Worry-filled violet eyes peered over you, examining your disheveled state. The stranger took you into his strong, pale arms, carefully carrying you to a nearby rock and setting you down. He picked up a beige coat that was strewn over one side, wrapping it securely over your shoulders. He smiled meekly.

"Are you all right?" His voice was delicate, soft. You nodded carefully, feeling your wet hair drag uncomfortably across your skin as you did so.

What had happened? You searched your mind for the bleary details, biting your lip nervously as you did so. The man sat next to you and slipped on a pair of thin, wire-framed glasses, smiling a bit brighter at your answer.

"Oh, thank God! I was so worried! You took quite a tumble, I didn't know if you were going to be okay…" He trailed off, voice carrying into the breeze. He sighed and put his head in his hands, leaning over his knees. Confusion crossed your face at his wet state. Had he been swimming?

What had happened?

You shivered, teeth knocking together harshly. Icy pain bit through your skin and you pulled the coat closer to you, longing for more that it's weak shelter. It was still warm from it's previous owner, you assuming it to be the fragile blonde next to you.

His shoulders were shaking lightly and you heard a sniff. Carefully, you placed a cold hand on his bare shoulder. He immediately straightened up, and you noticed tears streaking down his cheeks.

"S-sorry! I'm -I'm sorry!" He spluttered, wiping them away with the back of his arm. "I-I don't mean to be a b-baby, but I was just so worried, you looked like -like you were dead, and, and…" He sniffed again, more hot tears falling down his face. "S-sorry!" With that he buried his head into your shoulder, body shaking ever so slightly with sobs. You slipped your arms around him carefully, a weak smile gracing your lips.

And then you remembered.

Normally, a walk by the river was something you cherished, something that filled your usually vacant schedule with the slightest bit of excitement. You could sit by the water and relax on days you were melancholy, sometimes picking shapes out of the clouds in the vibrant blue sky. Other days you would hide in the woods, pencil scratching across paper as you poured your thoughts and soul into poetry. Many times you would swim, the icy water heated in the slightest by the sun. Thought it was cold, you were used to it, having grown up in the north. The pure serenity and secretiveness of this spot had been yours forever, it had always been your haven from your lonely and sometimes depressing life.

It cheered you up, consoled you when you needed it, offered a protective arm to your troubles.

It was yours and yours alone, and you would never give up on it, never skip out a day on visiting it's rocky shores.

But that had all changed one day.

The day you met Lovino was a day you could hardly forget, no matter how hard you had tried. He was the light of your life, every day after that you had searched for him, wishing that he would again talk to you, again fill your practically empty life with something.

"-? What a nice name!" He had cheerily replied to your nervous introduction that first day, smiling brightly. God, his smile. It lit up the entirety of the room, the entire world it somehow seemed. You felt your heart flutter in your chest, beating more rapidly than it had in a long time.

"My name's Lovino, it's so nice to meet you!" He stuck out his hand for a shake, and you nervously complied, feeling your cheeks heat up as you did so. He was boisterous, silly, and adorable.

You hadn't seen him after that first brief meeting, and you were sad. Would you ever see him again?

"-!" You turned and smiled hugely, seeing that cute curl bobbing up and down as the Italian ran to you and pulled you into a warm hug. "It's so nice to see you again!" He cried gleefully, amber-green eyes alight with delight.

You smiled, "I agree!" And then you joined him in quiet laughter.

"What are you doing today?" he asked suddenly, bitting his lip, smile faltering.

"Nothing, as of yet…"

He brightened again. "Would you like to come and get something to eat with me?" You nodded your head furiously, cheeks flaming again. He grinned. "Let's go!~"

Lovi took your arm and led you down the street, stopping at a small cafe of sorts and holding the door for you to enter. After sitting at a cozy booth in the corner, he sighed and reddened.

"I'm so sorry.. but… After I had met you the other day, I couldn't forget you… I just… I just… I…" He stuttered and stammered for words, and you smiled dreamily.

"I felt the same way, Lovino."

Time passed by much easier after that, now that you had someone to spend it with. Visits to the little river were more sparse, but you didn't need that anymore.

You had Lovi.

You two would go everywhere together, do everything together. He was at your side, kind and cheerful -though a bit irritable- and he always seemed to know exactly what to say to make you smile. He was the light of your life. He was your everything.

When he invited you to his parents house, how could you refuse? You wanted to meet his family, though he complained about them, so that maybe they would accept you…

"Eh? This is the famed -? How wonderful!~" Lovino's father exclaimed, hugging you. You nervously stiffened, but eventually gave in to the warm embrace. How could you not? The man, though at the very least 35, was small and hyper and adorable. Actually, he looked quite similar to your precious Lovino. You smiled and curtsied.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Vargas, sir." You sounded much more nervous than you had hoped. What if they didn't like you because you weren't loud enough? What if they thought you were weak and pathetic, and therefore not worthy of their only son's affection?

"Awww!~ How adorable and polite!" Mr, Vargas cooed, cupping your face and kissing your cheeks in the usual Italian way. Your face heated up in embarrassment, and Lovi thankfully noticed.

"Papa, stop it!" He said, pulling you gently out of the other man's grasp and into his own sun-kissed arms. You blushed heavily, though the gesture wasn't too unusual. You had hugged plenty of times! It was just… You had never done anything more.

"Ach, Feli, vat is going on? I thought I told you not to scare her off!" And angry and unfamiliar accent softly scolded. You looked over to see a tall and intimidating blonde man cuddling with Lovi's father, who was now sporting a pout at the gently-spoken scold.

"I was just being nice, Luddy…" He meekly protested, standing on his tippy toes to kiss the man's forehead.

"That is my Vater," Lovi said, rolling his eyes. "He's German, of all things…" At that, he sounded quite disgusted, and you couldn't stifle a little giggle. God, he was so cute! Always irritated over something or other, Lovi's charm was in his huffiness. He was like an old woman sometimes, unable to cope with 'new' things. And you knew that the Italian hated Germans. Not as much as he hated Spaniards, though.

"Hallo, Samantha, I'm Ludwig, Lovino's, er, other father…" The German awkwardly said, sticking out his hand for a shake. You smiled and accepted, immediately wishing you hadn't. Was he strong! He all but broke your hand in the grip, and you couldn't help but shake your hand afterwards. He didn't seem fazed, either that or he was just used to the reaction.

"We're going to have pasta for dinner, okay?" Mr, Vargas cheered after a moment, breaking the micro-second of silence that had taken upon the room. He skipped off to the kitchen to prepare, Ludwig silently following.

"Anything's better than wurst and potatoes… Bastardo," Lovino muttered, rolling his eyes before taking your hand and leading up to his room. You had never been here before, and you were excited. What type of room did he have? A person's room told a lot about said person, it was the place they spent most of their time. It was the place they were most comfortable being. Your room was painted a deep purple, hinted with accents of different shades of blue. Thick, black velvet curtains blocked almost all sunlight from the room, and the bed was massive and littered with tons of throw pillows of all shapes. A curtain hung around your bed as well, making the comfortable mountain of pillows even darker. You had, though, blue-tinted christmas lights strung around and around the room, giving off a richer light than a lamp could offer. Stacks of paper and notebooks covered every available surface, along with occasional jars of pens, pencils, and paints. A large mahogany bookshelf crammed with hundreds of books lined the biggest wall.

In a sense, your room reflected how you really were. Deep, mysterious, and intelligent. It was, besides the river, the only place you really could be comfortable, the only place you could be yourself. No one would judge you there. You could let go and be relaxed. Like how Lovino made you feel.

His room was painted the red hue of a tomato, walls lined with gorgeous paintings he himself had created. His bed was lavishly covered with red and orange silks, pillows large and inviting. The air in the room was warm and dim, comfortable and cozy. Books were in stacks littered across the floor, though not in any way messy. It was just like him, the room. Bright but level. Calm but almost irritating. It made you wish that you could see everything at once, but you could only focus on one thing at a time.

"Sorry about the mess…" He muttered, blushing a bit as he sat on the edge of the bed. You followed and claimed the spot next to him, sinking into it's plushness.

"Do you like my room?" He asked, a bit nervous. You nodded.

"It's adorable, like you."

"Really?" He reddened again, this time almost matching his walls. You giggled.

"It really suits you. I'll have to show you my room sometime…" He hummed in agreement, leaning his head on your shoulder.

"I love being with you, -."

After that, time seemed to go by much too quickly. It was all a blur of Lovi and Lovi only. He made you so happy, effortlessly made you smile. God, how had it seemed so difficult to do so before him? How was this simple curve of the lips so easy now that he was here? What made him so special?

Indeed, he was special. He knew exactly how to cheer you up, how to just be there for you when you needed him.

The river was all but abandoned.

Everything with the Italian was more fun, more passionate. Like your first kiss.

You two had been walking, holding hands and smiling. As you kept on, the town passing by in a nice, faded, background. He turned to at one moment, face slightly red, lips pulled into a nervous frown. Then he pulled you close and your lips met. And it was perfect. He melted against you, all passion and fire. After a few moments he let go and you continued walking, but neither one of your faces had lost the red tint that day.

It was all so wonderful, so perfect. Too perfect.

You had been meaning to surprise him, meet him after his cooking class with a rose and another kiss. You had been together now for almost three months, this was all routine. You poked your head around the doorway and was a bit confused. He wasn't alone. He was with another student, who too was holding flowers. Red chrysanthemums.

"Lovi~" This stranger whined, brown hair masking his eyes momentarily as he leaned over a bit to match the Italian's level. "C'mon! Why not? Why don't you like me?" An accent was apparent on his voice, though not the same as Lovi's.

"Tomato bastard! Leave me alone, okay? I have a girlfriend, I don't like you! You're annoying, idiot!" The redhead retaliated, balling up the rag he had been using to wipe off his counter and throwing it at the other.

"¿Cómo?" The other gasped, shocked. "¿Una novia? Tienes una novia…" He seemed to be caught in disbelief, like he really hadn't expected it. Who was this man, and why did he seem to be bothering Lovi so much?

"Si!" Lovi barked. "Now, leave me alone before I strangle you! Te odio!" He growled and spun on his heel, coming directly towards the door, where you were. You quickly ran back a bit down the hallway, acting as though you were leisurely taking your time to walk up to the room and hadn't just been listening in.

"Lovi! How was class?" You asked, smiling. He smiled back, though his anger was still apparent.

"I have to deal with a new partner, a Spaniard of all people… He is just… So annoying!" He growled and shook his head, putting on a real smile afterwards. "But now I don't have to deal with him any longer, si? I have you, and you always cheer me up!" You took his hand and felt reassured.

"An-antonio… Please, stop… Fermare!" Lovi begged as the Spaniard kissed up and down his throat. A little moan escaped his lips as he was again given a mark, the countless red splotches covering his chest and neck. Antonio shook his head and pushed their lips together again, kiss hot and passionate. He groaned and moved the smaller Italian more against the wall, grinding into him. Lovino seemed uncaring at this point, taking more pleasure than anything.

It was heated, lusty, full of hidden feelings. How could Lovi say that he didn't like the Spaniard now? Antonio chuckled and went back to ravishing his little tomato's neck.

You watched with horror as this scene played out before your eyes, tears streaming down your face. How could Lovi do this to you? You loved him, and he betrayed you. Stabbed you in the heart.

The single rose feel to the ground as you ran, leaving the only thing that had really helped you behind.

Back to the river. The river couldn't betray you, could it? It wouldn't. It loved you, it trusted you, it accepted and embraced you, all of your sins along with your strengths. At this point, though, you had no strengths.

God, how stupid you were. Giving your everything to some stupid Italian. He trampled over everything that you had ever loved, trampled over your already weak self-esteem.

You picked up a bright red stone, a piece of the mildly-rare jasper, and chucked it harshly into the water. It was too much like him, you preferred the deep purple stones to those obnoxious red ones. Tears still streamed down your cheeks, though it had been hours since you had left.

He'd never find you here, no one ever would.

But…

Who would even be looking for you?

No one.

No one.

A thought hit you, hard, like as if someone had forcefully pushing it into your head.

Jump. In. The. Water.

Jump.

In.

The.

Water.

Impulsively, your body took action, plunging into the freezing depths. It was autumn, the river ran icy cold.

Like how you felt.

Cold.

Cold.

Ice.

Yes, the river had always embraced you, it had always loved you.

The river was you, and you the river.

Forever.

You stood quickly, heart broken again as you realized that you were still here, still at the river. He had said tumble, hadn't he? Was that just his nice way of phrasing all of this?

You looked over at the blonde, who was strangely peering at you with his large, violet-blue eyes. You had let him go so abruptly, so suddenly.

"A-are you all right?" He asked, voice with an edge of nervousness. You shook your head and felt the tears come, hot and bitter. God, God! How stupid! Now this man was going to abandon you, like the countless other who have done so over the years!

But they didn't.

They stood, encircling their arms around you and hugging you tight, planting soft kisses on your forehead and whispering in gentle French.

"It's okay, I'm here for you."

Those words… It struck something deep inside of you. No one had ever been there for you. No one. Now someone… Someone had come for you. Was he an angel?

The tears stopped after a few more minutes, and you just enjoyed the other's presence.

"C'mon. Let's go get something hot to drink, okay?" He whispered. You nodded and followed him as he carefully led him back down the path, back towards the town. You didn't want to be reminded of Lovino, you knew he'd be out looking for you, but you trusted this man. He had only been kind, only helped you thus far. Why would he go back on that?

He led you to a familiar cafe, and you cringed. This is where you and Lovino had gone your first 'date'. But you didn't want to think of that.

The blonde led you to a table near the window, a much brighter and happier place. Why had Lovi always wanted to sit in the darkness? Why did he always want to be concealed?

"What would you like? I can ask my brother to get it for you, he works here," The angel asked, voice softer, a mere whisper. You gulped.

"I-I don't know…" He nodded knowingly and placed his hand on yours, which had been resting on the table.

"I… I'll be right back. Don't leave, please." He stood and walked off somewhere, and you noticed that he had slipped his shirt back on. You still had his coat on, but he hadn't seemed to mind. Your clothes were almost dry now, fabric clinging to your cool skin a bit uncomfortably.

He returned with a look-alike, you momentarily thought that you were seeing double, and a large mug of coffee was set in front of you. The much brighter looking of the two said something to his brother and left, leaving you again alone with your savior.

"I got you coffee, I didn't know how you liked it, though… I hope it's okay, I can get you something else if you'd like." He smiled weakly and you took a sip, immediately finding it to your tastes.

You lit up, happy for the warmth.

"Good, eh?" He chuckled, smile growing as he watched you smile in return. But he suddenly looked away, face reddening.

"A-are you all right?" The tables had turned, you were now asking him. He nodded and smiled.

"I-I'm sorry. It's just that… You have such a beautiful smile. Like your eyes…" He trailed off, face turning bright red again, and you did the same.

"Thank you…" You murmured, embarrassed. Even Lovi hadn't complimented you like that. "I think that you have a b-beautiful smile, too." He smiled hugely and blushed an even deeper red, burying his face in his hands.

"S-sorry that I'm like this!" He said nervously, though still smiling. "It's so nice to be noticed for once…"

You tilted your head to the side in confusion. Really? He seemed so the opposite of that. He attracted your attention, no one else could catch the light just so like he did.

He flushed and you realized that you had said all of your thoughts aloud.

"R-really?" You nodded sheepishly. "You are so… So…" He trailed off, not really knowing where he had been going. "So sweet and wonderful… May I… May I have your name?"

"-…" You replied, embarrassed. He smiled.

"How pretty… My name is Matthew."

"Matthew."

How nicely the name fell from your lips, how sweet it tasted against your tongue.

So perfect.

After that, he took you to his car, in which he held the door for you. Like a true gentleman. Lovi had never done that.

His house was so nice, so simple and clean and comfortable. You noticed how tired you were before you hit the bed, just seeing the plush duvet bringing a wave of exhaustion. Matthew noticed you looking at it and smiled, gently leading you over and helping you under the covers.

"Sleep well, my angel." He kissed your forehead and you stopped him, instead placing your lips gently against his. He flushed but didn't move away, and after a moment he deepened it. You leaned your head back, giving him more access. He climbed on top of you, breaking your lips to instead kiss up and down your neck. You hummed in satisfaction, and he suddenly stopped.

"I… I… We can't. I-I'm just taking advantage of you…" Tears were forming in his eyes and you kissed them away, pulling him back down on top of you.

"No, no you aren't. I… I want this… I want you…" And he kissed you again. This time, though, it was rougher, harder.

He molded his body to yours, nibbling on your lip slightly while his hands ran up and down your sides. He sat up and stopped his shirt off, yours coming right after. Your cheeks heated up in self-consciousness, but he shook his head and kissed you while he unhooked your bra.

"M-matthew~" You mewled, closing our eyes as he kissed up and down your chest. He slipped his agile fingers to the brim of your pants, a silent question. You hummed in agreement and lifted your hips allowing him to slid your pants and panties off easily. He unbuckled his belt and broke the kiss, face heating up again.

"This is… It's my first time… I…" He turned even more red at his confession, eyes refusing to meet yours. His hands slid over your naked body carefully, softly, caressing every curve and smooth surface.

"M-me, too…" You murmured, face hot. "But… But I want this…" You kissed him again softly, and head the clink of metal and the shuffle of material as he slipped his jeans off.

"Are you sure?" He asked, uneasy. You nodded and reached your hands down to his member, gently stroking it. He moaned in a breathy whisper, "More!" and you began to stroke faster. After a moment he pulled your hands away, reaching to the bedside table for what you guessed was a condom. He slipped it on and sat up, pulling your hips onto his lap. He bent down and kissed you again, encircling his arms around you and lifting you up, gently placing you on his lap.

"M-matthew~" You moaned a second time, wanting him be inside you. You kissed him roughly and lifted your hips, slowly sliding down onto his shaft. He let out a muffled groan, immediately kissing you to cover it up.

Pure pleasure engulfed you as he gently set you back onto the bed, eyes half-lidded with desire. He began to slowly thrust, each one accompanied by a little grunt or moan. After a few minutes, he began to go faster, pulling you into a deep kiss.

"F-faster~" You mewed in the midst of it, pulling him down on top of you more and bucking your hips up to meet his thrusts. How amazing and wonderful and yet gentle he was being, making you feel so loved and so needed. Yes, need, that was what this was. Lovely need.

He kissed you roughly and thrust faster, moaning in his soft voice. God, each of his little moans was like a slice of heaven, a mere butterfly in the wind.

"I'm-I'm going to-!" He gasped, and you both came. You arched your back, biting your lip in a failed attempt to stifle a loud moan. He kissed you and pulled out, smiling dreamily.

"I… I love you…" He whispered, kissing your cheek once more before cuddling into you and puling the covers over the both of you.

You nuzzled into his embrace, fingers lightly tracing over his chest. "I love you, too, Matthew~

Author's Note:

This was a birthday present for my best friend's 16th! (It was June 8th)

First of all, I wrote this with her name in it the first time, so it might still be in there in some random spots! And I KNOW I mentioned her eye color, but I couldn't find the spot for the life of me... So, I apologize for that!

This was also one of the very first times I have attempted hetero smutt. You better believe it.

It's weird that I made Feliciano and Ludwig Lovino's parents. I was going to have them be Rome and Germania, but I figured the only difference in writing the characters would be the name, so... Yeah...

Enjoy! She seemed to like it, so I hope you all will, too!