Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.
This chapter contains explicit content.

Kicking The Bucket List
twenty-four

"I wanna be all you think about
Anything and everything you dream about
As if I had it all figured out
I wanna be the one you can't breathe without"
— COMA by Issues

New York City sure was something else.

Like, sure, Lovino's been to different cities lots of times, and even though Spokane was as bustling as it was picturesque, there was something surreal and new and different about New York.

Most of what he knew of the city that never sleeps, he got from books or movies, or off of Tumblr posts, as well as his own brief stay at the Waldorf Astoria— but even then, the latter wasn't a good enough representation of what it was really like in New York, probably. Of what he was feeling and seeing right now.

Maybe it was something reserved only for non-New Yorkers or tourists, but the city did have a different air to it. It's a melting pot of culture, and the streets he's going down right now probably had a lot of significance. Maybe those who lived in New York felt as he would about Spokane. Slight indifference, perhaps, because they experience it and live in it everyday. That in itself was kind of sad, even for him. Perhaps they've become so jaded and numb to everything around themselves, that they can't see the beauty everybody else does.

By the time the students of Evergreen Hollows University had arrived at their hotel, it was already midday. The students hauled their belongings out of the tour bus and into the hotel lobby, abuzz with excitement. After check-in, Lovino found himself rooming with an upbeat-looking blond who introduced himself as Tino Väinämöinen— a sophomore taking up media production, who had just transferred to EHU from a university in Finland just this semester.

Lovino, too, gave a curt introduction, and made mention of his Italian roots. It was something of the norm in Evergreen Hollows University, especially with the conglomerate of international students within its campus. Whenever one would introduce themselves, it was customary of them to include their nationality in addition to their name, year level, and chosen course. It was a quirky phenomenon found in EHU, especially compared to other institutions.

The students were given two hours of rest to settle down before having a late lunch and a seminar after, so Lovino called dibs on the bed near the small balcony and flopped down on it, pulling his phone out of his pocket and switching Airplane Mode off. He lay on his back and stared at the ceiling as he waited for all his notifications to finish pouring in, vibrating almost incessantly. It was only when the notifications seemed to stop when he dared take a look.

And alas!

Surprise, surprise; most of them were from he and his friends' group chat. He lazily skimmed through the notifications, some from Instagram popping in between, and absently noted that there was one from Antonio.

Right.

About that. Yeah. Allistor still doesn't know that he and Antonio are on speaking terms again. Does Lovino feel particularly guilty about it? Kinda. From time to time, he put himself in Allistor's shoes and figured that he wouldn't like it either if Allistor talked to someone he hated, like that fuckface Francis, which he already fucking does.

Was it wrong for him to talk to Antonio though? Probably not, right?

Like, after all, it wasn't like he and Antonio were super-close (anymore) or anything like that. Especially now. They were just… Shit, well, they definitely weren't acquaintances anymore. But they weren't really friends (again) either, or something like that, because Lovino still kinda felt awkward around the Spaniard. Especially knowing that Allistor didn't like Antonio at all.

If anything, he and Antonio had a lot of history with each other. Both good and bad.

Ah, well, whatever. Lovino shrugged that train of thought out of his mind before it confused him any further, and sent Allistor a text.

Lovino: Hey babe
Lovino: Just checked in and got to my room

Within seconds, the messages were marked as 'Read' and Lovino couldn't help but smile a giddy (and probably cringe-worthy) smile as his heartbeat sped up.

Ding!

Allistor: That's great! I'm glad you got there safe, luv :-) How was your flight? xx

Lovino began to type a reply, only to be interrupted with an incoming call. Despite his tiredness, out of courtesy for his roomie, he got up and stepped out to the balcony. It was relatively small, and like the weather, the floor tiles and fence were grey.

"Hey," said Lovino, his breath coming out in puffs as he shoved his free hand into his pocket. "I missed you."

"Ah missed yeh too, luv! 'Ow was yer flight?" Allistor asks, and again, it has this weird effect on him. It literally makes no fucking sense at all, but— but just hearing Allistor's voice feels like sunshine. Yeah, even in this dreary, shitty weather; or maybe, perhaps, especially so. The redhead's voice was just so warm and loving, sometimes it overwhelmed the Italian just trying to comprehend it and how it made him feel.

It was one of those small moments when you take the time to remember, 'Oh yeah. He loves me.' A-And it would leave you quietly stunned that, even though you didn't think much of it if you felt that way for someone, it was a lot more different when you considered the fact that someone could also feel that way for you in return.

"It was okay, I guess? Like nothing really happened, which is a good thing," Lovino replies, walking from one end of the balcony to the other. And for a moment, he takes in the view of all the buildings around the one he was in now, stands near the railing and stares at all the passersby going about their day. "But now, I'm just kinda tired. Or sleepy, I dunno, I could really use a long ass siesta, but I only have, like, two hours before I have a late lunch."

"Yeah? Do yeh want ta go ahead an' sleep first, Lov? Ah can call back later—"

"No, no, it's fine," Lovino interjects quickly. In a much more hushed voice, he says to him, "I'd… rather talk to you anyway."

"Alright. But if yeh want ta go ahead an' rest, jus' tell me, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah."

And even though he was flushed red from the cold, that wasn't the only reason why crimson crawled its way up to his ears.

On the sunnier side of the West Coast, Antonio is busy helping his tía out with making empanadas. Every so often, he would check his phone to see if Lovino replied. Last message he received from the Italian was just prior the latter boarding his flight for a school trip to New York. Antonio half-wished he could have tagged along… But really, in the end, he would rather go back home.

Mamá was upstairs resting. This morning she came back for a little while, but within hours, she had lost herself again. To her illness, to her sickness.

Antonio could never, would never get used to it. It struck him like a stab to the chest with a dull-edged knife every time. It was hard to watch. Díos, what the hell is he even saying? Of course it's hard to watch, it always is. That's why Alva is always gone all the time. Working. Even when he's here, he's still working. And Antonio didn't want it to become this new normal either— but what could he do? All he could do was just… stand and watch? Let time with her slip through his fingers just like that? Was that really it?

His brother spent a lot to get their mother into experimental treatments and therapies… None of them worked, 'course, but oh, had he hoped oh-so fervently that his mamá would come around, come back again, and be here to stay.

That— That somehow, they could defeat the odds and everything would go back to normal. Go back to the way it was always supposed to be, the way it should have been.

He fears (and knows) that it probably won't— He uses the term 'probably' very loosely here, but still, in all that dark there is a sliver of bright, white hope that shines through the cracks.

Lost in his thoughts, he washes his hands and excuses himself before he heads up to his bedroom. He sits down on his double-bed, the fresh red linens crisp and inviting. Antonio pulls his laptop out from under his pillow and goes on Facebook. He checks if Lovino's been online.

Nope. He hasn't. He was probably off having fun now, anyway. It's not like Lovino had any obligation or reason to talk to him or anything…

Antonio instead replies to Gilbert and Francis' texts and tosses his phone beside him on the bed. His face is expressionless and his gaze is hollow as he unconsciously bores holes into the WWE poster haphazardly taped to his wall. John Cena stares back at him as he thinks.

Very suddenly (or not suddenly), a deep longing came over him, and he inhaled sharply. He misses Lovino. But how can you miss what you don't even have? How can you miss someone who was never yours in the first place?

Was it still right for Antonio to feel this way? Should he have thought about this from earlier on? Not that his emotions would, could, change just by simply putting his mind to it, no— it was much more complicated than that. The heart was much more complicated than that, emotions working in ways one couldn't even fathom.

There was no changing what he felt for Lovino in this moment, at least, no matter what he did in effort to get the Italian off his mind, or who he tried to distract himself with. And yet for some reason, the very thought of looking at Lovino and feeling nothing fluttering in his stomach, or his heart not skipping a beat anymore when he looked at him made him feel sad. Which was weird considering the fact that he'd been with, ah, quite a few people already— and he's gone through the exact same process of falling out of love. And he wasn't exactly fearful of losing them then, was he?

…No. He wasn't. But it's different now. Lovino is different. Almost within arm's reach, but always out of grasp. Antonio shakes his head, this time checking his phone to see if Lovino's online yet.

Still nothing.

After a late lunch in the hotel restaurant, the students all waited in one of the building's conference halls for their first seminar. Personally, Lovino was still a bit iffy about the seminars or forums that would be taking place during the exposure trip. Like he knew it was supposed to be for educational purposes, and not for recreational ones, but it's not like he wanted it to be an extension of school or anything. And he's already had enough of that shit. He's got his finals over and done with and as much as possible he wanted nothing to do with lessons.

Since he didn't know anyone else on the trip aside from Tino, he chose to sit somewhere in the middle by himself, the poor, lonely motherfucker. If only Allistor were here too, right? He brought his phone out and checked the time; he had around twenty-five more minutes before the seminar was due to start. He took that as the opportunity to finally sift through his notifications, since he did wind up taking a power nap after talking to Allistor.

He prioritised the group chat first since it had the most messages. And in his experience, the more messages it had, the more it seemed like a chore to read through. Anyways, Bella boarded her flight back to Europe so she was currently offline, while Michelle was online a few minutes ago, busying herself with packing her Hello Kitty suitcases for her family trip to St. Barths.

Liz uploaded a mirror selfie she took in an Urban Outfitters' dressing room, showing off an outfit she was planning on getting for a date with Roderich later tonight.

Feliks, well, he already was on a date with, uh, Toris, was it? He Snapchatted the whole thing and uploaded his snaps on the group chat. He was still online nonetheless, though. Poor Toris. Even on a fucking date, Feliks couldn't keep away from his phone.

Lovino contemplated between leaving a message or leaving them on 'seen'. He didn't know what to say, so he just seen-zoned them (for now, really) before moving on to the only other message he knew he'd bother replying to.

Antonio.

Antonio: Tell me when you get there Lovi! :D Stay safe, alright?

Lovino pauses for a second. Then types in a reply.

Lovino: Thanks
Lovino: I just got here like a few hours ago
Lovino: I'm waiting for this stupid talk to start and I'm bored as fuck rn. Entertain me dammit

Okay. Word-vomit. He just planned on saying 'thanks' yet the rest of that came straight out of nowhere. But whatever. He was about to close his phone's screen when the messages were instantly marked as read and three dots came up as Antonio was typing in a reply probably.

Guess he wasn't the only one that was bored.

Antonio: Hey Lovi! How was your flight?

Lovino snorts, typing in a reply.

Lovino: Boring and uneventful, thankfully.

Antonio: How much room is needed for fungi to grow?

Lovino: Shit
Lovino: Do I want to know?
Lovino: Fuck idk

Antonio: As mushroom as possible.

What the fuck?

What was that?

Lovino: FUCK YOU
Lovino: DELETE YOURSELF
Lovino: GO TO HELL

Antonio: HAHAHAHAHAHA

Lovino: AAAAGGHHHHHHHH

Antonio: Are you not entertained? ;) jajaja

Lovino: UGHHH SHUT UP

Antonio: Lol I guess not hahaha
Antonio: How about another one?

Lovino: NO
Lovino: STOP

Antonio: Lovi… is your greatest weakness possibly… puns?

Lovino: Idk? No? They just piss me off okay

Antonio: Okay, okay haha

Lovino: They're what I love to hate
Lovino: What are u up to anyway?

Antonio: I'm back in Cali for winter break :D just helped my aunt make empanadas
Antonio: You ever been to California?

Lovino: Nah lmao
Lovino: I actually haven't travelled much around the US but I want to, I guess? I wanted to go there for spring break maybe

About that… Yeah. He should probably bring it up with his friends. Bella might be down for it, since he knew that her family owned a summer villa in Calabasas. But it would be even more fun if the rest of the squad could come with them.

He switched back to the group chat and brought it up.

Lovino: what do we do for spring break?
Lovino: let's go to California lmao
Lovino: Florida's too crowded for me

Feliks' reply was almost instantaneous.

Feliks: Bitch, anywhere with people is too crowded for you ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Feliks: HAHAHAHA

Lovino: tru lmao hahahahahaha

Michelle: FUKC IM CRYIGN HAHAHAHA
Michelle: HTAT FUCKING EMOTICON

Lovino: go back to packing chelle

Michelle: Ugh nooo
Michelle: I'll continue laterr
Michelle: I'm all for cali tho! Where in CA? Let's go to Hollywood, maybe I'll get discovered there ahahhaha

Lovino: how the fuck are they gonna discover u
Lovino: OHH DUDE
Lovino: MAYBE YOU AND FELIKS CAN LIKE
Lovino: DANCE IN PUBLIC
Lovino: LIKE THE GUYS WHO DANCED TO SPICE GIRLS IN PARIS
Lovino: who knows, maybe it'll go viral?

Michelle: U mean Yanis Marshall? I looooove himmm!
Michelle: I attended a few of his classes while I was in Paris last summerrr
Michelle: I have sooo much respect for him, dancing in heels is HARD AF
Michelle: RIP to my Jeffrey Campbell lita booties BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT.

Feliks: Holy shit did they break or something?

Michelle: Nooo they're just really worn out now haha

Amidst all this, Lovino thinks about other things. Sure, he liked shoes and all, but he couldn't really vibe with Feliks and Michelle on that level. Anyways, maybe Allistor would want to spend spring break together too? It'd be fun. Really fun. And maybe if the squad had other plans and their trip didn't push through, it could be… just him and Allistor, maybe? Just the two of them?

His imagination couldn't help but wander. Maybe instead of taking a plane, they could drive down there together. They could take his Range Rover, and shove all of their shit in the back of the car, because like hell all their shit would fit in the trunk of Allistor's Mustang, as gorgeous of a car it was. They would take turns driving, but they'd still hold hands anyway, and they would listen to the bands that they liked. Maybe they could drive with the windows open, but like fucking hell Lovino would want to risk a swarm of insects inadvertently getting into his car.

Briefly Lovino wondered what it could be like if he could just— just run away with him. Like, what if they eloped? Then that means they'd have to go to Vegas instead then. Right? But he wasn't too sure about having a fake Elvis officiating their shotgun wedding. Were there only Elvis impersonators? Were there James Brown impersonators too? He didn't even want to think about how disappointed Feliciano and Nonno would be in him if he up and left to get hitched—

Wait.

What..?

No.

No, no, no.

What the fuuuuck?

Literally what the ever loving fuck just happened? C'mon Lovino, you did not just fucking think that! Jesus Christ, what the hell's gotten into him? Fuck. It's waaay too early to be thinking about shit like marriage. Ha! He just started college for fuck's sake.

As nice as it was to think about, honestly.

Well, yeah. Maybe. Maybe one day. When the both of them are ready. R-Right? It's only normal to think about shit like this, right? It— It wasn't weird or anything, right? Or was it weird because he was a guy? Don't girls usually fantasise about marriage?

Shaking those thoughts out of his head, he switched back to his chat with Antonio, all the while trying to suppress the vibrant red flush threatening to crawl up his cheeks and all the way up to his ears.

Antonio: If you do come over here for spring break, you can crash at my place! :D It's really nice here haha~

Lovino: Lol sure
Lovino: We'll see

Antonio sent a picture of freshly-cooked empanadas, the crisp shell still glistening with hot cooking oil.

Lovino: Looks nice!

Antonio: They taste nice too :D Wish you were here to try them! How about I make you some when we're both in Spokane? :)

Lovino: Sounds great haha

And, well, Lovino didn't really know what to say to that. He could feel the conversation kinda coming to a dead end. Again, he was reminded of the fact that his boyfriend would be really, really upset, probably, if he knew that Lovino's been talking to Antonio behind his back. He tried to ignore the twinge of guilt poking at his conscience.

Ah, fuck. Now he felt awkward again, but he's always been awkward, so it's the guilt that's been amplifying his awkwardness tenfold. Now it felt all weird and shit, even though it always has been, sort of. Like, Lovino was still wary enough of Antonio not to get right into it again, talking to him and all, but it seemed like the Spaniard had no problem with that. If he felt weird talking to Lovino again after all that drama and bullshit, he sure as fuck didn't show it.

Even if Lovino's replies were short or curt, Antonio always tried to keep the conversation going. And, fuck, again, the guilt— because Lovino didn't mean to be like this, but he honestly couldn't help it. The coldness was still there, and it wasn't going to thaw so easily. And yet Lovino just couldn't stop thinking about it. Or overthinking about it, rather.

Upon glancing up from his phone, he's surprised to find that the room is nearly full with his fellow peers. He can see a few of the PA Department's professors up front, talking to someone he's never seen before. Must be the speaker; a petite blonde whose frosty blue eyes shone in the spotlight.

When one of the professors tell the students to settle down, Lovino tucks his phone back into his pocket and crosses his arms over his chest. He felt a bit… out of place, not having any of his friends around. But he knew he would get used to being alone again soon— he always did, anyways.

"You have to tell him," Arthur says to his older brother, for what was literally the umpteenth time. His disappointment was evident in his features, his tone. Liam and Colin knew absolute fuck all about Lovino, so they haven't given a single bollock to bring it up. But it did matter to Arthur— well, not necessarily matter, but he felt it was only the right thing to do to bring it up. Especially since he's become rather good acquaintances with the Italian.

"It's not important," Allistor dismisses right off the bat, his forest green eyes narrowed a fraction as he scrutinised Arthur's face. "'E doesn't need ta know."

"Aye, that's what you think, but he does. You care about him, don't you? You're in a bleeding relationship with him, for God's sake. He needs to know. Don't you think it concerns him too?"

Allistor glances away, furrowing his brows in thought. He ensconces himself further into the crimson leather chair in their family's study and remains quiet for a moment, two moments. His eyes dart toward his laptop's screen, a PDF copy of his play's manuscript staring back at him.

Just when Arthur's about to admonish him further, the redhead speaks. "Ah'll speak ta 'im about it. Next time Ah see 'im. Yeh'r right, 'e needs ta know."

The blond nods in response, relatively satisfied with this. "Good. You aren't still… you know… are you?"

"No, Ah'm no'," Allistor says, a bit more quieter this time. "Now sod off, yeah? Ah'm busy."

But even after Arthur left (though not without throwing in an insult of his own), the redhead couldn't focus on whatever he was doing, going through the script again and all. Making last minute revisions. No, he had a lot to think about after that, especially about where his relationship with Lov would be heading. That's one issue. But at least Lov's finally stopped talking to that whatshisface, Antonio, was it? Yeah. At least that prick was out of the picture.

Fuck if Allistor showed it, but he grew positively possessive over Lovino whenever he saw Antonio even just standing near him. It wasn't obvious to the redhead at first, or even the few several times after that…

But he wasn't daft.

He caught on, eventually.

The way Antonio looked at Lovino changed. And even with his eyes closed, Allistor could tell what the Spaniard wanted from his boyfriend was something… something more than just simple friendship or camaraderie, or whatever label Antonio tried to slap on it and pass it off as. And if Antonio was trying to hide it, then he was absolute shite at it.

Maybe— just maybe, if the brunette didn't ogle at his boyfriend like some moony-eyed gobshite in broad daylight (dear God!), right in front of Allistor, he wouldn't have found out as quickly— but that's not to say he wouldn't have found out at all.

Lovino sure as hell didn't know. But Allistor could just tell that the Spaniard would have fucked him if the Italian gave him even sliver of a chance to. Which is why, obviously, Allistor had grown to dislike Antonio. All those rumours running rampant around campus about the Spaniard did absolutely naught to quell his anger either. In fact, it served to completely dispel any doubts Allistor may have had about the man.

Obviously, the Spaniard doesn't know how to respect relationships; be it the relationships of others, or even his own.

The Italian didn't deserve to be reduced to some sort of conquest. No, he was so much more than that. And if there ever came a time he and Lov wouldn't be together anymore, he knew that the Italian could do so, so much better. He deserved the best.

"So let me get this straight," Gilbert says, utter disbelief and disappointment clearly evident in his tone. "You're talking to him again?!"

"Ahaha… Well… It's complicated?"

Antonio didn't mean to spill details about him being on speaking terms with Lovi again— but he couldn't help it! He may have gotten overexcited talking to Lovino earlier, so when the Spaniard Skyped later in the day with Francis and Gilbert, before he could even restrain himself, he may have accidentally mentioned talking to Lovino earlier.

The brunette couldn't help but smile sheepishly as he listened to his friends' collective groans of disapproval.

Francis scrutinised him carefully, staring at the screen instead of the camera. "What in the world are you trying to do, Antoine? Lovino is already in a relationship. You know that."

Antonio narrowed his eyes, taking offence to what came across to him as an accusation. "It's not like I'm flirting with him or anything! We're just friends, alright—"

"Yeah, but what kind of friends?" Gilbert interjects, which goes ignored.

"Plus, when Alfred and Arthur were still together, that didn't stop you from hounding on Arthur everyday!"

"Excusez moi? I've been friends with Arthur even way before he and Alfred even met!"

"Hey, hey! That's a low blow, Tone! I know you probably don't mean it, but it's a low blow!" Gilbert says again, more louder this time. "Jesus Christ, since when did this even fucking happen?"

"I don't know," Antonio says, cheeks red hot with shame and guilt, his emerald eyes downcast. "It's been a few days now, I guess. But I swear, it's not like I'm going to try and steal Lovino away from Allistor or anything—" Maybe mainly because he knew that it wouldn't work if he actually tried. "We're just… talking, alright? There's nothing wrong with that! And, Díos, I'm sorry, Francis… You know I didn't mean that."

He looks up at the screen and he sees Francis leaning back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest with an unreadable expression on his face. Gilbert, however, is leaning forward head cradled in one of his hands as he rested his elbow on his desk. All three of them are quiet for almost a minute before Francis speaks up.

"It's alright, Antonio," he says, and Antonio lets out a breath he hadn't even realised he's been holding in. "But I just want to know why— and I'm sure Gilbert wants to know this too: Why are you doing this, Toni? You do realise that talking to him will only hurt you more, right?"

Antonio gives a non-committal shrug. "I know I messed up with Lovino. Okay? And what I did was wrong, and super fucked up, and Lovino didn't deserve any of that. Hell, not even Quentin, probably. I just… wanted to make things right again, I guess. I wanted things to go back to the way they were."

Like, even though he knew that Lovino would never feel the same way, he didn't want to cut the Italian out of his life entirely. Been there, done that— and he never wanted to go through that again. It'd hurt Antonio even more if they weren't on speaking terms anymore, so as much as possible, he would try, and piece together what he'd ruined.

"Look. I promised Lovi I wouldn't tell you guys about this, or anyone else for that matter. That means Allistor included, okay? So please, please don't tell him, don't tell Lovi I talked to you about this. Alright? I don't want to fuck this up again, so please..!"

"Alright, alright," Gilbert groans out, rolling his eyes.

Antonio looks at him seriously. "You have to promise me, Gil. You too, Franny."

Francis knits his brows together in bemusement. "Oui, fine, I promise."

"No, wait, we have to do a pinky swear."

"What?!" Gilbert burst out cackling. "Gott, how the hell do you expect us to do that?"

"Cyber pinky swear," Antonio rephrases, his expression determined as he raises his pinky up to the camera. It momentarily loses focus before readjusting itself to his pinky finger.

Francis chuckles, "Antonio, this is ridiculous!"

"No, it isn't!" The Spaniard exclaims, though he's grinning too. "Ah, come on! The both of you! Pinky swear, alright?"

Gilbert stares at the screen like Antonio's sprouted two heads, but he ends up raising his pinky up to the camera anyway. Francis does the same.

"Alright, now promise me you won't tell anybody I told you about this. Especially not Allistor or Lovino."

"I promise," his two best friends say in unison, and Antonio feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

After the seminar, given by a Broadway actress turned Grammy-winning songstress who had discussed the importance of performing art in this modern-day society, the students had a light supper in the hotel's restaurant before they all gathered in the lobby for one of the things Lovino's been looking forward to in the first place.

They were going to immerse themselves in different forms of art around the city. Sucks that it's winter though, so they won't be able to see any street performers. For some areas quite a distance away, they would first take the tour bus to cover most of the distance, then go on from there by foot.

First they went to this small playhouse located downtown, where there were many vendors in stalls along the sidewalk. The small theatre was located beside a Chinese restaurant, and there was a crowd of people waiting in front of the building. The students of EHU followed suit, waiting in a separate group while the professors did a quick headcount.

After waiting in the cold for a few minutes, they were eventually ushered in through the double doors, the lobby or reception area dimly lit and smelling faintly of incense sticks. It was invitingly warm inside, for which Lovino was grateful.

They followed the crowd through a doorway covered with a black curtain. Yellow light streamed in through the way leading up to what seemed like rows of seats. Lovino soon realised the area in front of it was a stage, and quickly got a seat around the fourth row. It was still somewhat awkward being alone, since he's long grown used to having company, but he tried to pay the feeling no heed.

Within twenty more minutes, the lights dimmed and the room grew hushed. A spotlight focussed on the stage, which was still empty. Quickly, the room grew hushed, and music started to play. Coming from both sides of the curtains, several performers wearing painted porcelain masks and elaborate makeup, and gowns of colourful silk, began to dance, before the curtain itself gave way to the background of a small village. The design of the masks varied from person to person, and they all had a specific role to play, it seemed. It was a performance originating from China, and though it took him several minutes, he finally got the gist of what the Peking opera was about.

It was around nine in the evening when Tino popped back inside their hotel room. Lovino was lying on his bed, having Facetimed with Allistor when he got back to the hotel a little past eight PM.

"Hey, Lovino!" Tino chirped, flopping down on the bed opposite him. "Me and a bunch of other people are going out, you want to come with?"

Lovino sits up slightly, looking at the Finn with curiosity. "We're allowed to go out? Wait, where are you even going?"

"To this bar a few blocks away. Just for some good vibes and a few drinks! My friend Oliver has an ID, so he'll get the drinks for us! Sounds fun, right?"

"I don't see why not," the Italian concurs, throwing his legs over the edge of his bed as he glanced around and looked for his shoes. "Just a sec, I'll grab my wallet and put some shoes on."

"Sure, sure!"

Why not, right? Sounds like it could be fun. Sure, not as fun since his friends weren't around, but still. Lovino slipped into his shoes, grabbing his coat from the couch and making sure he had his wallet on him. He padded back to his bed before taking his phone off its charger port, grinning at Tino. "Let's go."

As they walked down the hallway, Lovino made sure to text Allistor. Not like he needed the Scotman's approval to go out or anything, but it was just out of decency to let your significant other know where you were going, right? Speaking of approval, he really should have Lars hook him up with a fake ID. He wasn't sure if he could go on like this for, what, three more years?

Lovino and Tino met up with other vaguely familiar faces, and he was introduced to each and every one of them. After waiting for a few more people, they finally stepped out of the building.

A gust of cold air breezed by and Lovino shivered. "Fuck, it's cold."

Tino, wearing what Lovino would deem a light jacket suitable for fucking spring, glanced around. "Ah. It is? I didn't notice!"

The bar, MOONSHINE, was conveniently wedged between a laundromat and a 24/7 convenience store-slash-deli. It took up the first floor of a four-storey building, made out of pure red brick. Despite its small size, the bar itself was teeming with people around their age or so, with groups of people smoking outside. Tino pushed through the crowd and Lovino followed suit, thankful for the warmth that quickly enveloped him. There was live music, a stage tucked to one side.

The students from EHU found seats scattered around the bar, and Lovino managed to snag a seat by an empty table while Tino sat adjacent to him. Oliver, who was Allistor's friend if Lovino recalled correctly, soon came along and sat across the Italian. There was a guy onstage with an acoustic guitar, wailing out the chorus to, of all songs, Wonderwall by Oasis. Not that Lovino disliked the song, but… y'know. It's fucking Wonderwall.

Anyways, here's Wonderwall, Lovino automatically thought to himself. Next best thing would've probably been Iris by The Goo-Goo Dolls. Briefly, Lovino thought of his acoustic guitar probably catching dust at home.

There were good vibes all around, with people singing along to the music. A waitress came over and took down their orders. Tino ordered vodka straight up, room-temperature (what the fuck? Who does that?), Oliver ordered a beer, while Lovino settled for Fireball whiskey on the rocks.

"You're going to drink vodka at room-temperature," Lovino says, incredulous, "How? Why? Like, I get if it's straight up, I do that too, but, like, it's usually cold when I drink it."

Tino smiled sheepishly. "I'm just used to drinking vodka that way, I guess?"

Lovino nods, turning his attention to the stage again. The guy who sang onstage earlier stepped down, then this other dude went up on stage, and instantly there were cheers all around the room. Oliver and Tino cheered too.

"Alright, alright! Now, ladies and gentlemen, and all those in between— you know what it is! A Monday—"

This time, a series of boos. Lovino boos too, because he gets that Mondays fucking suck unless you're Beyoncé or maybe even one of the Kardashians on their really good days. Ugh, yeah, his friends made him watch Keeping Up With The Kardashians with them every now and then whenever they randomly dropped by his apartment. Don't even mention it.

"I know, Mondays are… pretty rough on all of us. But hey, every cloud has a silver lining, 'cause today is our poetry slam competition! Last week's theme was 'repose', but this week's theme is 'desire'. Oooh!"

The waitress comes back and serves them their drinks. Lovino plucks his glass up and takes a small sip. Oliver reaches over and taps Lovino's arm. "Hey, I'm Oliver. Allistor's friend?"

Lovino glances at him for a sec before shaking his hand. "Hey, yeah. I know. Guess we haven't formally met yet. I'm Lovino."

Oliver grins at him. "Of course. With how much Allistor talks about you, you'd think we'd have met each other sooner."

"You wrote the script for the play, right?"

"Well, yes, I am the playwright. I hear you're taking Creative Writing. That's great!"

Lovino laughs, "Thanks. I'm kinda new to all this, so I've been trying to…" He trails off, staring at his drink. "I don't know. Just, like, expose myself to all these different types of writing and different types of literature and just try and find myself in that spectrum. I've read some parts of your script by the way, it's really great."

"Thanks, thanks! And, you know, your writing really will change with the decisions or experiences in life that shape you. Just like people; people change. So will how you write or your perception of things."

"Like the interpretation of the work through the eyes of the author."

"Yeah, it's not the only way though. There are a lot of theories you'll learn soon, but basically, a lot of writers out there put so much of themselves in what they write—" Oliver suddenly stops and redirects his attention to the front, pointing at the stage. "Look! The poetry slam's starting!"

The Italian turns to look at the stage, and indeed someone goes up on stage. A woman this time, with dark skin and a shock of magenta ringlet curls.

She began to recite verses about lust, sexual desire, and even though it was something that most people considered taboo to even talk about with others, it didn't sound lewd in any way that may have made Lovino feel uncomfortable. Like, after all, sex was… fuck, it was a natural thing. Humans literally have to do it to survive.

And even though the way he had, ah, sex wasn't going to lead to any pregnancies anytime soon— or ever, for that matter— it was still a thing people do. Even if it was sort of strange to think about his friends possibly having an active sex life (like he does, to be honest). He knew that Feliks was probably getting it on with Toris on the daily— the blond wouldn't stop yakking about his sexual misadventures during lunch. Liz and Roderich were probably at that point in their relationship already, but as much as she pried into Feliks and Toris' relationship and his own, she doesn't really mention anything about her sex life. Every now and then, Michelle of all people, would have 'juicy' hookups and tell all in her favourite dessert café. Bella, however, had recently stopped seeing that Bulgarian dude, so she's been single for a while now.

As for him and Allistor… Well, the redhead did 'sleep over' quite often, sleepovers in which it didn't involve very much actual sleeping. But it wasn't everyday or anything like that, 'cause they had their own things to do. Allistor invested so much of himself into the play, trying to make it as grand and surreal as Oliver's script made the story seem, trying to bring the story itself to life, while Lovino himself was trying to learn more about writing through writing itself, mainly, and trying to find his niche in general.

It was when the room burst into a round of applause did Lovino snap out of his thoughts. He felt a twinge of regret not paying attention, so he swore to pay better attention this time around. She had spoken so beautifully too.

For the rest of the night, Lovino found himself entranced by the speakers who wore their hearts on their sleeves and spoke with so much passion and confidence and seemingly without fear. He couldn't help but wonder how they did that. Was it something innate or was it something learnt? Regardless, he couldn't help but want to be like them. He wanted to more open with the things he created, the things he wrote. It probably wasn't going to happen soon, let alone overnight, but all in due time, right?

By the end of the night, the winner was announced. It was the first speaker. Now more than ever did Lovino wish he'd known the rest of what she said.

Lovino stumbled into the hotel room around two in the morning, followed by a seemingly perfectly sober Tino. The Finn closed the door behind them, laughing in amusement as Lovino crashed right onto his bed. Within mere minutes, the brunette had unceremoniously passed out.

The next morning was hell. As much as Lovino wanted to sleep in 'til at least noon, he was on a schedule. By eight he had to drag his ass the fuck out of bed and hit the shower so he wouldn't miss the intercontinental breakfast buffet downstairs. He and Tino ate breakfast together, along with Oliver and a bunch of other people from last night. He sleepily blinked at his phone, going through his Facebook, Instagram and his texts. He sent Allistor a quick 'good morning' text before updating Feli on how his trip has been going.

Feli picked Nonno up from the airport yesterday, and now they were staying in their house (not the apartment, mind you) while waiting for Lovino to come back. And, hopefully, they'll probably go back to Italy for Christmas with their relatives in Tuscany. If not, they'd just stay here in Spokane. That was cool too.

Ding!

Lovino glanced down, automatically reaching for his phone. He sees it's a text from Allistor and unlocks his phone.

Allistor: Good morning too luv xx I miss you :-)

The Italian couldn't help but smile, quickly typing in a reply, hazel eyes darting up for a quick moment just to make sure the speaker up front wouldn't notice him using his phone or anything. He made sure to switch it to silent mode just to be sure.

Lovino: I miss you too. Your parents back yet?

Bzzzt!

Allistor: Not yet :-( mum and da won't be here 'til Saturday

Bzzzt!

Allistor: I have an idea though ;-)

Lovino bit his bottom lip, trying to keep his smile from widening into a full-out grin. He could feel his cheeks reddening already. That winky face was not to be taken lightly.

Lovino: Oh yeah? What kind of idea?

He waited with bated breath as Allistor typed in a reply. Since it seemed his conversation with the redhead would be heading into a… different direction, he dimmed the lighting on his phone so no one else could read his messages easily.

Bzzzt!

Allistor: Your flight is on Wednesday right? How about I meet you at your place when you get back? I can think of more than a few ways we can spend the night together. How bout it luv? ;-)

Even though Lovino was all for it, this could be drawn out two ways. One, he could accept Allistor's, ah, proposition right then and there. Or two, he could draw it out a bit. Make the Scot work for it. Might as well, right? It's not like he was doing anything better, other than listening to someone up front speaking to the students taking up acting.

Lovino: Hmm I'm not sure tbh
Lovino: For sure I'll be tired as fuck by then.
Lovino: But if you can convince me and make it worth it
Lovino: I might take it into consideration?

Instantly it was marked as 'read' and Lovino could only imagine what Allistor's face was like as he read those messages. It took the Scotsman a bit longer, but nonetheless he replied.

Allistor: Go somewhere private and I'll show you ;-)

…What.

That—

Lovino did not expect that. If his face wasn't red then, it was definitely crimson now. He glanced around, staring at the exit. The Italian faked a cough and immediately got up, eyes downcast as he made his way out of the conference room. And now he was faced with yet two other choices. He could go to the men's room, or he could go up to his hotel room, and he knows Tino won't be there since the Finn was actually listening to the speaker. Just as he passed the men's room, he decided to go all the way up to his hotel room. He made sure the chain over the door was in place, just in case Tino decided to go up or anything (which he seriously doubted), and flopped down on his bed.

Lovino: I'm waiting.

Allistor's face instantly came up on his phone, and Lovino was thankful he decided to go up to his room instead. He accepted the FaceTime video call and just seeing Allistor's face made his heart skip a beat.

"Hey," the Italian said, using his arm to cover half of his face.

"Hey," Allistor said back.

For a few seconds there, they didn't do or say anything; they only stared at each other, silly grins on their faces. Lovino was the first one to snap out of it, clearing his throat.

"So about that…" he drawled, glancing away.

"Yeah?"

Lovino may have not been looking at Allistor, but he knew that stupid smug tone in his voice all too well—! "S-Shut up! You know what I'm talking about, dammit!"

A full-bodied laugh escapes Allistor's lips, and Lovino can't help but try and laugh off his embarrassment as well. "Convince me already! I snuck off alright? I don't want to get in trouble so make it quick already,"

"Well, for starters, why don't yeh look at th' screen?" Allistor says, voice taunting.

"…Right." It takes a second, but Lovino gets himself together and turns to look at his phone's screen again. He blinks in surprise, completely silent.

…Well. This was slightly unexpected.

"What's that?" Lovino asks, immediately feeling stupid for doing so. And was that actually disappointment in his fucking tone? Wooow. Nice.

"Aww, yeh don't like it, luv?" Allistor asks, moving the small wrapped present away from the screen so he could pout at him. Ah, fuck.

"You got me a present." No fucking shit, Lovino.

"Yes, Ah did! Ah went gift shopping yesterday." Then Allistor's expression turns coy. "Why, were yeh, ah, expecting somethin' else, luv?"

"No I wasn't, you fucking perv!" Lovino argues, which is a blatant lie anyway, but like hell he'd ever admit to the truth. And another thing. There was like this 'oh shit' feeling dawning on him as he slowly realised, or remembered, rather, that he needed to go Christmas shopping. Not just for Allistor, but for Feli, Nonno, and probably his friends too, if not just Bella. Fuck. Fuck!

And he had no idea what to get yet! Or maybe he did, but still, he needed to plan things out first! He was in New York of all places! He'd need to ring up boutiques beforehand just to make sure they had what he wanted to get. Then they could prepare it in advance, wrap it up for him probably. Yeah. He'd have to get that done today. Maybe when they're on the tour bus, he could call them on the way.

"…Lov, are yeh alright?" Lovino is brought out of his thoughts and he looks at Allistor's mildly perplexed face. He blinks once, twice, trying to find the words to say.

"Y-Yeah, I am. Sorry, I just realised I need to look for gifts too."

"Ah. No pressure, luv. Ah'm sure yeh'll make it in time!"

Lovino chuckles, almost in disbelief. "I… I think I have to."

"So," Allistor continues. He raises the gift back up to the camera again. "How 'bout it, Lov?"

"You think you can win me over with gifts?"

Allistor hums in mock contemplation. "Probably not. But Ah can make our night worthwhile."

"Prove it to me when I see you then." They were both smirking now.

"Ah can do tha'. Ah can prove it to yeh all night."

The promises of what was to come hung heavy in the air, leaving the Italian feeling more than a bit turned on. "You know, I have a few minutes more before I have to go down again… Think you can make my time worthwhile now?"

"Ah'm sorry, was tha' a challenge?"

"Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't."

"Why don't we start by doing what Ah say, exactly as Ah say it?"

By the time Lovino headed down to the conference room again, the seminar had just about ended, everyone in the room clapping their hands in applause. A professor had given Lovino a curious look, which he pointedly ignored as he ran a hand through his sweaty hair.

Push came to shove, he could pretend he had a runny stomach, or that he was lactose intolerant or some shit to explain his absence. Anything was better than admitting to sneaking off in the middle of a seminar to have phone sex with your incredibly hot boyfriend.

Embarrassingly enough, his absence doesn't go amiss by his peers. As they're all boarding the tour bus, Tino sits beside him and asks where Lovino went off to all of a sudden. Lovino coughed into his hand to hide his reddening cheeks and muttered a 'had to go to the toilet'. Tino nodded in understanding and questioned no further.

That day, they went around to different significant cultural landmarks around New York that was especially relevant to performing arts. Each minor stop would last about thirty minutes before they would go onto the next one. Major ones would take more time, of course.

They visited Al Hirschfeld Theatre, making sure to have a good look-see at the iconic drawings, then the Belasco theatre. They went to the Lyceum Theatre next, and to other significant theatres. They were all stunning, and no amount of filters or editing Instagram photos could really capture the beauty of the place, as it was and is.

It was much more like an actual tour now, since they had a theatrical history tour guide onboard the bus who also guided them when they were walking on foot. Though Lovino had to admit, most of his attention was elsewhere as he started ringing up different stores and placing orders for Christmas gifts so all he'd have to do was pay for them when he got there.

Shitty luck or shitty timing, he wasn't sure, but sometimes what he had in mind was already unavailable for purchase or out of stock, so he'd have to find a substitute that was just as good, if not a variation of the same thing.

The crème de la crème of his day surprisingly wasn't his 'chat' with Allistor earlier, however, but instead was the show he watched later that night, in the Imperial Theatre. He literally had no idea why he didn't know about this beforehand. Holy shit.

Majority of the students from EHU were booked really good seats up in the front rows, Lovino included. He could hear the music thumping in his chest, and he could see every single detail of what was going on onstage, from the intricate details of the actors' clothes, to the way beads of sweat forming at their temples did little to ruin their stage makeup, heavily applied.

Holy shit.

Lovino literally could not stop himself from freaking out. Seriously.

Nobody told him they were going to watch freaking Les Misérables! How the fuck did he not get the memo? But, Dio, it was fucking amazing. Phenomenal.

Lovino was downright shook. After the show, in the tour bus on the way back to the hotel, he called Allistor and told him all about it. It was nice having someone you could just talk about these things to.

Before Lovino knew it, it was already the last day of their trip to New York. Their flight would be later in the evening, so they'd be checking out in the morning after breakfast, leaving their things aboard the bus, before they'd have the rest of the day to wander around the city. They could do some exploring on their own, or they could wander off to the shops; anything, really, just as long as they were in their designated meeting place by 3PM so they could go straight to the airport.

It could only mean one thing for the Italian. It was time to go Christmas gift shopping. As pathetic as it was, he felt like a man on a mission— why wouldn't he? The places he had to go to today were scattered around the city.

After having a quick breakfast and leaving his stuff in the bus, Lovino wasted no time in hollering a cab over— because like hell he'd risk getting himself lost trying to commute from place to place. As inviting as it was to wander around with no clear idea of where you wanted to be in mind, now was not one of those times. He didn't have time to waste.

First he went to Pandora at Times Square, where he picked out a classic clasp bracelet, as well as a few charms so it wouldn't look so bare, making sure to pick a limited edition one out as well. Now that one was for Bella. He would've picked out a ring, but he didn't know her ring size.

He was thinking maybe he could just get Chelle a gift card from Victoria's Secret, but like hell he was getting one for Liz. She'd probably throttle him. That was a huge hell nah, so he decided to play it safe and get her a gift card from, like, fucking ThinkGeek or something. Shopping for Feliks though… Well, he didn't really know. He knew the Pole was really into makeup and shit, so he opted to just get Feliks a gift card from Sephora.

Fuck yeah, gift cards. For when you don't know what to get them but know where to get it from.

For family and Allistor though, he was a bit more specific. By 'a bit', he meant a lot more specific. So he went to Hermès on Madison Ave. to pick up his gift for Nonno, which he already requested to have gift-wrapped. What could he say? Money talks.

Then he took another cab to the VASARI Classic Artists' Oil Colors showroom on West 27th Street to buy oil paints for Feli. He was certain the younger Italian hadn't tried paints from that brand before, so Lovino thought that his brother might like to try them. When he got back to Spokane, he'd buy extra canvasses so he could paint things if he wanted to over winter break.

Last but not the least, Allistor's gift. The Italian had spent a fair amount of time thinking about what to get for his boyfriend. He wasn't sure what people usually got for their boyfriends, especially in new relationships, but he wanted something the Scot could use everyday. Something each time he saw, would make him think of Lovino. Eventually he settled on getting the redhead a watch. He made sure it was high-quality, something that could be paired with a casual getup or something that wouldn't look out of place if Allistor dressed up.

By the time Lovino had finished his shopping spree, thankfully avoiding getting his credit card rejected or maxing it out, he was sweating, but at the same time, his hands and feet were fucking numb from power walking in the cold. Worth it, though. It was so worth it.

He could barely wait for tonight.

Lovino couldn't help but fidget impatiently in the back of the taxi going back to his apartment. He managed to keep his temper from bubbling up to the surface, but the trip had left him more than tired and irritable. All he wanted to do was see Allistor again.

As the taxi pulled up in front of his apartment building, he could see Allistor's car parked ahead, its engine still running. Lovino inhaled sharply, heart skipping a beat, as he paid for his cab fare. The redhead exited the car, bowling Lovino over with how drop dead perfect he looked wearing his favourite white button-down shirt.

Lovino exited the cab and Allistor helped him with his things. Once the taxi made a U-turn and drove off, Allistor captured Lovino in a tight embrace. The Italian hugged him back, trying to take in everything about the Scotsman in that moment, from his muscles to his scent to the feel of the redhead's body pressed up against his.

Even though it was only a few days since they've seen each other last, it literally felt like eons to the Italian. Like, sure, the trip was fun and all, but was it so wrong Lovino would have rather spent his time with his boyfriend, when the both of them were free of any obligations and while Feli was away?

They stay there, hugging in the cold for about a minute, before Allistor is the first one to pull away, tenderly stroking Lovino's cheek with his thumb. He leans down and captures the Italian's lips with a deep kiss, his other hand drifting down to the small of Lovino's back. Lovino returns the kiss, lips automatically parting as a tongue teasingly darted into his mouth, running itself along his bottom lip.

When they break off the kiss, their lips make a small audible smack!

"Hi Lov," Allistor greets, beaming down at the impossibly handsome brunette right in front of him. This boy will be the death of me someday.

"Hey," says Lovino softly, brushing the small flakes of snow out of Allistor's scarlet hair.

"Let's get yer things up first, hm?"

Lovino takes a deep, shaky breath before nodding in assent. Together, they make quick work of bringing the luggages up, along with the many paper bags Lovino had with him for his carry-on luggage. As Allistor rolled the suitcase half-way to the living room, Lovino left the paper bags right by the coffee table. He switched the lights on, dimmed, and made sure the heater was on.

Allistor was in the kitchen, searching for two wine glasses. Lovino shrugged his heavy coat off and threw it over the arm chair, pulling his scarf off as well as he made his way to the kitchen.

The redhead brought a bottle of red wine with him along with a small duffel bag for an overnight stay.

"How was yer trip, luv?" Allistor asks, now going through some drawers to find a corkscrew.

Lovino leaned against one of the counters, just watching the Scot move around his kitchen like it was his own. "It was okay, I guess. Made a new friend; his name is Tino. You know him? He's friends with Oliver too."

Allistor pauses, humming in thought. "Hmm, Ah think Ah know who yeh're talking about. But Ah'm not too sure."

Lovino snorts. "Aren't you practically friends with everyone?"

The redhead smiles at him, a twinkle of amusement in those forest green eyes. "Apparently not."

As he pours a glass of wine for the both of them, Lovino saunters over to the fridge and opens it. "Hey, are you hungry?"

Allistor's smile turns cheeky. "Depends on what yeh're making."

Lovino looks at him in mock incredulousness, crossing his arms over his chest. "Oh, I see."

"Or would yeh rather Ah cook?" Allistor playfully taunted, winking at him.

Lovino suddenly glanced away, his face flushing a deeper shade of red. "Fuck it, maybe I can whip up a quick carbonara pasta."

"Or maybe we can order pizza and snog on th' couch while we wait?" Allistor suggests, raising a glass up for Lovino to take.

They clink their glasses together before taking a sip. After a moment, Lovino set his glass down, eyes downcast and his cheeks impossibly red. "Y-Yeah, I'm down with that."

Allistor smiles and they make their way to the living room, taking their wine with them. Lovino sets the bottle of wine down on the coffee table, pouring himself another glass and leaning into the couch cushions as Allistor stood near the TV, on the phone ordering pizza from La Cucina Italiano.

Lovino reaches for the remote and turns the TV on, flipping through different channels before settling for one with a roaring fireplace (feat. accompanying sound effects). Once Allistor is done ordering, he stares at the TV, a grin on his face. He turns to look at his inamorato, the corners of his eyes crinkling with amusement. "Oh, wha's this? Trying to set the mood are we, Lov?"

"Not yet," Lovino says, fiddling with the Bluetooth setting on the JBL sound system on either side of the TV. He goes through the songs on his phone and presses play. Careless Whisper comes on, and the both of them burst out laughing.

Allistor strides over to the Italian and sits on his lap for once, peppering his face with kisses. Lovino groans into their kiss, the redhead straddling his waist. Lovino started to undo the buttons on Allistor's shirt, running his open palms over the expanse of the Scot's pale skin. Allistor moved his head down, lips licking a trail down from Lovino's mouth, all the way to the nape of the Italian's neck.

The redhead broke the kiss off for a moment so he could pull the Italian's dark grey sweater off, tossing it somewhere behind him. Within seconds they're pressed up against each other again, Allistor pinning Lovino down on the couch, his hands wandering south as he pressed a palm between Lovino's legs. The Italian groaned, jerking his hips forward into the Scot's hand, only to have the latter move his hand away.

"Fucking tease," Lovino murmurs, his fingers tracing marks around Allistor's back.

"Yer fault, Ah don't want ta 'ave a shag to fucking George Michael." Allistor murmurs right back, the seriousness in his tone making Lovino snort.

"Yeah, yeah, let me just find my phone," he grumbles, reaching for somewhere in between the couch cushions. He retrieves his phone and goes through the song playlist, and Love In This Club by Usher starts playing. "Better?"

"Definitely," Allistor says breathlessly, capturing Lovino's lips in a heated kiss.

Lovino sits up before straddling Allistor's waist, grinding his hips against the redhead's. Allistor groans, hands gripping Lovino's hips so he could grind back, yearning for more of that friction. The Italian starts kissing along Allistor's collarbone, hands pushing the white button-down off of his shoulders entirely before they trailed down the Scot's stomach once more. Lovino slid off his lap and got on his knees before the Scot, his face flushed as he started to work on undoing Allistor's belt.

"Fuck, yeh're so hot," Allistor groans out, running his hand through Lovino's soft brown hair, thumb grazing against the wayward curl he never quite understood. The Italian's eyes flutter closed and something akin a whimper escapes his lips.

What… What was that?

Before Allistor could ponder any further on what he did wrong— or right, rather— the Italian diverted his attention with his continued ministrations, lifting his hips up so Lovino could pull his jeans and boxer briefs off. Lovino stared at the head of Allistor's cock, leaking a bead of precum, before tonguing the very tip, his eyes fluttering closed. His hand wrapped around the rest of the redhead's length before taking the head into his mouth, bobbing up and down as he worked to loosen his jaw to take more of him in.

Allistor tightened his grip on Lovino's hair— just enough to get a firm grasp, but not enough to hurt him— and guided more of himself into the Italian's hot, wet mouth. A guttural moan left his lips, hips bucking forward once more. Lovino gripped Allistor's side tightly, eyes narrowed in warning lest he choke.

Just as Lovino was starting to get really into it, the tip of Allistor's length occasionally brushing against the back of Lovino's throat, the sound of the doorbell ringing had taken them by surprise. The Italian stiffened, panic written all over his face. He pulls away, his pretty lips swollen and glistening under the dim lighting. "Shit. Is that the pizza guy?!" He harshly whispers, his own voice hoarse.

Allistor could only stare, disoriented himself.

"I'll get it," Lovino says, then a bit louder, "Just a second!"

He stands up, striding over to his backpack on the arm chair adjacent to them, fishing his wallet out.

"No, Lov, Ah'll pay," Allistor says, and when Lovino looks at him he's absolutely mortified to find that Allistor's dick is still out and very much erect. He grabs a throw pillow, tossing it over to the redhead.

"Cover your dick, dammit!" Lovino hisses, trying to keep his voice at a minimum. He licks his lips, tasting Allistor on his tongue, and hopes that he doesn't look completely dishevelled when he opens the door.

"Hey, pizza delivery for a Mr. Kirkland?" A kid around the age of sixteen drawls, raising up two pizzas.

"Yeah, yeah," Lovino murmurs, paying for the pizzas plus a tip so he could somehow justify closing the door in the kid's face. He briskly made his way back to the living room and set the pizzas down on the dining table, the smell of pizzas wafting around and somehow, somewhat dispelling the heady mood earlier.

Lovino couldn't believe it. He just got cockblocked by pizza.

"Hey, Lov? Yeh alright?" Allistor asks, wrapping his arms around Lovino's waist and pulling him closer to himself.

"Is it just me or did that, like, completely ruin the mood?" Lovino says, hint of irascibility in his tone.

"Shh, luv, just relax," Allistor coaxes, moving the throw pillow on his crotch aside and pulling the Italian onto his lap, their lips meeting with a kiss. He chuckles, a hand running down Lovino's backside through the fabric of his jeans. "How about we get yeh out of these jeans, hmm?"

Lovino nods in acquiesce, Allistor making quick work of the jeans and pulling them down along with his boxers first down to his knees, then off his legs entirely. Sure enough, Lovino was already more than half-hard.

"There we go," the redhead said, an encouraging lilt to his tone. Lovino flushed crimson once more, a soft moan leaving his lips as Allistor pumped his length once, twice. The redhead reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled a small tube of lube out, snapping the cap open and pouring a generous amount on his hand.

He then set about preparing the Italian straddling his lap, starting with one finger before moving all the way up to three, spreading and stretching to make sure Lov would be comfortable. Then he poured a bit more lube onto his hand and pumped it onto his own length, a groan leaving his lips at the contact. Lovino raised himself up and positioned himself over Allistor's length before sinking down, hissing at the initial sting. It hurt but it hurt so good.

Allistor peppered kisses all over Lovino's chest in order to distract him from the pain, fingers ghosting down the small of the Italian's back before ducking in-between his thighs. Their lips met in a passionate kiss as Allistor was buried in him right to the very hilt. Then began the redhead's series of thrusts, meeting Lovino's hips as he rode him.

It was as if only their moans could be heard, and the sound of wet skin slapping against skin. The playlist Lovino selected had been drowned out over their heated osculations, their thrusts growing more and more perfervid and frantic— desperate for release—

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Lovino gasped out. "Close, I'm so close! I—"

Something incoherent escaped Allistor's lips as Lovino came, his essence splattering all over both their stomachs. The Scot immediately followed suit, groaning Lovino's name out as he came inside of his inamorato.

Lovino's legs were shaking, his own come dribbling down the Italian's soft thighs in rivulets. He'd never seen anything or anyone more breathtaking.

"Taste good?" Allistor asks, as Lovino reaches for another slice of pizza. The Italian nods, biting into it.

The redhead glanced around the living room before spotting his bag. "Want ta open yer present?"

"Sure," says Lovino, pouring himself another glassful of wine before getting up too. "I'll get you yours."

Allistor flops down on the couch, a small green box in his hand. Lovino left his unfinished pizza slice back in the corner of the box before retrieving his own gift for Allistor, a box much smaller than the one Allistor had in his hand.

"Merry Christmas luv," Allistor says, kissing Lovino's forehead before giving him his gift.

"Thank you," says Lovino, before giving his gift to Allistor too. "Merry Christmas too, babe. Ti amo."

"Mm, Ah love yeh too."

They each unwrap their gifts, Allistor happy to receive the Frederique Constant watch Lovino picked out for him, with a simple white face and a black leather strap, suitable for all occasions (Lovino damn well made sure of that), and the Italian gaping at the classic checkered cashmere scarf Allistor had gotten him from Burberry, running his thumb over the initials 'LRV' embroidered in one corner.

"Oh, that's not all," Allistor says, a cheeky expression on his face. "Look in the box."

Lovino glanced at him curiously before pulling the scarf out of its box. Something unexpectedly fell back down onto his lap with an audible clank. Well. "You kinky fucking bastard."

The next morning, Lovino woke up in his bed feeling sore all over in what seemed to be the best possible way. When he stirred, the Scotsman followed suit, burying his face into the crook of Lovino's neck before leaning up to kiss his temple.

"Morning, luv," Allistor says, nuzzling the Italian's cheek.

"Mm, buon giorno," Lovino replies, yawning. He tugged at the handcuff chaining him to his bedpost. "Will you let me go now?"

Allistor stilled for a moment before chuckling. "Should I?"

"Not kidding, I really need to pee so hurry the fuck up."

"Ah, right." Allistor groaned as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he tried to locate the key somewhere on Lov's bedside table.

"...Lov?"

"Yeah?"

"Ah fink we may 'ave a problem."

Lovino stiffens. "What kind of problem?"

"Ah can't find th' key—"

"What?!" That was most definitely the Italian's outside voice. "What do you mean you can't find the key?!"

"Ah mean Ah don't know where it is! Ah swear it was right there last night—"

"So you mean I'm fucking stuck here?!" Lovino shrieked, downright incredulous. "Are you sure it's not there?"

Allistor turned to face him, the small silver key in hand and a mischievous grin on his face. "It is, sorry."

Lovino kicked him. "Oh my God, you asshole!"

The redhead let out a boisterous laugh, and though Lovino was miffed, he found himself laughing as well. Allistor leaned over him and unlocked the handcuff chained to Lovino's wrist, before bringing Lovino's hand up to his lips and kissing it. "It was just a wee prank, luv. Don't be cross with me, alright?"

"Yeah, whatever," Lovino says, carefully getting out of bed on wobbly legs before hobbling over to his en suite. He could only hope he the soreness would wear off soon; he didn't want Feliciano or Nonno seeing him limp around the fucking house like this. Shit was embarrassing as fuck.

When he exited his bathroom, he was somewhat surprised to find the bedroom empty. He grabbed a clean pair of boxers and wandered to the kitchen, where Allistor was busying himself with cooking breakfast.

"Ah'm making omelettes, d'yeh want ham in yers too, luv?" Allistor asks, pointedly ignoring Lovino's comment of 'Holy shit, you can actually cook?', as he sprinkled a handful of diced tomatoes into the pan.

"Yeah, sure," Lovino says, taking a seat by the island counter and watching his boyfriend cook. He wasn't sure it was a good idea to cook in the buff, but…

…he wasn't complaining. He ogled at his boyfriend's ass, no shame. Not like Allistor would be able to tell, anyway—

"Yeh're staring! Ah can feel it!"

Fuck.

"No, I wasn't! Get over yourself," Lovino says, his face beet red as he got up from the barstool and went through the cupboards. "Don't really have coffee here since me and Feli usually buy from Starbucks anyway. Want some hot cocoa?"

Allistor winks at him, a boyish smile on his face before he continued cooking the eggs. "Sure, luv."

Lovino stares at the red lines running down Allistor's broad back, gulping. Some were a light brown, almost faded, while the ones from last night were still red, having drawn blood. He did that to him.

As Allistor moves the first omelette to a plate, he cracks another two eggs. Lovino snaps out of his daze and prepares two mugs of hot cocoa, adding in a dash of mini marshmallows too, for good measure.

Within minutes, plates are set and breakfast is ready. They sit at the dining table, the two boxes of pizza from last night tucked to the other side. Lovino could really get used to this. Waking up next to Allistor, having breakfast together and all. Maybe they could move in together after Lovino finishes college. That would be nice.

"Ah need ta tell yeh something important, luv," Allistor says, glancing up at him after taking a bite of his omelette.

"Yeah, what is it?" Lovino asks, preoccupied with slicing his omelette into bite-sized forkfuls.

Allistor takes a deep breath, and that's what gets him. Lovino stills, his heart skipping a beat. "What is it?" He reiterates.

"Ah love yeh," the redhead says and Lovino smiles.

"Ti amo troppo."

And, almost abruptly, Allistor adds, "After Ah graduate, Ah'm leavin'. Ah'll be continuing me studies in RADA."

"Oh." Lovino says, and he didn't know what to make of it. They'd work something out, probably. "Okay."

The Scotsman didn't pursue the topic any further, so Lovino didn't either.

A dark green Mustang rolls up in front of the Vargas family home. Allistor peers out the window and stares at the light blue three-story house. "So this is where yeh live," he drawls, noting there were lights already strung up.

"Yeah," Lovino says, grabbing his backpack from the backseat. Then he stills, pauses for a moment. "Want to meet Nonno? I think he and Feli are up having breakfast right now."

"Can I?" Allistor asks, his expression lighting up. "Of course Ah want to! Ah'd love to! But Ah'm afraid Ah can't stay for too long though."

"No pressure." Lovino stretches his hand out for Allistor to hold. "You ready?"

The redhead beams at him. "More than ready."

Translations:

Díos - God (Esp.)
Dio - God (It.)
Nonno - grandfather (It.)
excusez moi - excuse me (Fr.)
oui - yes (Fr.)
ti amo/ti amo troppo - I love you/I love you too (It.)
buon giorno - good morning (It.)

Happy holidays! Finally we see Lovi and Allistor getting it on. I'm shockingly terrible at writing lemons, so any suggestions or maybe even ideas for future lemons, would be of help lololol

How have you guys been though? Feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think!

~jellydonut16~

P.S. Lovi's tumblr URL: pxss-off