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All morning, Gilbert waited for Lovino to say something. It wasn't as if the Italian didn't know today was his birthday; he'd been going on about it all week. Even today, he kept dropping subtle hints, though he didn't want to say anything outright. He wanted Lovino to remember.
He didn't.
Early in the afternoon, they sat at the table together, Gilbert staring intently at Lovino as the Italian sipped some dark red juice and read. The weird thing was, he wasn't even snapping at the Prussian like he usually did when Gilbert stared--and he ended up staring a lot, so it wasn't like he was basing that observation on one experience. He knew Lovino, dammit.
"So..." he began finally.
"If you say anything to keep me from finishing this page, I'll kick you," Lovino threatened, his hazel eyes fixing Gilbert with a Look just long enough to let him know he meant business. Feeling his heart sink, Gilbert swallowed his words. He'd thought the first birthday he celebrated while dating Lovino would be filled with good food and kisses, but so far there had been nothing of the sort.
"Hey, come with me," Lovino began, standing suddenly. Gilbert looked up hopefully; was this it?
"I need to go shopping, and you're carrying my bags," Lovino finished, sending Gilbert's heart plummeting again.
"What!? Didn't you already go this week?" he whined, spreading out over the chair instead. Lovino huffed irritably and glared, crossing his arms.
"I forgot a few things. Get up, dammit."
Grumbling under his breath, Gilbert pulled himself to his feet and trailed after his boyfriend reluctantly. If Lovino wasn't going to celebrate him, he should at least leave him to play video games and drink beer all day or something. Maybe one of his online friends would remember his birthday.
Against Gilbert's better judgment, Lovino drove. Gilbert could hear him grumbling about the weather under his breath and resisted the urge to comment on how much colder it must be in Germany. Lovino would just snap at him that that's why they were in Italy, duh.
"You know what today is?" he asked suddenly, trying to sound nonchalant. Lovino just glanced at him and back at the road before answering.
"January 18, right?" he asked, sounding as if he wasn't interested.
"It's my birthday," Gilbert reminded him, pouting slightly.
"Oh. I thought it was tomorrow. Happy birthday, then," Lovino replied.
He'd finally said it, but there obviously wasn't any heart behind it. Gilbert knew the Italian could be difficult, but he thought he cared more than this. What if Lovino was already losing interest in him? He wasn't ready to let the Italian go. Things had seemed so good lately too...
They fell silent again, and Gilbert began to play with the radio moodily. He came across a few songs he normally liked to sing along to, but barely lingered on them for a moment before changing the station again. That at least got a concerned look from his boyfriend.
"Look, we can watch a movie or something when we get home, okay?" Lovino suggested finally, scowling a little as if Gilbert's fidgeting was bothering him.
"Yeah, sure," Gilbert agreed, grumbling, and he slumped back in his seat to stare out the window. That was when he realized they were nowhere near the store Lovino usually dragged him to.
"Hey, where are we going?" he asked, whipping around to stare accusingly at the brunet.
Lovino just rolled his eyes, his disinterested attitude never faltering. "I can only get the things I need in Rome. It'll just be a few hours."
Great. A few hours being dragged around by someone who was apparently doing his best to prove he didn't care about Gilbert. The Prussian could feel a lump rising in his throat.
The rest of the drive was mostly silent. Lovino reached over a few times to take Gilbert's hand, and while it soothed the hurt a bit, it couldn't make it go away. He was glad when they pulled up at the big house the Italian brother's shared and parked at the curb. As they made their way up to the front door, Lovino's fingers slipped into the spaces between Gilbert's. The Prussian's heart and throat ached as he wondered if this was all an act. Lovino hadn't even tried to give him a birthday kiss yet...
The first sign should have been the fact that Lovino didn't even search for his key. He just reached for the door and pushed it open, nudging Gilbert in a little ahead of him. The Prussian took a slow step into the darkened entryway.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold, the entire place burst into light and color. Feliciano was the first to reach him, throwing his arms around Gilbert with a shout of "Surprise!"
They were all there--Ludwig, Elizaveta, Roderich, Vash, Lili, Francis, Antonio, Arthur, Mathias...Gilbert rarely saw them all in one place except for meetings. For them to be celebrating his birthday...Usually, he was lucky to get even a handful to go out for drinks or something. He could feel tears of emotion pricking his eyes, but fought them back--the Awesome Prussia didn't cry, especially not over something so sappy. It was a few moments before he realized Feliciano was babbling in his ear.
"...And Lovi said we should do something for you, since you don't get to do a lot with all of us lately, and he wanted to make your birthday really special! Wait until you try the food! Lovi's probably checking on it now; he doesn't really trust us with it, but he had to be with you--"
Gilbert cut him off there with a smile and a pat on the head, thanking him before he slipped off to the kitchen. It took longer than he would have liked to get there, since everyone stopped him to wish him a happy birthday. Luckily, they could see he had a goal in mind and didn't try to trap him with conversation.
Sure enough, Lovino was standing at the stove and muttering to himself over a pot of...something. Gilbert was pretty sure he was catching a whiff of potato from whatever was in it. Grinning, he slipped up behind his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around his waist.
"You really went out of your way, huh?" he asked, kissing his way up the Italian's neck. Lovino shivered, but his attempts to push Gilbert back were halfhearted at best.
"N-not really. Your brother and Feliciano got in touch with most of them..."
Gilbert snorted and kissed him, not wanting to listen to his protests. Lovino melted into it, the way he always did when he'd been stressed for a while and everything was okay now. His arms wrapped around Gilbert's neck, and there was a familiar, adorable flush on his cheeks when they separated.
"Thanks," Gilbert murmured, short but sincere, "There's just one thing..."
Lovino looked nervous for a moment, but nodded at Gilbert to go on. This was the Lovino he was used to, quick to embarrass and overreact, but so open that it was endearing anyway.
"This would still mean a lot even if you hadn't pretended to forget," he pointed out, serious now, "I'd have been happy just spending the day with you and doing things we like. All you had to do was kiss me and say 'happy birthday' when you woke up this morning."
Lovino nodded, swallowing hard. He looked relieved though, and Gilbert smiled softly.
"I'll remember that. For next year," Lovino replied. The insinuation and Lovino's tiny smile sent butterflies tumbling through Gilbert's stomach, but it was nothing compared to what came next.
Lovino pulled himself closer, pushing himself up on his toes so his lips brushed Gilbert's when he spoke. Gilbert's arms tightened automatically, his eyes fixed on Lovino's soft expression.
"Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, Liebling," he murmured clumsily, the pink tint of his cheeks deepening at his own awkward German. Gilbert could tell he'd practiced the phrase, but before he could offer praise, Lovino's lips were on his. It was soft, sweet, and held the promise of more to come, and it sent Gilbert's head spinning.
This time, when they separated, Gilbert was grinning. "Come on," he insisted, grabbing Lovino's hand to drag him back to the other room, "Leave the cooking to Feli. We're going to enjoy this party you set up."