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Lovino hates Valentine’s Day. The city of Rome where he lived was always overly decorated from head to toe in flashy pink decorations. It was way too loud and unbearable for the Italian.
The bright morning sun shone through the transparent curtains and created a pretty array of light in the room. Lovino awoke from the commotion that came from outside and blinked awake “Who’s this fucking loud this early?” he grumbled as he stumbled around in his room and swung open the curtains.
He looked around at the busy city streets and saw the cause of the noise: people holding heart shaped balloons, bobbing as they walked and couples wandering about the roads.
He scoffed and hurried to close the curtains with aggression, “Che schifo,” he exclaimed out of disgust and climbed back into bed face first. It’s not like he hated the lovey-dovey stuff. He did enjoy flirting and going out on dates. Especially with his high school sweetheart, Gilbert. He pretended to hate him, but deep down it was obvious they cared for each other.
He huffed and opened up his phone to check his socials. No message from Gilbert. He huffed once more, he at least expected a text from him on this day of all days. He stared down at his phone screen then threw it into the covers and grumbled.
After a while of silently sulking, he got up out of bed to go make coffee. He tossed his legs over the bed and stumbled on the apartment floor. The floor creaked of age as he inched closer to the coffee pot that he longed for each morning.
He reached the kitchen and right as he did, a few quick knocks landed on his door, “What the fuck? It’s 8 in the goddamn morning what bastard is knocking on my door—“ he kept on grumbling and complaining before opening the door to a smiling Gilbert, holding a bouquet of flowers and a heart box filled with what he presumed to be chocolate inside.
Lovino stood there for a second, inside he was a little shocked, but on the outside he displayed a look of annoyance. He forgot that Gilbert was staying in Italy for a few weeks. He sighed.
“Happy Valentine's Day, Lovi.” Gilbert said, slightly embarrassed but still continuing to smile.
Lovino didn’t reply, but moved out of the way of the door for Gilbert to enter the apartment. After Gilbert set the things he brought, he was going in for a hug, but quickly pulled back from being interrupted.
“Whats with the flowers? I’m not some girl who needs to have expensive flowers or something.” Lovino crossed his arms and eyed the bouquet then back up at Gilbert.
“Oh so I can't be nice to my boyfriend on Valentine’s Day?” Gilbert said while digging through Lovino's cabinets for a vase. He picked out a glossy, red vase and grinned and held it up, “See? Perfect.” Lovino rolled his eyes as Gilbert filled it up, spilling a bit of water in the process, and sat the colossal bouquet in the water filled vase.
“I didn’t say that,” Lovino said looking around the room to hide his blushed expression, “It’s just embarrassing.”
Gilbert just snickered at Lovino which caused a few curses to spill from the Italian’s mouth. Lovino grabbed a towel off of his stove and began to aggressively clean the puddle of spilled water on the table, still cursing under his breath.
Gilbert put his hands in his pocket, fidgeting with the small, red, velvet box with a necklace Lovino said he wanted a while back in his hoodie pocket, “You hungry?” He said casually.
“No.”
Gilbert hums and smiles. He knows Lovino is actually hungry. He’s grown to understand him over the years. He knows when Lovino says “No”, it really means “I’m hungry but I'm too scared to actually admit it cause I'm trying to look cool and nonchalant.”
“Cool, cause there’s a new café down the street from here. I saw it on the way over, it looks pretty awesome to me.” Gilbert said while grinning at Lovino’s annoyed face.
Lovino pauses his cleaning to look at him, “I just said I wasn’t hungry!”
“Come on, Lovi. I know you’re hungry,” Gilbert grabs Lovino’s waist as he tries to walk away and hugs him. “I wanna go. It’s Valentine’s Day!”
The faint sounds of people chatting drifts up into the air, seeping into the room from the cracked window.
Lovino huffs and yells, “Fine! I’ll go to your stupid café, you jerkhole!”
Gilbert grins, “See, I knew you loved me.” He squeezes Lovino tighter, causing him to cough.
Lovino broke free from Gilbert’s grasp and walked towards his dresser to pick out clothes that were better than the SpongeBob pajama pants that Gilbert happened to buy him for his birthday last year and a grey t-shirt with a few holes he had on.
——
Gilbert waited on Lovino's brown sofa, scrolling on Instagram while waiting for his boyfriend to finish getting ready. Lovino was blasting an Italian song in the background. You could hear him faintly singing along, which made Gilbert grin to himself.
Eventually, Lovino emerged from the bedroom in a plain wine red turtleneck and some jeans. His hair was in his usual style, his cowlick separating his hair on the side.
“You look pretty.” Gilbert said like it was nothing.
Lovino huffed, “Yeah, yeah.” He walked over to the chocolate filled heart box and popped one in his mouth, “Let’s go,” his voice slightly muffled from the chocolate.
Gilbert nodded and stood up. Lovino began to walk out the door, but Gilbert speed walked towards him to grab his hand and intertwine their fingers. Lovino looked down at their hands, then back up at Gilbert. He gave him a half smirk half smile and scoffed then opened the apartment door for them to leave.
They walked together in a comfortable silence as they walked along the busy Rome streets, passing by a few other couples, mostly tourists. The town was decorated with pink and red hearts and ribbons. Gilbert pointed out the dumb decorations in shop windows, Lovino complained, but smiled on the inside.
They eventually made it to the newly built café with cute little cage designs painted on the windows. He knew Lovino loved cats so he thought this place was just perfect to take him, “See? Don’t you love it?” Gilbert said grinning.
Lovino let a genuine smile peak through his usual mean demeanor. He loved cats. Just the sight of one made his attitude completely switch from mean to sweet in a matter of seconds. He didn’t reply to Gilbert. He just dragged him inside.
They found a seat that was shown to them by the light brown haired waitress with a flower in her hair, and sat down across from each other.
It was quiet and peaceful, a break from the loud town. The sounds of people walking about are now silenced by the shut door of the café.
Gilbert sat across from Lovino. His arms crossed but resting them on the booth table, smiling at him.
“What.” Lovino said with a straight face.
“Nothing..” Gilbert murmured.
Lovino rolled his eyes but reset as the waiter came to get their drink order. “What would you guys like?” She said in her unusual accent. Lovino could tell she wasn’t Italian, but he didn’t know where exactly.
“Just water with lemon.” Lovino said, trying his best to not sound mean.
The waitress nodded and wrote it down in her notepad, “And for you?” She looked at Gilbert.
Gilbert looked up, “Same thing.”
She nodded and walked away.
“I was gonna get beer, I figured that wasn’t very romantic,” Gilbert said with a slight grin.
“Yeah, and I was gonna get wine.” Lovino said glaring at Gilbert.
“So we’re even,” Gilbert replied.
——
They eventually got their drinks, along with their order. Lovino got pasta and Gilbert got a steak. They finished eating and were now just sitting at the table staring at each other. The streets died down with most people gone except for the few walking down the city streets like it was every night.
Gilbert watched as Lovino stirred the newly refilled cup of water after he had just squeezed another lemon into it, “Is it good?”
“Mhm,” Lovino hummed back without looking up at Gilbert.
Gilbert frowned, not out of sadness, but out of contemplation. He sighed, “Okay, I was going to wait, but here..” He pulled out the red velvet box from his hoodie pocket and slid it across the table.
Lovino stopped his stirring and looked up at Gilbert, “What is this?”
“A gift,” Gilbert says nonchalantly.
Lovino slowly reaches for the box and holds it in his hand for a moment before opening it slowly. He let his lips quirk up into a slight smile as he looked at the golden chain he wanted a while back, “You didn’t have to.”
Gilbert leaned back in the booth chair and smiled at him, “Well, you wanted it and it’s Valentine’s so I thought it was perfect.”
“…Idiot, “ Lovino murmurs to hide his smile as he holds the chain in his hands, the heavy metal seeping into his palms.
“Do you like it?” Gilbert says nervously.
“I love it.”
——
They begin their walk home, hand in hand, Lovino's usual grumpy expression plastered on his face with a golden chain around his neck. The walk was silent. Only the sound of their shoes crunching against the pavement and the ringing of Italian music playing in the distance from local shops.
They eventually make it back to Lovino's apartment. They walk up the steps and Lovino unlocks the door and they both walk inside, right as Gilbert gets his shoes off, Lovino goes into his room. Gilbert is confused, but soon after Lovino comes back with a small, red bag.
“Here,” Lovino snaps, pushing the bag into Gilbert’s hands, “I forgot I got you something… your gift reminded me.”
Gilbert looks a little shocked, he hadn’t expected a gift in return, but nods without further explanation and slowly opens up the bag.
Inside the bag was a pair of Dior sunglasses. No letter or anything. Gilbert looks up at Lovino in shock, “These are so expensive! Lovi, thank you!” Gilbert carefully sets the sunglasses back into the bag and hugs Lovino tight.
Lovino huffs and stumbles back, “I can’t breathe, bastard!”
Gilbert loosens his grip to look back at Lovino's angry expression, he really loved it, “You didn’t have to buy me those, Lovi. They’re crazy expensive.”
Lovino huffs and looks away, “I know how to make money. It’s not a big deal.”
“Well, still thank you.” Gilbert cups Lovino's face and smushes his cheeks together. Lovino curses and swats at Gilbert’s hands, but Gilbert just laughs and kisses his forehead and then cheeks.
Lovino huffs but he’s clearly flustered. Gilbert smiles and gets the sunglasses back out and puts them on then makes duck lips, “Do I look awesome?”
Lovino snorts, “You look stupid with that face you’re making.”
Gilbert takes them off and rolls his eyes, “You’re jealous.”
Lovino scoffs and crosses his arms, “Jealous of what exactly?” He said with a smile.
“Jealous of this sexy face,” Gilbert poses.
Lovino laughs and smacks his arm, “Knock it off! You look stupid!”
Gilbert laughs then hums, holding Lovino’s waist and moving a stray strand of hair out of his face. He kisses his lips briefly before pulling away to smile down at him, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Lovino lets a rare smile leak through and returns the look, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Gil.”