LovinoxReader The Secret Letter

“Artie!”

“Bloody hell love, I told you not to call me that,” said Britain responded in irritation, though a smile resisted his attempt to be angry as he turned to face the (h/c) haired girl calling to him.

“Aw, but Artie,” you whined trying to pout, only to fail as a giggle escaped your lips and a happy smile graced your face. You couldn’t help but tease him, it was too much fun. Plus, there were very few people you could get away with teasing, and you took any chance given to do so. It was the only time you were able to turn the tables and poke fun at someone else instead of being at the receiving end of the joke.

Due to being easily defensive and emotional, it took very little to set you off and throw you into a bad mood or annoy you, which meant your friends took every chance possible to do just that, saying that watching you get worked up was priceless. You on the other hand, did not enjoy their incessant teasing. It doesn’t take long to get tired of a joke when the joke is constantly you, but you did your best to deal with it. And poking fun at Arthur was one of your ways of doing so, though the banter with him was always friendly and casual, never pushed to the extremes that your friends Gil, Francis, and Toni always pushed them.

You had been wandering through the lavish apartment building, hoping to come across something to do or someone to socialize with, when you had spotted the bushy browed Britain sitting in the lounge, reading the paper and of course drinking a cup of tea. You laughed again at the memory of him jumping five feet in the air when you had first called out to him. He had been so focused on reading that he hadn’t heard you enter the room. He took notice of this and rolled his eyes, motioning to the chair across from him with his head. Taking up his offer, you pulled the seat out and sat down on the tall bar stool chair.

“Ya still have a little punk left in ya?” you asked playfully, arching an eyebrow as you peered over at him from across the table. He shot you a playful glare at the use of his nickname, before lowering his paper and picking up his tea cup.

“Of course, depending on the musician. I enjoy most genres, except that heavy metal rubbish. I’m not into all that screaming and face paint, that's just ridiculous,” he replied and took a sip of his earl grey. Your smile grew as you pulled out your trusty iPod.

“Then I trust you know of Panic! at the Disco?” you asked him hopefully. His emerald eyes gleamed and a smirk formed behind the rim of his cup.

“Why, (Name), how could I not?”

You laughed at his response before scrolling through your albums before finding the one you wanted. “Have you heard their new album, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die yet?” you asked, looking up from the screen. Arthur grimaced as he set his paper and his cup on the table, his hand coming under his chin as he began to sulk.

“Unfortunately, no. My classes have been taking up all my free time, and that bloody wanker Francis keeps coming around and pissing me off. I haven’t been able to sit down and relax at all. Today was the first day in three weeks that my homework hasn’t confined me to my room. And since that frog is gone for the weekend, I know that I can finally relax in peace,” he said, the scowl turning into a calm smile as he thought about the idea of resting.  

“Oh, I should probably let you be then, I wouldn’t want to intrude on your quiet time,” you said as you began to get up.

“No, no, no, love, it’s perfectly fine. You aren’t bothering me a bit,” he said with a laugh. “Now sit back down.”

“Well alright. If you say so,” you said with a shrug, falling back into the chair. “I kinda figured you’d be too busy to get around to hearing it. I have the whole album on my iPod, if you want to listen,” you offered with a smile.

“That would be wonderful love. I would enjoy hearing it, a lot of people have being speaking good about it,” he replied with a smile.

“Great! Then we can just shuffle it and go through the whole thing,” you said happily as the first song began to play.



“Oh this is This is Gospel! It’s a pretty popular track.”

“I like the beat. It’s different from Panic!’s older music,” Arthur commented as he took another sip of his tea. Humming in agreement, you quietly murmured the lyrics as you tapped your fingers on the table lightly along with the beat.
                 


A soft thumping caught your attention and your voice faltered as you stopped to listen to the quiet but interrupting sound.

“Something the matter, love?” Arthur questioned.

“Ah, it's nothing, I thought I heard something,” you laughed sheepishly before turning back to the song.



Again a thumping could be heard, though this time it was much louder. Not allowing it to interrupt the music again, you choose to block it out as best as possible, continuing to listen to song.




“BASTARDOS!”

The sudden yell startled the two of you, both heads shooting to the door to see one very angry and red-faced Lovino Vargas. The music continued to flow even as the two of them stared at the irritated Italian, who was looking throughout the room as if he were searching for something or someone. Though if he hadn’t found it by now, chances were it wasn’t there.

The room you were in was of the many lounge areas within the building, and the majority of the walls were made of glass, allowing the blazing colors of the setting sun to illuminate the room in warm orange glow that reflected off of every surface, making Lovino’s flushed face seem that much more red. The furniture consisted of two tan suede couches and chair, as well as a few high standing tables and bar stools, like the one that you and Arthur were currently seated at. Off to the right there was a small bar with a mini fridge and sink, but other than one or two small potted plants, the room was bare. If there were something to find, it wouldn’t take long to locate it.

“Lovi?” you called out questioningly. His eyes halted in its frantic search and rested on you, his hazel irises widening as if he had just now realized that you had been sitting there the whole time. His face seemed redden again before his eyes flitted away quickly and he stared over at the bar.

“S-stupid ragazza! I told you not to call me that!”

You smiled and laughed quietly at the sound of Arthur muttering something about everyone having ridiculous nicknames. “What’s wrong? You look upset,” you asked the flustered brunette. His eyes darted to yours before once again looking away, his scowl deepening in thought.

“Those stronzi keep getting in my shit and taking whatever they want—”

“They took your things? I’ll help you get them back,”  you said, your legs sliding off the tall stool until your feet reached the ground.

“N-no!” he yelled loudly, his face getting redder as he did so. You and Arthur shared a surprised look.

“Why not? It’ll be easier,” you said, hoping to persuade him. Among their large group of friends, you were not the only one who had to deal with teasing. Actually, Lovino probably dealt with it more than you did, having people like Antonio and his prankster friends around all the time. Not that Lovino didn’t do his best to avoid them, but they always managed to track him down. Because they were both targets of the same game, you understood the annoyances that came along with it. It wasn’t the first time you had helped him ward off the BTT, and he had also done the same for you. They shared a special kind of friendship in this way, which is why you were so shocked that Lovino had refused the offer so quickly. Not that he ever really agreed to your help, but normally he would just mumble or curse to himself and walk off, allowing you to follow him around and do as you pleased. But he had never outright refused you before.

Placing your hand on your hip, you looked at Lovino curiously. “What was it they took?”

“N-nothing that concerns you, i-idiota!” he stuttered, crossing his arms defiantly.

“Well then, who took this item that is of no concern to me?” you tried again, hoping he would at least grant you with an answer to that. A growl rumbled from his throat as Lovino glared daggers into the floor.

“That damn tomato bastardo and that stupid potato head’s fratello,” he muttered angrily. Ah, so you had been correct. Even when missing one member, the BTT was still just as mischievous as ever.

As if on cue, a faint ‘kesesese’ could be heard somewhere down the hall. Lovino's head shot up and turned to look out the door, his arms falling from their crossed position on his chest and his hands balling into fists at his side. "Bastardo! I'm going to skin your pale ass if you don't hand it over right fucking now!" he screamed as he took off toward the hissing chuckle, Antonio’s own laugh now accompanying it as well.

"Lovi—" you tried to call out, but he was already gone, leaving you only with the sound of his explicit swearing. You stood staring at the empty doorway unsure what to do. Of course you wanted to chase after him, but he had basically told you to butt out.

As you battled internally over whether to stay or go, your fingers fidgeted among themselves, the frantic fumbling not going unnoticed by Arthur, who had once again picked up his cup and was watching you with an amused grin. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" you replied, eyes still fixed on the doorway. Arthur chuckled and shook his head.

"Aren't you going to chase after him and those other two idiots?"

"But he said—"

"Oh poppycock, ignore why he said. I'm sure he wants you to go after him just as much as you want to." A faint blush flushed your cheeks as your gaze flew from the door to him.

"...You think so? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm bloody sure," he said rolling his eye and grinning. "You know you're going to have to tell him one day," he said as he stared at you in amusement. This time your face exploded in red and you turned to face him completely.

"A-Arthur! Now is not the time!" you yelled in embarrassment.

Over the past few years you had developed a crush on the hot blooded boy, and your feelings had only continued to grow until you realized you had completely fallen head over heels for him. And from day one Arthur had been there to keep you from freaking out over this new found emotion. He was the only one you had told about it, knowing that he wouldn't take the teasing too far, but you had a feeling that more than a few of your friends had figured it out on their own. Not that you had any idea how, since you were very good at hiding it how you felt around everyone, especially Lovino.

Recently, Arthur had been pushing you to tell him, saying that you had been keeping your feelings a secret far too long and that you needed to say something. But even the mere thought of telling Lovino about how you felt made you want to die of embarrassment. There was no way you would tell him, knowing full well that there was no chance anyone, especially the handsome Italian, would ever love you, and you weren't about to put your feelings on the chopping block for him to dice and dismember into unrecognition. Even Arthur's insistence that this wasn’t true and that you were being ridiculous, along with his constant encouragement, wasn't enough to persuade you. But he did try.

Arthur sighed and shook his head at your reaction before looking back up at you. "Well go on, get out of here," he said motioning to the door with his head.

"But the music—"

"No 'buts', (Name). I can't stand that fidgeting anymore. Now," he made a shooing motion with his hand as he took a sip from his teacup.

"Alright, alright. I'll leave my music here for you then," you said as you stood and headed towards the door.

"Sounds good to me," he murmured as he picked the iPod up and placed it before him. Exiting the room, you called out to him loudly.

"Thanks Artie!!" You laughed as you heard a shout of complaint at the name and took off running after the boy of your affection. You knew that he couldn't have gotten too far and pretty soon you had spotted his figure dashing further down the hall. Pumping your legs in order to catch up, you called out to him. "Lovi!"

His head shot back to look at you in surprise as he continued to run. "(N-Name)!?"

"You know, if you don’t keep your eyes on the road, you’re going to end up running into something," you replied with a smirk. Ignoring your comment, his eyebrows knitted together and he scowled.

"Stupid ragazza— I told you not to help!" he yelled, his eyes still trained on your smaller form.

"Lovi, did you really think I was gonna listen?" you replied coyly. His face darkened with a blush and he yelled back.

"I told you not to call me—" His rant ended with an 'oof' as he ran straight into someone and fell on his ass. There stood none other than Antonio, his usual cheerful smile plastered on his face.

"Ah, Lovi~" he chided with a hum. "You really should watch where you're going instead of staring at the chica bonita," he said, as he sent a wink your way, and you couldn't help but blush, even though you knew he was just teasing.

Lovino's eyes narrowed dangerously, though Antonio's comment didn't go unheard as his face flushed. His head shot up and he pointed an accusing finger at the Spaniard. "Give it back, tomato bastardo!" he yelled from his seat on the floor.

"Fusososo, what is it you want back, Lovi?" he teased as he bent down to look Lovino in the eyes. "Is it that adorable picture of—"

"S-shut up bastardo!" Lovino yelled, interrupting Antonio who just grinned in response.

"Or," a new voice spoke from behind you, causing you to jump and turn to see Gilbert standing right behind you, his ruby red eyes flooded with excitement as he continued, “maybe it's zhat nice little love letter," he finished, his arm wrapping around your shoulders as he too bent down to look at Lovino.

Jumping to his feet, Lovino's glare fell on the albino and he sent his pointed finger on him instead. "Shut up you potato bastardo! And don't touch (Name)!" he yelled in anger.

A love letter? That was what they took? You could feel your heart fall in your chest before shaking the feeling off. You didn't have time to be sad about it. You already knew that you had no chance with him to begin with. Turning your head to look at the Prussian beside you, you sent him a disapproving look. "You guys that's really low, a love letter is very personal, and I can guarantee that he didn't write it to either of you. Now give it back," you ordered, crossing your arms over your chest. This really was a very mean joke to pull, even for the BTT. You couldn't even begin to imagine the embarrassment of knowing that someone had something that private in their possession.

"A love letter?" a new voice piped in, and you turned your head behind you again and saw a certain blond haired blue eyed Frenchman heading your way. Your eyebrows shot up in surprise as he reached you and also wrapped an arm around your shoulders.

"Francis? What are you doing here? I thought you would be gone all weekend."

"Oui, as did I, ma chérie, but my planz fell zhrough and zo 'ere I am!" he replied cheerfully. "Now what iz zhis about a love letter?" he asked, his eyes dancing between his two closest friends, who grinned back. Gilbert motioned for Francis to get closer as he began whispering to him behind you. You did your best to hear what was being said, but the trio must have perfected the act as you could barely even make out a word, even as they spoke behind you.

The presence of Francis, along with this secretive conversation, seemed to enrage Lovino even more. "Oi! Frog face!" he called to Francis, using Arthur's favorite derogatory nickname. "Stop whispering and give me my things back now! And both of you get your fucking arms off the ragazza!!" he yelled, taking a step closer to the three of them.

"(Name)," Toni whined as he ran past Lovino quickly and wrapped his arms around your waist. "Lovi is being mean!"

Your face was now a shade darker than Lovino's prized tomatoes as the three boys clung to you, though you couldn’t help but suppress a laugh at Antonio’s childish antics. Clearing your throat and taking a deep breath, you did your best to compose yourself before speaking. "Guys, just give him back his letter okay? And honestly, you deserve worse than just Lovino's wrath after stealing something so important."

"Oh, vell zhen vould you like to administer zhe punishment ve do dezerve?" Gilbert spoke into your ear with a smirk. This remark sent your face blazing and urged the other two on as well.

"Oui, (Name), we would love to be punished under your lovely 'ands," Francis said.

"Si, chica, that sounds muy divertido," Antonio chimed in, turning you into a fumbling incoherent mess as you tried to retort, but luckily Lovino found this the perfect time to intervene.

"BASTARDOS! GET YOUR FILTHY FUCKING HANDS OFF (NAME)!" he yelled as he reached forward and pulled at your arms in an attempt to free you from their grasp. But it seemed that they were not yet willing to let go, as Antonio simply dragged behind you on the ground, his arms gripping your waist in order to stay attached, as the other two kept their arms secured around your shoulders.

"But Lovi, sharing is caring," Antonio whined.

"Ja, so ve haf to share, right Francis?"

"Oui, zhat we must," Francis agreed with a nod.

“LET. GO. OF. HER!” Lovino yelled as he began to pull you towards him, as the trio resisted and pulled you back.

“G-guys!” you called, hoping to stop the fight, which was slowly beginning to put you in pain as both sides continued to pull you in opposite directions.

“You want us to let go?” Antonio asked.

“YES GODDAMMIT!” Lovino cursed as he sent a deathly glare at him. Antonio sent the other two a knowing look.

“Okay,” Antonio replied simply, and in unison the three released their tight hold on you. With Lovino still putting all his strength into pulling you towards him, you were now sent flying straight into him, knocking you both to the ground.

Rubbing your head you sat up slowly, only to realize that you were now straddling a very red faced Lovino. And of course they had to be as close as possible, and you could practically feel his warm breath on your skin as his beautiful hazel eyes stared back at you.

“L-Lovi! I-I’m so sorry!” you yelled as you struggled to your feet, turning away slightly in order to hide the growing blush on your face.

“You’re welcome Lovi~” Antonio called, as he and the other two sprinted down the hallway laughing.

“Oi, bastardos, I’m not done with you!!” Lovino yelled angrily as he too got to his feet, waving a fist in their direction.

“Come on Lovi!” you said as you began to chase after them. “We need to get that letter back, right?” you said with a grin, your blush not yet completely faded as you looked at him. He sent you a smirk, his own face still quite red from earlier.

“Si, that we do,” he replied, catching up to you and jogging down the hall in order to catch the three elusive pranksters.




“Goddammit, where the hell could they be?” you muttered angrily to yourself. You and Lovino had been chasing after the trio for quite some time, ending up on different floors numerous times, and had yet to get within reach of any of them. Eventually you had agreed to split up, hoping this would make it easier, but so far their plan was turning out to be a failure.

Cursing under your breath again, you came to a sudden halt as you caught the sound of a ridiculous laugh that could only belong to Antonio. Grinning like the Cheshire cat, you followed it until you rounded a corner to find said Spaniard walking lazily down the hall, his hands in his pockets as he sang a Spanish song quietly to himself. After taking a few deep breaths, you stepped out from around the corner and jogged up behind him silently, before jumping on his back in an attempt to knock him over. Considering you were smaller than Antonio, or most people for that manner, the most damage you did was scared the living hell out of him, as he jumped and let out a loud yell in surprise. But luckily for you, he was so shocked that he toppled himself over, making your job go smoother than previously anticipated. As soon as Antonio’s back hit the ground, you were hovering over him, staring him down as best as you could.

“(Name)? Oh, it’s just you chica, I thought it was Lovi or something scary—”

“I can be scary!” you cried in defense, but Antonio only laughed and grinned.

“Chica, you couldn’t scare bunny slippers,” he said with a smirk.

“Excuse me?” you muttered quietly, your face darkening. You hated it when people told you that you couldn’t do something. Maybe you couldn’t, but you sure as hell didn’t need him telling you so. “I can be just as damn scary as Ivan if I want to. Don’t piss me off Carriedo, don’t even go there. You guys think getting me all worked up is the funniest damn thing you’ve ever seen, but you take it one step too far and you’ll see an emotion so dark you’ll never want to piss me off again. Got it?” you hissed. Antonio gulped and nodded instead of answering.

“Good,” you said with a sigh and sat up straighter. You weren't that angry with him; you really just needed him to be intimidated enough to give you what you wanted. “Now, where is that letter?” you asked, holding your hand out expectantly. Antonio gave a sheepish smile and fished out a small crumpled letter from his shirt and placed it in your hand.

“You know we’re just playing around, right chica? We wouldn’t do anything that would hurt him you know,” Antonio said as you did your best to smooth out the folds in the paper.

“I know you wouldn't Toni, but you guys crossed the line this time. Imagine pouring your heart out to someone you really care for in a note, and then having your friends run around with it. I can’t even begin to imagine how Lovi is feeling right now. What if the girl he...likes,” you struggled over the sentence as the words left a bitter taste in your mouth, “....got ahold of this from one of you? Things could get really messed up. Or what if someone else read it?” Your eyes stared menacingly into his. “You didn’t read it, did you?” you whispered darkly.

“No no no!! I promise!! I would never think of it!!” Antonio yelled in defense, holding his hands up in surrender. “I promise, we were just messing around a little, we were going to give it back soon. I promise we won’t do it again. Okay?” he asked, a smile forming on his lips as he looked at you for forgiveness, his little finger sticking out in a childlike manner.

“Alright, enough with the puppy dog eyes,” you said with a laugh, your smaller pinky curling around his quickly to seal the deal. “Now,” you said as you stood up, brushing yourself off and staring down at the Spaniard, “I have to go find Lovi. Which could prove difficult considering I can’t hear his swearing. That means he’s probably on another floor,” you grumbled unhappily. The apartment building they all resided in was about 30 floors after all, he could be anywhere. And seeing as you had left your phone back with Arthur, there really wasn’t any easy way to contact him. Though he probably wouldn’t check his phone anyways, being busy chasing the other two idiots across the complex.

Sighing again, you plopped down beside Antonio, who sent you an amused grin.

“What, are you already tired out?”

“How are you not? Chasing you three around is tiring. I’m surprised I caught up with you at all, my short legs can’t compete with yours,” you whined as you stretched your legs, their length barely meeting the middle of his own. You would have kicked off your shoes, but you were currently wearing some laced up boots, and you were not about to go through that chore, just to have to tie them back on when you left.

Antonio’s loud laughter filled the hallway and he reached over and ruffled your hair, much to your displeasure. “Sorry about that chica. Well then how about a lift?!” he exclaimed as he jumped up from his seat.

“What?” you asked as you stared up at him tiredly. Seriously, all that running was too much physical exercise for one day. Without a word, but a large happy smile on his face, he bent down and scooped you up in his arms before carrying you down the hallway. “A-Antonio!!” you yelled, your voice erasing the dead silence of the hall. “What the hell are you doing?!”

“Qué? I’m giving you a lift. It’s compensation for all the chasing you did today,” he said with a smile.

“This is embarrassing!”

“Why? Ohhh are you afraid Lovi will see?” he asked with a smirk. You gaped at him as your face exploded in red.

“W-what?! O-of course not—” Once again, Antonio’s laughter drowned out your stuttering and he smiled down at you as he laughed.

“You are so see through (Name). Too bad Lovino’s too dense to see it himself.”

“Toni, please shut up before—”

“Ah! Mon ami!”

The two of you looked up to see Francis and Gilbert jogging your way and waving. Hearing the silence that followed them, you glanced behind them, your eyebrows knitting together in concern. “Guys, where’s Lovino?”

Francis and Gilbert shared an amused glance before looking back at you.

“Ein,” Gilbert said, holding up his index finger.

“Deux,” Francis held up two.

“Und....”

“BASTARDOS!!”

The two of them burst out laughing, clutching their stomachs as Lovino came hurdling around the corner, his face a mask a rage.

“Ve tricked him into zhe elevator earlier und hit every button, so he took a little trip,” Gilbert sang as he composed himself. You tried to glare at them, but fought a smile that tugged at your lips. It was pretty clever.

As Lovino came closer, his eyes met yours and the rage fell from his face immediately, concern taking over as he pushed past Francis and Gilbert. “(Name)?! What’s wrong?! Did you hurt yourself?! Did this bastardo do something to you?!” he yelled as he came before you, glaring at Antonio as he stated the last part.

“What? No, Lovi I’m fine—”

“Then why is the tomato bastard holding you?!” he yelled. “Oi! Let her go!”

“Why Lovi? Does it bother you?” Antonio said with a smirk, adjusting his grip and pulling you closer to his chest. At both his remark and action, Lovino’s face went red in anger and he reached out and pulled you from Antonio’s grasp and into his own.

“YEA, IT FUCKING DOES!” he yelled loudly, before turning on his heel and walking away from the group with you in his arms, ignoring the cat calls and cheers from behind him.

“L-Lovi?!” you stuttered in shock, surprised by Lovino’s sudden outburst and course of action. Your voice had come out more like a squeak, and you didn’t need a mirror to know that not only our face, but your ears and neck were a raging shade of red that would outshine any of Antonio’s or Lovino’s prized tomatoes.

Lovino didn’t reply, however, and you took a hesitant look up at to see a determined expression on his face, though he too sported a blush across his cheeks. The silence continued as he walked into the nearest elevator and pressed the button to the 30th floor. You stared at it in confusion, not understanding why they were going up to the top floor, when neither of them lived there. They both lived on the 25th floor, so the view was just as nice, but the top floor was more for socializing and relaxing. As the elevator ascended, you wondered if Arthur would still be there at the lounge. It hadn't been more than an hour or so since you had left, so he was probably still reading or watching the sunset as he finished his tea.

You were brought from your thoughts as Lovino’s grip suddenly tightened, and you peeked up at him to see what was wrong, but his face remained in the same state as it had earlier. A familiar ‘bing’ sounded and the elevator doors opened slowly, dropping them off at their final destination. As you anticipated, it was another lavish lounge room, not unlike the one you and Arthur had been in prior to the day’s exciting events, the difference lying in the fact that this lounge encompassed the entirety of the 30th floor, and that the decor and furniture was much more luxurious. The room was glowing in golden light as the setting sun reflected through the wall of glass to their right, which is where Lovino headed, stopping right before the breathtaking scene and carefully setting you down.  

Once on your feet, you had to fight the urge to stare at the ground or run from the room in embarrassment. You waited for Lovino to say something, but when he continued to stare out the window in silence, you decided you were going to have to be the one to speak up first. As you struggled to figure out what to say, you were suddenly reminded of what had brought them together today in the first place.

“Um, I uh...I-I got your letter back...the...love letter...” you said as you held the slightly crumpled note in your hands. “S-sorry, it’s a bit wrinkled...I tried to smooth it out a bit, but...here,” you said as you held the note out to him. He stared at it in surprise for a moment, before he looked up at you.

“You...didn’t read it, did you?” he asked slowly.

“O-of course not! I would never, I-I mean…”

It’s not like you wrote it for me.

Your throat swelled as your thoughts echoed in your head. Man, this was a lot harder than you thought it was going to be. You knew you had to accept the fact that Lovino had found someone he loved. You had told yourself from day one that he would never look at you the way you looked at him, but deep down you still honestly believed that it was possible. And it annoyed the shit out of you. You tried not to get your hopes up, telling yourself that it was impossible anything would happen between them, telling yourself to get used to being alone, and yet you still managed to believe, to hope, that it could happen.

Gripping the bottom of your shirt with your free hand, you held out the worn letter to him shakily. “Take it. It’s yours after all. We did spend a lot of effort in getting it back, so you better make sure it gets to whoever it belongs to,” you muttered with a weak smile, hoping you could last long enough to give the damned thing back and run to the elevator so you could cry your eyes out on the way down.

But Lovino simply stared at the note in silence, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with it. After a few moments, he took a step forward and reached out, but instead of taking it, he pushed your hand back. “Read it,” he said softly, his eyes still staring only at the note.

You looked at him with wide eyes and then looked down at the paper between them. No way. He wanted you to read it? He wanted you to read the words he would use to capture the heart of some other girl? A sob escaped your mouth and you thrust the note back at him. “No, I can’t. Take it. Now,” you whispered as you tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

“(Name)? W-what’s wrong, why are you—”

“Just take it!” you yelled, pushing the note against his chest roughly. “How could you make me read something that's not-!...That's not..."

That’s not for me.

Tears fell past your eyelids and fell down your face as your voice broke, unable to bring yourself to finish.  

“(Name)...” Lovino whispered, his eyes still conveying disbelief, until they softened and he took a step closer. “(Name), please. Please do this one thing for me. Just read this letter, and once you’re done, if you never want to speak to me again, so be it,” he spoke quietly. You looked up to see him smiling gently at you. “Please?” he repeated, as he carefully placed the note back into your hand.

Your shoulders slumped in defeat. You really would do anything for him, wouldn’t you? Your fingers shook as you opened the envelope carefully, not wanting to to ruin the note inside. As much as you hated the girl the note was actually for, you couldn’t bring yourself to damage the letter that Lovino had spent so much time writing. All his feelings and emotions were spelled out in it, even if those words weren’t meant for you.

You pulled out the letter slowly and looked up at Lovino, who smiled and nodded at you encouragingly, before unfolding the note. You noticed that much of the letter was littered with lines consisting mostly of crossed off words and sentences and in the end, you could only make out every other line or so that was left legible. Mentally preparing yourself, you closed your eyes and took a deep breath before beginning.

                                I feel like an idiot for writing this, but since I                            
                                can’t seem to express my feelings like a normal person I
                                don’t really have any other choice. We’ve been friends
                                for a long time, but for a while now, well, more than a
                                while, I’ve realized that my feelings toward you have
                                changed. Whenever I see you my heart beats so hard it
                                hurts, and I get so nervous that my mind goes blank and I
                                can barely form a sentence. Whenever you smile or I hear
                                you laugh, I can’t help but be happy. I know you don’t
                                think you’re pretty, but to me you’re the most perfect
                                and beautiful women I’ve ever met. You always make me
                                feel important and special, and you’ve never judged me
                                for who I am, always standing up for me when no one else
                                does. I want you to know that you’re the only girl for
                                me, and I can’t take another day pretending that in my
                                heart you are just a friend. I want nothing
                                more but to stay by your side and make sure that warm
                                smile never leaves your face.
                                                    Ti amo, (Name).

                                                                                  -Lovi

You stared at the letter in complete shock, your lips parted slightly as your eyes stared down at the words in disbelief, a few stray tears from your earlier rage slipping past your bottom lashes. The letter had been for you? This whole time you were chasing down a note he had written for you? You were happy that the sun was as blood red as it was, because your face probably looked just as flushed, and you hoped you could blame that on the stunning view filtering through the wall length window.

Glancing up from the paper slowly, you found Lovino pacing nervously, his eyes glued to the ground and his arms folded across his chest, his fingers still managing to fidget as they strummed against his upper arms. When he caught your eyes peering over the paper, he froze in his tracks, his eyes widening and his face turning a darker shade of red then it was before.

Clearing his throat, he turned to face you fully, but his eyes darting away every moment or so, his gaze not being able to stay on your form for more than a second or two at most. “I...well, (Name), I… Goddammit!” Lovino yelled in frustration before marching up to you and gently grabbing your shoulders, his eyes staring straight into yours. “Everything I wrote is true...you know how shitty I am with expressing my feelings, so I knew this was the only way to tell you how I felt.” Looking away, his eyes saddened and a small frown formed on his lips. “I’m happy that I was finally able to tell you how I feel, it’s been hell having to hide it this whole time...but...” he trailed off, his frown deepening and his mocha orbs filling with fear and distress. “But...I also acknowledge that you may not accept my feelings,” he said quietly before bringing his gaze back to yours.

“Lovi—”

“W-wait!” he interrupted, a startled look on his face in a desperate attempt to keep you from speaking. “B-before you say anything I need to clear the air on some stuff. P-plus, I’m not entirely sure I’ve prepared myself for your answer, so...j-just give me a minute more, okay?” he pleaded. You nodded slowly and he let out a relieved sigh before continuing. “If this doesn’t work out...I don’t want it to ruin our friendship,” he said seriously. “I can still be your friend, though I can’t say my feelings for you will change. I don’t think they ever will, but if you only want to be friends, then I will accept that and we can go back to the way we were. I don’t want this to come between us and let this break us apart. Even if I can’t be with you romantically, I still want to be with you. I couldn’t live with myself if my stupidity was the reason we couldn’t be together. I need you to promise me we can still be friends,” he pleaded, his grip on your shoulders tightening as he stared at you in pain.

“Lovi...I-I can’t make you that promise,” you whispered. You watched as his eyes widened and his lips parted in shock, his hands instantly releasing their deathly hold on you, now sitting lifelessly on your shoulders.

“(Name)...” his voice barely uttered before you cut him off.

“I can’t promise you that, because I love you too,” you said with a smile, tears filling yours eyes once again as you let out a small laugh and placed your hands over his.

It took him a minute to comprehend what you had said, but once he did, the biggest smile you had ever seen lit up his face as he wrapped his arms around you, picking you up and spinning you around in circles, his joyous laugh filling the empty lounge room.

When he finally allowed your feet to touch the ground, he still kept his hold around you tight, as if he were afraid to let go. His one arm wrapped around your waist and his other up your back with his hand buried in your hair as he held you close.

“Don’t ever play such a horrible trick on me again ragazza,” he said with a content sigh. “I thought my heart was going to break into a thousand pieces.”

“I’m sorry, but it was just a little payback for making me cry earlier,” you teased, your voice muffled as you pressed your face into his chest. You couldn’t stop your tears or smiling at this point, being the happiest you had ever been in your entire life. You had never thought this could ever happen to you, and everything felt like a dream as you clutched him closer, his warm scent of basil and tomatoes filling your nose. You were afraid if you let go and opened your eyes it would all just be a dream, and you would wake up in your bed heartbroken.

Lovino pulled back slightly and gazed down into your eyes, his hands coming up to cup your face in his large palms. “Forgive me for that...I hate seeing you cry,” he mumbled regretfully as he wiped away some stray tears with his thumb.

“It’s alright, I already forgave you,” you said quietly. Lovino smile gently at this, his face tilting and coming closer to yours.

“May I?” he whispered as his lips ghosted over yours, his eyes staring at you half lidded as he waited for permission. You had barely nodded before you felt his lips touch yours gently, and you closed your eyes as you kissed back, pushing onto your tiptoes in order to reach better.

The kiss was amazing, better than you could have ever imagined. It was warm and soft, his lips like velvet as they moved against yours. You had no doubt this was reality now; there was no way a dream could be this perfectly good. Even though the kiss was short, it had been the most magical few seconds of your life, and when you finally parted and slowly opened your eyes, you could see that Lovino felt the same.

The mood was ruined, however, when loud and sudden cheering erupted from behind you, causing you to jump and Lovino to growl angrily as familiar voices reached your ears. Turning to look behind you, you saw with dismay that the trio of boys were standing before the elevator door, all of them sporting large grins as they whistled and applauded. Your mouth dropped open in shock as you noticed that even Arthur stood behind them, a small smile playing on his lips as he stared back, silently congratulating you as well.

“You fucking bastards, why can’t you leave us alone?!” Lovino yelled loudly. “Ten damn minutes to ourselves, is that too much to ask?! How long have you assholes been standing there?!”

“Aye, amico, relaaaax~” Antonio said cheerfully.

“Oui, mon ami, no need to get so angry! Especially after zhat wonderful kiss!” Francis said with a dreamy smile.

“Ja, vay to go Lovino! Kiss her again!” Gilbert yelled animatedly, chanting ‘round two’ repeatedly until Arthur smacked him over the head with his rolled up newspaper.

“That’s quite enough from all of you, we’ve done enough by ruining their moment, no need to embarrassing them further,” Arthur chided, but the boys were having none of that. Running over to you, they threw their arms around both you and Lovino, continuing to rejoice and yell.

“Oi! What the hell—Get off of me!” Lovino yelled angrily as he tried to escape from their hold.

“Lovi don’t be such a party pooper!” Antonio whined.

“Ja, ve are just celebrating your step into manhood! Now you can say you’ve kissed a girl!”

“More importantly, ve are congratulating you on your new relationship vith ze lovely (Name),” Francis added.

“We don’t need you guys to celebrate! Let go!” Lovino yelled, but you knew it was all out of embarrassment and that he was actually pleased that the three seemed genuinely happy for the two of them.

You smiled at Arthur who came up beside you and placed a hand on your shoulder. “I’m so happy for you love. I’m sorry these idiots ruined your moment,” he said with a slight frown. You smiled and shook your head, turning to see that Lovino had finally escaped and was now chasing the three around angrily as they laughed.

“No...it was perfect. I mean, I wouldn’t have minded more alone time, but now I know that he feels the same...and that’s enough for me.”

Arthur nodded in understanding as the two of you continued to watch the boys chasing each other around the room like children, until you saw something slip from Gilbert’s pocket. He didn’t seem to notice, so you quickly jogged over and picked it up before one of them stepped on it.

“Gilbert, you dropped some...thing...” you trailed off as you flipped the filmy paper over, blinking in shock when the other side was finally revealed. It was a picture of you, deep in sleep on a couch you recognized belonged to Feliciano. Looking at what you were wearing, you realized that this was from a costume party he had thrown at his place not too long ago. The theme had been animals, and you had chosen to dress up as a bunny, complete with a fluffy cottontail and rabbit ears. After drinking and partying all night, you had fallen asleep on his couch and left the following morning.

Your face went up in flames as you stared at the picture. Who had taken this?! And why did Gilbert have it?! “G-Gilbert!” you yelled, though it probably sounded more like a high pitch shriek considering your level of embarrassment. “W-where did you get this?! Why do you have it!??”

“Eh? Huh?!” he exclaimed loudly when he saw what was in your hands. Patting his pants down, he quickly looked over at Antonio and Francis before speaking. “Well, liebe,” he said with a smirk, his eyes looking over at Lovino who began to blush, his eyes narrowing at the albino in warning. “Zhat doesn’t actually belong to me.”

“What?” you asked in confusion. And then it hit you. Earlier when Lovino had been yelling for the boys to give him his things back, Antonio had mentioned a picture along with the letter. “...So this is...?”

“Si, that photo actually belongs to mi little tomate!” Antonio cried, before dashing behind Gilbert in order to shield himself from Lovino, who charged at him the second the words left his mouth.

“Lovi? Is it really yours?” you asked, your blush still unrelenting as you watched Lovino pause in his attack and look away guiltily.

“...S-si...b-but it’s not what you think!” he added quickly. “During the party, Alfred was taking pictures and he took one of you after you fell asleep. When he developed them and brought them over to share, I saw it and I...well—”

“Got green eyed?”

“Became a bit jealous~?”

“SHUT UP!” Lovino yelled at Antonio and Francis in embarrassment, the two only snickering and giving each other high fives. “...I guess I was a bit....jealous,” he admitted, his ears turning pink. “But I didn’t want anyone else to see it, so I took it. I was going to throw it away, I swear!...But I didn’t have any pictures of you...and you looked really cute, so I kept it,” he finished, crossing his arms and glaring at the ground. “And then that tomato bastard went through my room this morning and took it along with your note,” he growled, sending Antonio a glare.

“Lo siento Lovi, but you have to admit, it all worked out well in the end, si?”

“Too bad zhough, ve vere going to use zhat picture as blackmail for anozher time, but it seems you have ruined zhose plans,” Gilbert said looking at you with a smirk.

“Well I’m glad I found it then, I don’t need this picture getting around to everyone...I look horrible!!” you groaned as you stared at the picture in dismay. Your makeup had worn off and your hair was an unruly mess. The costume itself looked fine, which wasn’t saying much since it really only consisted of your tights, the black sequined corset and leotard, cuffs and neckpiece, as well as the bunny ears and heels.  You hadn’t wanted to wear the risqué costume, but your friends had forced you to buy it with the promise that they would wear something just as flashy and sexy. And thank God they had kept their word or you would have never gone to the party at all.  

“Oh I beg to differ, mon cher,” Francis said as he snuck up behind you and stared at the photo himself, his hand rubbing his stubble thoughtfully.

“Ja, you look sexy as hell,” Gilbert commented joining them.

“Si, muy lindo también,” Antonio added.

“What the fuck did you guys just say?” Lovino growled as he snatched the photo from their view and stepped between you and the trio, who were all wearing smirks of victory.

“We were just giving the lady zome compliments,” Francis said with a smile.

“Si, Lovi, no need to get so angry...but (Name), if you ever leave Lovi, know I’m always available, si?” Antonio said with a wink and a grin.

“Ja, me too liebe!”

“Me as well, mon cher~”

“Y-You guys!!!” you shrieked in embarrassment and horror as Lovino lunged forward as the trio, who escaped quickly with a laugh as they darted for the elevator.

“YOU FUCKING BASTARDOS, DON’T TALK TO HER LIKE THAT, SHE’S MINE!” he roared as he managed to catch up to them, the four of them disappearing into the elevator.

Arthur’s chuckle filled the sudden silence as he walked to you and looped his arm through yours. “Looks like your hands are going to be full for a while,” he said as he began walking them to the elevator. You laughed and shook your head.

“Well, it’s nothing I’m not already used to,” you replied with a smile. At least now when the trio made fun you and Lovino, they would be making fun of you together. Lovino chased the trio down the stairwell and you shook your head, following Arthur to the elevator to head down.

“You should probably go make sure you go talk to Alfred before those idiots get to him first though,” Arthur said as the two of you entered the elevator and he pressed your floor numbers. You raised your eyebrows and looked at him quizzically.

“Why should I talk to Alfred?” you asked. Arthur gave you a weary smile before answering.

“Alfred loves his photography; he downloads all of his pictures onto the computer before he sends for prints. You can bet that the trio is going to drop by to get another print of that picture, or even worse,” he said with a sigh, “they’re going to get the rest of your drunk pictures from that night and plaster them all over the apartment building.”

A look of horror came across your face as you dashed out of the elevator as the doors opened, running straight into Lovino as you did so. He must have lost sight of the three tricksters on the stairs and was hoping to catch up with them via elevator, which explained why you had only made it one floor down.

“(Name)?” he asked in confusion, his hands on your shoulders to steady you from your collision.

“The pictures! We need to beat them to Alfred’s before they—”

“On it,” he said quickly in understanding, before grabbing your hand and dashing down the hall. A smile formed on your lips as you squeezed his hand tightly and ran to keep up with his pace.

Your life sure was hectic, no thanks to your troublesome friends, but at least you had finally found someone who wanted to live that hectic life with you.