of a new story would warm him as he went. He wondered where he would find the right person for Lovino. Maybe Lovino already had another customer who came by often, too shy to speak up? And they always looked at each other but never spoke? Maybe this time, with Antonio there to lend his expertise, they would connect; there was already a café right next door where the mystery woman could spill her coffee all over Lovino’s shirt or where the mystery man could catch Lovino when he accidentally fell. It was perfect!
The customer started laughing to himself. Lovino would have been concerned if he hadn’t spent all his energy working up his courage to ask “What’s your name?”
Antonio spun around, confused. How did Lovino not know? And then it clicked: Lovino didn’t like his books. Lovino didn’t like love stories. It followed that Lovino didn’t know who Antonio was, the heavens must have ordered it, so Antonio could help Lovino find his own happy ending. Otherwise Lovino would be too busy grumpily protesting to properly fall in love! “I’m…A-ah, oh. You can,” Antonio realized it wouldn’t be very nice to the heavens to undo all of their difficult work. He couldn’t go and tell Lovino who he was. “You can call me Gilbert.”
Most Fragrant Rose of Summer [2d + AN/?]
anonymous
December 29 2010, 06:07:41 UTC
He winked. Lovino forgot to breathe (‘I’m not this easy, it’s just been a really long time, I’m not this easy, I’m not…’).
“Oh, and by the way, do you sell journals?”
Lovino nodded wordlessly, and pointed at a small display sitting in front of the ‘Historical Fiction’ section. Hand-bound journals of all sizes and types were fanned out in an appealing swath of color. Some looked like they were bound in leather; others in decorative paper. Each was unique. “Feli, my brother, makes them in his spare time.” Because Feli was a bastard like that, and even though he woke up at six every day to start cooking, he still managed to find the time to make journals and re-bind Grandpa’s collection of old books and paint fucking masterpieces and have a social life and fuck his wife… and still be a lazy dumbshit whenever Lovino needed him to do something important.
Antonio could barely breathe in delight. The journals fit the store like a tailor-made suit; they would be just right for Antonio’s newest novel, starring a bitter bookstore owner who didn’t believe in love. The details would come later, as long as Antonio already had the mood. “They’re beautiful… See you tomorrow Lovino!” Without waiting for a reply he ran out into the rain. He’d need a lot of sleep in order to be fresh and ready and outside the bookstore’s glass door at eight thirty the next morning.
And they meet! Lovino already thinks Antonio has a thing for him; Antonio already thinks Lovino needs a visit from the Loooooove Doctor. But what does Feliciano think of all this???
Ari = Iceland
1non: I’d buy every copy if he’d hand-deliver them. You do have a point, people and characters are shaped by their experiences and in an AU those experiences are obviously different. I just want to make sure I don’t get too crazy in making him… crazy. Thank you very much! Monaco and France will return, although the focus there will be more on France.
OP: I’m really happy you liked this!!! Especially happy that you like him good and eccentric, because I think it fits him a lot. mmmmmm suits. And I’m glad you liked Monaco in there; I wasn’t sure about her at first, but in the end it was pretty fun playing her off France. In a way, they’re another version of ‘boss and his henchman.’ But France-ier. Yes. And there can never be too much BFT. Failtastic bros come best in threes. Lots and lots and zounds and a zillion pounds of love back to you OP! Thank you!
Re: Most Fragrant Rose of Summer [2d + AN/?]
anonymous
December 29 2010, 10:50:54 UTC
Authournon, this... this reader is looking forward to see where you go with this fic. It seems very interesting so far. :) This anon is as enthusiastic as all the other commenters, really, but it is the first time anon has delurked to comment on a fic as well as the first time anon has read a fic that has references to past pairings that are not the main pairing and anon never thought anon would read a fic with those but anon likes authournon's writing so much and loves the use of less popular countries/characters it's all really awesome and anon will shut up now. But anon loves your writing, really. And anon also really likes the fact that Spain isn't completely lovestruck by Romano the first time they meet and authournon's characterization of Spain in general, actually, and the humour in the narration and-
...Anon will leave it as anon likes a lot about authournon's writing. (and will shut up now, anon promises. Unless authournon doesn't mind? Because-)
Re: Most Fragrant Rose of Summer [2d + AN/?]
anonymous
December 29 2010, 11:18:43 UTC
I'm looking forward to more!
And I'm another fan of Monaco and France.
Nothing too original to say, since someone already did a keysmashPTGHMJSRFPHIJSKB (anything else I have at the back of the mind can be said at a more appropriate time).
I have to admit I steer clear of most romance novels. And yet I read "romantic" fanfiction on the internet. Thank you for being anonymous, kink meme.
Re: Most Fragrant Rose of Summer [2d + AN/?]
anonymous
December 29 2010, 15:01:21 UTC
Brilliant! I love Antonio's eccentricities! It's actually a new headcanon for me. XD
And, like the OP, if I met someone like your Antonio (or Spain in general) I'd fall in love at first sight too. Even if he swept me off my feet with terrible purple prose! So, Lovi, TAP DAT ASS!
*giggles uncontrollably* Looking forward for the next update~
Re: Most Fragrant Rose of Summer [2d + AN/?]
anonymous
December 29 2010, 17:22:13 UTC
wow author!anon. I have to say when I first started reading this I was unsure if I was going to like it, but I love the way you characterize Spain and Romano in this update. So I'm totally looking forward to more.
Also I had never realize how much I needed someone to call Germany their apple-love strudel until I read this. Thank you author!anon for fulfilling this previously unknown desire of mine.
OP, trying to hold back on the love poems
anonymous
December 29 2010, 17:35:14 UTC
You updated! My day is complete ♥
Oh dear God, your Antonio continues to make me giggle, aaaaaaaw and fan myself. I look like a crazy person while reading this story!!!
He's just... oh God... his thoughts are so hilarious and cute and he's just so oblivious... xD And those books xDD I would probably hate them too, since I'm not so big on cheesy romance novels, but then again, they sound so unbelievably ridiculous, I would probably even end up enjoying them. I mean.. apple-love strudel??? That's so AWESOME!! What's also AWESOME, by the way, is that you included a past Toni/Ludwig relationship. I now find myself in dire need of reading something with those two. It makes sense, too! If Mallorca was Spain's vital regions, Germany would so own them!
I also laughed at Iceland being broke xD Love those little hints in AU's! Also, Ari is my favourite human name for Iceland <3
Lovino and his thoughts are fucking hot and I need more more more >.< Nice seeing him oblivious of something too, for once xD This whole misunderstanding is bound to deliver some really hilarious situations and I can't wait to read them xD Once more, you swept me off my feet with your awesome new chapter. I'll just reread and reread this every day for my daily portion of best-Spain-ever, until you update again. So much love!
Re: Most Fragrant Rose of Summer [2d + AN/?]
anonymous
December 29 2010, 18:15:40 UTC
this non has suspicious about author's identity. /again/. /feels creeper. //again//.
I love all the details about the store and Antonio's identification of other 'book people'. though lovino can't be a /true/ book person, because you don't /throw/ books, even if they're not ones /you/ like! *A*
Re: Most Fragrant Rose of Summer [2d + AN/?]
anonymous
December 29 2010, 18:31:53 UTC
ANON YOU ARE MY APPLE LOVE STRUDEL. (augh why isn't there a numberpad on my laptop so I could make that heart :( ) Lovino <3 and Antonio's eccentricness is fantastic and amazing and I love you and I love this fill ♥
other!anon was also going to fill this, but now I'm glad I didn't get much done!
He bet whoever owned Contrasts was a romantic at heart. And he instantly approved.
“Shut the door if you’re coming in already.”
…a romantic who employed slightly rude cashiers, but it was a little late and it was more than a little dismal outside. Antonio swept his annoyance into the far corner of his mind to mellow down into the contentment he normally showed the rest of the world. Maybe the cashier had had a bad day. Maybe his wife had left him for his cousin. Yeah! If something like that happened to him, Antonio might snap at strangers too! “Alright!”
He shut the door behind him with a chime and a slam, winced apologetically, and stepped further into the store.
The cashier, one eye on the customer buying books in front of him, the other on the customer dripping all over everything, frowned. Antonio didn’t think he’d met anyone who frowned so actively before. Not even Ludwig. Deciding that some people really needed to relax more, he took another step forward. There were hand-painted signs at the end of all the bookshelves and at the openings of curious little alcoves. The signs had little pictures to match their captions: ‘Mysteries!’ had a magnifying glass and dark footprints, ‘Romance ♥’ had a man and a woman staring into each others’ eyes. Every new detail Antonio noticed about Contrasts was something he liked, from the signs to the random piles of thick books scattered around the cashier’s desk to the small coziness of it all.
Antonio could fall in love with a store like this. Fully ready to embrace that love, he took another step. And slipped, comically, one foot flying into the air the other twisting beneath him, until he was a mess of books and limbs on the floor. Antonio realized what the cashier had been frowning about when he felt the puddle he’d made, and slipped in, cooling his abused face on the bookstore’s hardwood floor. “…I’m okay!”
The other customer bit his lip. “Are you sure?”
Antonio couldn’t feel his spine. “Definitely.”
“Oh.” The other customer didn’t seem satisfied by the answer, but also didn’t seem too troubled by it. He pulled at his collar instead and resumed his conversation with the cashier. “Can’t you give me a discount?”
“No.”
The customer sighed. “…Lovino.”
Lovino rolled his eyes and pulled the customer’s three books closer, just out of reach. “I can’t and I won’t, Ari. So stop asking: either pay for them or go away. It’s almost closing time.” Lovino sounded disgusted to still be working when it was almost closing time. Antonio was intrigued; Francis often sounded the same way when Antonio went to visit him at his office.
Ari opened his mouth. And closed it again. Antonio stood up in the quick silence that passed, but neither Ari nor Lovino noticed him. He didn’t really mind. His mind was too busy to mind, because he recognized two of the three books on the counter: he’d written them.
“…I’ll take this one then.” Ari quickly grabbed the thickest book, a copy of The Iliad, and slid it towards his chest, protectively. Lovino coughed. With his other hand, Ari reluctantly released a few crumpled Euros and two stray silver coins. Lovino frowned again. Ari, with even more reluctance, reached into his pants pocket for the last few necessary coins. “I don’t really need to read those other two. They were… they were for…” he stepped away from the desk quickly, “they weren’t for me.”
Reply
Lovino picked up a brown paper bag from under his desk and lobbed it at Ari, before frowning again. “Weren’t for you?” Antonio noticed that Lovino frowned a lot. He wondered if it was a condition. “More like ‘aren’t for anyone.’ You’re better off spending your money on something that isn’t trash.”
Antonio tapped his ears, just to make sure they were working properly. He didn’t understand. Did this cashier… but wasn’t he a book person?
“…they’re not that bad.” Antonio would have said something a little bit more like ‘they’re really really really good’ but Ari was defending him so who was Antonio to complain? “At least you always know what’s going to happen in the end.”
“Yeah, sure,” Ari edged towards the door, book safely under his arm. Lovino, caught in his rant, didn’t appear to notice. Antonio was beginning to suspect something was wrong. …maybe those books were written by somebody else and only conveniently had the same titles and covers? “You know that the idiotic hero is going to sweep the moronic heroine off her feet for no goddamn good reason. And then they’ll ride off into the sunset or some stupid shit like that.”
Ari didn’t answer: three silvery chimes noted his escape. Which left Antonio alone with, “are you just going to stand there or are you going to buy something?”
Antonio ignored him and picked up the copy of Sunset on the Rhein from the desk. He turned to the first page. ‘…written by Antonio Fernandez Carriedo,’ alright these were definitely his books. Then what could possibly be wrong with them?
“Hey, I’ll save you the trouble.” Lovino reached for the book. “It’s just another crappy romance novel. They’re all the same. Actually, no, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo’s are the worst.” Antonio froze. Did this… did this mean Lovino didn’t like his stories? “Take the one you’re holding, for example.”
Antonio pulled back. “I’ve read it.” Of course he’d read it. He’d written it. “I thought it was really good.”
Lovino raised an eyebrow, as though he couldn’t believe anyone would willingly read something Antonio had written. “I can’t believe anyone would willingly read something this guy’s written.”
“Why?”
“The plots, if you can even call them that, are disgustingly unrealistic, even for a romance novel.” Lovino picked up His Majesty’s Horses and absentmindedly lobbed it over towards the ‘Romance ♥’ section. Antonio felt like someone had just thrown one of his children against a wall. He suppressed a whimper. “Like the way the hero won over the duchess in that one?” He nodded towards Sunset on the Rhein. “All he did was have a swordfight with her brother. What the hell, that magically made her fall in love with him? She should have gotten out while she still could and the bastard was stuck in jail. Who sings love poems in the middle of a fuc- fuh- a fight anyway?”
…Ludwig had said that had been a nice gesture, before they had broken up. Sure, he’d also said that Antonio and Gilbert had no need to fight, and had looked really scary when he’d found out that Antonio and Gil had borrowed some of his antique broadswords to use for their match, but he’d liked the poetry. Being called an apple-love strudel was romantic. Wasn’t it? Suddenly, Antonio needed to check. “But don’t you think it was romantic? When Carlos called Luise his apple-love strudel?” Gilbert had been really impressed by that line at the time, even if it had been directed at his little brother.
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“Yes.”
Dear God, Lovino hoped the man was joking. Maybe it was a sick form of flirting: ‘pretend to like the things the object of your affection hates with the deepest fiber of his being.’ …with a face like that, Lovino would play along. “So I bet you liked when the cowboy in that one,” Lovino pointed at the book he’d thrown, “made sweet passionate love to the Spanish princess, on a horse, in the middle of a field of flowers?”
The potential (not if he didn’t fucking buy anything in the next five minutes) customer scratched the back of his head. “That’s actually really hard to do, did you know?”
Lovino didn’t. And he didn’t want to. “Look, it’s a quarter past six already. If you’re going to buy something then buy something. Otherwise,” 'I’m going to have to ask you and your perfect smile to come upstairs and fuck me against my personal collection' no he couldn’t say that, fuck what was he thinking, this guy liked the Fernandez stuff. And Lovino had standards. “Otherwise I’m going to have to ask you to come back tomorrow. I open at nine.”
He’d meant to say ‘we open at nine.’ Maybe.
“You?”
If Lovino’s chest puffed up a little at his answer, then it deserved to. He was proud of his store, even if he hadn’t started it, despite all the little touches that made it look as though Feli ran the place. “I own this place with my brother. But he only takes care of the café side.”
Antonio couldn’t believe it. “You do?” But if that was true, then Lovino was more than just a cranky bookselling cashier: he was a cranky bookselling bookstore owner, and Antonio was swiftly coming to the conclusion that Lovino might not even believe in the power of love. And Antonio couldn’t let that happen. Even if Lovino was grumpy, and even if he frowned too much, he was kind of cute in his own way. Antonio would do him a favor, from one book person to another: he would write Lovino the best romance that had yet to ever happen to him. And he would make it last. “What I meant was, I think I’ll come back tomorrow. Will you be here?”
Lovino fidgeted. This guy didn’t know how to ask somebody out properly; first he was roundabout and then he was forward? But Lovino found himself blushing anyway. He felt like one of the girls in a Fernandez book. It made him uncomfortable. “It’s not like there’s anybody else…”
“I’ll come back tomorrow then!” Antonio carefully set the copy of Sunset on the Rhein back onto Lovino’s desk and prepared to leave. He wasn’t looking forward to riding home in the rain, but hopefully the start of a new story would warm him as he went. He wondered where he would find the right person for Lovino. Maybe Lovino already had another customer who came by often, too shy to speak up? And they always looked at each other but never spoke? Maybe this time, with Antonio there to lend his expertise, they would connect; there was already a café right next door where the mystery woman could spill her coffee all over Lovino’s shirt or where the mystery man could catch Lovino when he accidentally fell. It was perfect!
The customer started laughing to himself. Lovino would have been concerned if he hadn’t spent all his energy working up his courage to ask “What’s your name?”
Antonio spun around, confused. How did Lovino not know? And then it clicked: Lovino didn’t like his books. Lovino didn’t like love stories. It followed that Lovino didn’t know who Antonio was, the heavens must have ordered it, so Antonio could help Lovino find his own happy ending. Otherwise Lovino would be too busy grumpily protesting to properly fall in love! “I’m…A-ah, oh. You can,” Antonio realized it wouldn’t be very nice to the heavens to undo all of their difficult work. He couldn’t go and tell Lovino who he was. “You can call me Gilbert.”
Reply
“Oh, and by the way, do you sell journals?”
Lovino nodded wordlessly, and pointed at a small display sitting in front of the ‘Historical Fiction’ section. Hand-bound journals of all sizes and types were fanned out in an appealing swath of color. Some looked like they were bound in leather; others in decorative paper. Each was unique. “Feli, my brother, makes them in his spare time.” Because Feli was a bastard like that, and even though he woke up at six every day to start cooking, he still managed to find the time to make journals and re-bind Grandpa’s collection of old books and paint fucking masterpieces and have a social life and fuck his wife… and still be a lazy dumbshit whenever Lovino needed him to do something important.
Antonio could barely breathe in delight. The journals fit the store like a tailor-made suit; they would be just right for Antonio’s newest novel, starring a bitter bookstore owner who didn’t believe in love. The details would come later, as long as Antonio already had the mood. “They’re beautiful… See you tomorrow Lovino!” Without waiting for a reply he ran out into the rain. He’d need a lot of sleep in order to be fresh and ready and outside the bookstore’s glass door at eight thirty the next morning.
And they meet! Lovino already thinks Antonio has a thing for him; Antonio already thinks Lovino needs a visit from the Loooooove Doctor. But what does Feliciano think of all this???
Ari = Iceland
1non: I’d buy every copy if he’d hand-deliver them. You do have a point, people and characters are shaped by their experiences and in an AU those experiences are obviously different. I just want to make sure I don’t get too crazy in making him… crazy. Thank you very much! Monaco and France will return, although the focus there will be more on France.
OP: I’m really happy you liked this!!! Especially happy that you like him good and eccentric, because I think it fits him a lot. mmmmmm suits. And I’m glad you liked Monaco in there; I wasn’t sure about her at first, but in the end it was pretty fun playing her off France. In a way, they’re another version of ‘boss and his henchman.’ But France-ier. Yes. And there can never be too much BFT. Failtastic bros come best in threes. Lots and lots and zounds and a zillion pounds of love back to you OP! Thank you!
3non: ♥ ♥ ♥
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THE INCOHERENCE OF THIS COMMENT DOES NOTHING TO DEMONSTRATE MY SHEER LOVE FOR THIS HGGAGGAFDJGADFJAD;FSADADASDF
SO
MUCH
LOVE
Not OP by the way. But sooooo glad this story exists.
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...Anon will leave it as anon likes a lot about authournon's writing. (and will shut up now, anon promises. Unless authournon doesn't mind? Because-)
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And I'm another fan of Monaco and France.
Nothing too original to say, since someone already did a keysmashPTGHMJSRFPHIJSKB (anything else I have at the back of the mind can be said at a more appropriate time).
I have to admit I steer clear of most romance novels. And yet I read "romantic" fanfiction on the internet. Thank you for being anonymous, kink meme.
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And, like the OP, if I met someone like your Antonio (or Spain in general) I'd fall in love at first sight too. Even if he swept me off my feet with terrible purple prose! So, Lovi, TAP DAT ASS!
*giggles uncontrollably* Looking forward for the next update~
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Also I had never realize how much I needed someone to call Germany their apple-love strudel until I read this. Thank you author!anon for fulfilling this previously unknown desire of mine.
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Oh dear God, your Antonio continues to make me giggle, aaaaaaaw and fan myself. I look like a crazy person while reading this story!!!
He's just... oh God... his thoughts are so hilarious and cute and he's just so oblivious... xD And those books xDD I would probably hate them too, since I'm not so big on cheesy romance novels, but then again, they sound so unbelievably ridiculous, I would probably even end up enjoying them. I mean.. apple-love strudel??? That's so AWESOME!! What's also AWESOME, by the way, is that you included a past Toni/Ludwig relationship. I now find myself in dire need of reading something with those two. It makes sense, too! If Mallorca was Spain's vital regions, Germany would so own them!
I also laughed at Iceland being broke xD Love those little hints in AU's! Also, Ari is my favourite human name for Iceland <3
Lovino and his thoughts are fucking hot and I need more more more >.< Nice seeing him oblivious of something too, for once xD This whole misunderstanding is bound to deliver some really hilarious situations and I can't wait to read them xD Once more, you swept me off my feet with your awesome new chapter. I'll just reread and reread this every day for my daily portion of best-Spain-ever, until you update again. So much love!
♥
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/feels creeper. //again//.
I love all the details about the store and Antonio's identification of other 'book people'. though lovino can't be a /true/ book person, because you don't /throw/ books, even if they're not ones /you/ like! *A*
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other!anon was also going to fill this, but now I'm glad I didn't get much done!
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