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Two whole years down the drain (quite literally). or seven hundred and thirty days. Lovino pulled his mangled arms up to cross himself, the gentle stream of icy water trickling down from his shoulders, down his hewn arms and onto the piercingly white porcelain. the water ran red once it passed through each meticulous slit that blemished Lovino’s cinnamon reminiscent skin.
The overwhelming feeling of disappointment was crushing, Help was a mere phone call away. With a few taps he could’ve simply dialed his brother, Hell or even Antonio. And yet he didn’t, He let every little dewdrop of impulse fill his mind until it overflowed.
At first it was exhilarating, It was relief, it was like lifting the lid off of a pot of boiling water and letting all the steam out. but the aftermath paled in comparison. It was humiliating, It was shameful. It made his heart drop to his stomach once he was clear minded, There was absolutely no way he could even begin to hide this.
It was the middle of June in Naples, immediately checking off wearing any kind of long sleeved clothing. And there was no way in hell he was just going to raw dog it, wrap his arms in bandages and call it a day.
As he frantically searched for a solution a loud, overdrawn knock came from the bathroom door. “Schatz! Are you going to leave any hot water for me??” the loud garrulous voice of Gilbert exclaimed from the hallway.
If Lovino’s heart wasn’t already in his stomach it definitely was now. “I’ll be out in a Goddamn minute, Bastard!” Now filled with sense of urgency he scrambled to his feet, nearly hissing when he flexed his much too sensitive arm.
As he scuttled out of the shower and around the bathroom for a quick solution to his urgent problem the doorknob carefully twisted with a squeak, Lovino whipped his head around to gape at the albino now standing in the doorway. Thankfully he had a towel on (Not that they haven’t seen each other naked before) but that still didn’t hide the mangled flesh of his wrists one bit.
The Prussian stood still for a moment, Fixating on Lovino’s arms intensely. It made Lovino feel like he was staring directly into his very soul through each slit in his flesh, like he was taking apart every gimmick of himself and studying it to a T.
Lovino opened his mouth to spout whatever Insult, Excuse or justification he could think of to deter Gilbert away when suddenly he was encased in two lanky arms. They beckoned him impossibly closer to a quivering body that uttered near silent words of compassion before a pair of chapped lips pressed feather light kisses on whatever they could reach.
Lovino resisted the urge to thrash and shove the other man away, refuse the solace he so desperately wanted. “Why didn’t you say anything? Mein Gott.. These are serious.” Gilbert uttered as he shifted to cradle one of Lovino’s gaping wrists into his palm.
Lovino didn’t reply, Instead he curled his head right beneath Gilbert’s chin. He felt so out of it the whole time Gilbert cleaned him up, Bandaged his wounds and even helped him into his clothes. Only when he felt his cheeks cradled by two steady hands did he register that he was now sitting on the edge of their shared bed, Gilbert kneeling in-front of him with a uncharacteristically serious expression on his face.
“Liebling,” The Prussian started slowly, easing Lovino out of whatever dissociation he had fallen into. “You don’t have to tell me anything if you aren’t ready, But please. Please, come to me if you feel like this again. Fuck, it doesn’t even have to be me. You know, little Italy is here for you and even Antonio too.”
Lovino sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, chewing on it apprehensively. Gilbert continued to stare up at him like he had hung all the stars in the sky, his demeanor unusually soft in comparison to the egotistical nature that he always carried.
“i know that. I just.. I don’t want to talk about it.” He concluded with a sigh, flopping backwards onto the mattress, the springs squeaked beneath the sudden weight. Gilbert immediately followed, lying down parallel to Lovino.
“you know that i love you, right? Nothing you can say or do will ever change that.” Gilbert Confessed as he rolled onto his left side, facing the Italian with an infectious smile.
“Yeah, i know that already.” And in a swift movement, Lovino Pressed their lips together gently. The air lingered with unspoken words and things that they’d need to sort out, but for now they didn’t have to.