Work Text:
Lovino had just woken up around twenty minutes prior, so enough sleep still clung to him for him to not notice the pattering of rain on the roof. It was only when he peeked through the blinds and saw droplets on the window and growing puddles on the road that he finally took notice. Lovino quickly checked his phone in hopes the rain would only last for another hour or two, only to learn that it was going to start actually storming in the afternoon, so this was probably the lightest it was going to be today.
Since today was Lovino's grocery shopping day (he had been procrastinating on it for so long, and it took him running out of tomatoes yesterday to finally decide to go), he supposed he should get it over with as early as possible before the weather became unbearable. Lovino nodded to himself, determined to be as productive as possible today. Well, until it actually began storming later. Then he could freely laze around the house all day. Now that was an incentive that would really get him going. That and needing to stock up on tomatoes, he supposed.
He turned with purpose and made his way to the bedroom so he could change. As he rifled through his clothes to find an outfit suitable for the weather, he heard the bed shift and soft footsteps padding towards him. Soon enough, warm arms found their way around Lovino's waist, and he stalled the hunt for his raincoat to reach his hand back and ruffle his boyfriend's hair. Gilbert rested his chin on Lovino's shoulder and sighed contentedly.
Lovino couldn't help but notice that Gilbert was oddly tired this morning. When Lovino had woken up, the German was still in bed beside him, curled into himself as he slept. He usually woke up early every morning to go on a jog, but it was obvious he didn't go today due to the rain, despite it being light. While it had been a surprise that he was still there, Lovino had decided to pay no mind to it.
"Are you going out?" Gilbert asked drowsily, practically nuzzling into Lovino's shoulder. Lovino resumed looking for his raincoat within his disaster of a closet with his eyes only, not particularly wanting to leave Gilbert's warmth just yet.
"Mhm," Lovino responded, then paused to think for a moment. "Actually, we are going out." He paused again, out of mild embarrassment this time. "To the grocery store, I mean. I have a long-ass list of stuff we need, and I'm not carrying all that by myself. Come on, get changed so we can go before the rain gets worse."
Gilbert didn't respond for an almost concerning amount of time (that being barely two seconds because Gilbert was usually a relentless chatterbox), and Lovino thought he had somehow fallen back asleep pressing his face into his shoulder. Before he could think to repeat himself, however, the silver-haired man let out a loud, dramatic sigh.
"Lo-vi-no…" he whined, "Come on, do I have to go? I'm just sooo tired…"
Lovino shrugged his shoulders in an attempt to shake Gilbert off when the German leaned even more of his weight on him. Where the hell was his raincoat? Maybe he should tidy up his side of the closet… no, he only had the energy to do one productive thing today. That being getting groceries. That— now that he really thought about it— actually very much required another pair of hands. Which was why he needed his boyfriend to come along. Unfortunately though, Gilbert had decided to be awfully whiny this morning. That was supposed to be Lovino's role!
Lovino tried to twist out of his boyfriend's grasp, but Gilbert simply leaned more onto him and began to slowly sway the both of them from side to side.
"Hey," Lovino grumbled, though it was hard to put any annoyance in his tone. In all honesty, he was beginning to feel a little bad about dragging Gilbert with him, especially since he was so tired. "Come on. If we go, I'll make your favorite for dinner. I just need to get the ingredients."
Ah, there was his raincoat. He shuffled to the side, dragging Gilbert along, and reached to grab it from underneath a pile of clothes. While he did so, Gilbert finally loosened his grip enough to allow Lovino to get everything else he needed.
"But," Gilbert began, "it's raining! I don't want to get wet and mess up my awesome hair and outfit! And… and also, I'll still feel my clothes soaking long after they dry!"
Lovino finally managed to fully shrug Gilbert off of him and turned to give him the best irritated look he could muster. "Umbrellas exist, idiot. We'll take the car. And also, that doesn't even make any sense!" They had a small staring contest, and Lovino lost. Even so, after a moment, Gilbert let out a small sigh. He gave in! Though it was strange he didn't celebrate his win.
"I guess you're right," Gilbert said. Now that Lovino could actually look at him, he actually didn't look tired at all, even though his voice sure sounded it. Instead, he looked… vacant? Lovino squinted at him, about to step forward to take a closer look, but Gilbert turned and made his way over to look through his side of the closet (which was infinitely neater than Lovino's) before he could get a chance.
.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅. 𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅
Soon enough, the two were positioned by the door, putting on their boots. Lovino glanced over to see a tense expression on his boyfriend's face as he fastened the laces.
"Alright, let's go!" Gilbert announced, standing back upright and giving Lovino a small smile. Lovino nodded and grabbed the umbrella, before pausing to study the other man's face. Without a word, Lovino marched back to their room, reappearing with a soft knitted hat in hand. Before Gilbert could protest, Lovino pulled the hat over his head, being sure to fix a few errant strands of silvery hair once he was done adjusting it. Gilbert, in return, smiled stupidly, letting out a small huff of laughter.
"For your hair," Lovino murmured, stepping back to reclaim the umbrella and open the door. "Now come on." A chilly gust of wind instantly swept inside, making Lovino shiver. Nonetheless, he held the umbrella outside the door to unfurl it, then stepped out into the rain. It was already getting heavier, the drumming of droplets loud against the umbrella.
Lovino glanced inside to see Gilbert hovering by the doorway, not stepping out and instead just staring at the rain. Lovino tried to give him a look, but it seemed that he was not paying attention. So, he gently tugged on Gilbert's arm to lead him outside. The German turned to quickly close the door, rain pelting at him, before rushing underneath the umbrella with Lovino. Together, they made their way to the car, slipping in as soon as possible to avoid getting too wet.
"You should've let me drive," Lovino grumbled after settling in the passenger seat. Gilbert snorted.
"No way. Not in the rain," he replied. He started up the car and flipped radio stations until he found one he liked, then set off onto the road. For the first few minutes of the drive, Lovino just brushed the raindrops out of his dark hair and stared out the window, watching the water droplets race each other down while Gilbert drummed his fingers on the wheel.
But after a little bit, Lovino began to feel unsettled; it was oddly quiet. Car rides with Gilbert always came with a slight raise in blood pressure from at least one of them, usually depending on who was driving. When Lovino was in the driver's seat, Gilbert always clutched at the car door handle for dear life as if he was going to get killed or something. Meanwhile, Gilbert drove like an old man, slowly and carefully, yapping Lovino's ear off the entire damn time. The fact that wasn't happening right now was the weird part.
He turned to his boyfriend, who looked strangely dead-serious with his red eyes narrowed at the road and his lips curved into a slight frown. "Hey, what's with you?" Lovino asked, unable keep the hesitant note from his voice. Gilbert seemed to snap back to normal at that, glancing at Lovino briefly with a reassuring smile.
"Oh, I just got a little wet from the rain, is all! It's fine though, because we'll be super efficient and be back home in no time!" he chirped, shaking his arms as if it would make his damp sleeves dry quicker. He proceeded to chatter away for the next few minutes of the car ride (which, although annoying, was a relief), up until they pulled into the grocery store parking lot.
They definitely could have been more efficient, but their luck started to go down once Gilbert stepped out of the car and raced to Lovino to get under the umbrella, only to slip on the wet road and fall on his ass. Lovino stared down with a concerned look, holding the umbrella over his boyfriend's dejected form sitting on the ground.
Once they got inside and began started to collect all the items from Lovino's long-ass grocery list, Lovino noticed Gilbert growing more and more uncomfortable by the second. Every few seconds he had to stop walking in order to shake out his arms or legs to keep his damp clothes from clinging to his skin. He was obviously getting increasingly more agitated with himself, but was also clearly trying not to let it show as he basically sprinted to get each item from the list as fast as he could while attempting to keep an eager face.
"If you keep running like that, you're going to slip again. That or bump into some poor innocent shopper," Lovino said once Gilbert came skidding to a stop to carefully place another item in the cart. It was clear Gilbert was not paying attention though, craning his next to try take a peek at Lovino's phone to see what they needed next, all while bouncing on his toes skittishly like a sprinter about to step up to the block. Lovino clicked his tongue in irritation, moving his phone away and stuffing it in his pocket.
"Gilbert," he said, louder this time, and the other man finally looked at him with a sudden nervous grin.
"Hm? What is it?" responded Gilbert distractedly, his eyes darting around to lock on some random thing every few seconds before refocusing. He unconsciously pulled at his wet sleeves.
Lovino sighed, walking around the cart to stand in front of his boyfriend, and took his hands gently but firmly. Gilbert's smile wobbled a bit in surprise. Lovino usually hated showing affection in public, but he was getting a little pissed off (worried) so this was a rare exception.
"Gilbert. You're alright," he said, trying to sound comforting, but was eighty percent sure it just sounded like scolding. Whichever way it sounded, Gilbert still relaxed just the slightest bit. Lovino continued, "We only have a few things left. We'll get those and go home in no time, so you… so you can calm down, dammit."
Gilbert blinked at him, his wide smile slowly melting into something more subdued, something more real. He squeezed Lovino's hands before slipping his own away, nodding and averting his eyes almost in shame. Honestly, he reminded Lovino of a scolded puppy.
"I know I'm alright," was all he said, reaching up to adjust the hat Lovino had put on him. However, as soon as he felt the tiny drops of water scattered across and clinging to the soft material, he instantly recoiled his hand and began to fidget with his sleeve. Lovino checked the list to find that everything left on there could be found in the aisle they were already in, so he quickly collected everything and tossed them in the cart before proceeding to checkout.
While all the stuff got scanned one-by-one, Gilbert took the liberty of strategically placing each item in the bags they had brought to maximize space. Lovino paid (using Gilbert's credit card), and for a moment he just watched Gilbert gleefully organize everything to just perfectly fit in all four bags. What a goddamn weirdo, thought Lovino, it's too bad I'm in love with him.
Because they were both carrying a heavy bag in each hand, there was no way for either of them to hold the umbrella to shield them from the wind and rain. Which meant the only feasible option was to book it to the car (without slipping or tripping) and try not to get too wet. While they executed the former half of the plan successfully, they didn't have much luck with the latter.
Lovino found himself in the driver's seat, soaking wet, while Gilbert, even more drenched, sulked in the passenger seat. "Just drive home as fast as possible without killing us," he muttered, vigorously tugging his sleeves. So Lovino happily obliged, getting them home in record time with only a few run red lights and many yelps of fear from Gilbert.
.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅. 𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅
They finally burst through the door, sopping wet and panting from sprinting through the rain while carrying the heavy bags. Relief instantly washed over Lovino, and he visibly relaxed from the warmth of their home. Gilbert, though, didn't look relieved at all. He scooped up all four bags at once without effort and marched towards the kitchen to put everything in their assigned spots.
Lovino leaned against the wall and watched his boyfriend work, his raincoat slung over his arm. Once Gilbert finished after a few minutes, he stood frozen in the middle of the kitchen, as if not knowing what to do now that his task was completed. "You should go change out of those wet clothes," suggested Lovino, trying not to let his slight concern seep into his voice. Gilbert turned around and nodded slowly, a barely noticeable wince on his face.
Having changed into fresh clothes and drying his hair with a towel, Lovino expected Gilbert to have done the same. Instead, when he reentered their bedroom he saw Gilbert curled up forlornly on the bed, on top of the covers, with nothing but a towel draped over him while his wet clothes resided in a pile on the ground. Piercing red eyes glared at nothing in particular, face scrunched up in a mix of a grimace and a scowl. He didn't seem to notice Lovino watching him, it was as if he was frozen where he was.
"You're looking like you're about to kill someone," Lovino muttered, making his way over to stand in front his boyfriend. Gilbert blinked up at him for a long moment, then averted his eyes in a bitter sort of embarrassment. Lovino let out a quiet sigh. This guy… sometimes he never failed to look downright pitiful. While it was for the most part endearing and kind of cute, Lovino hated seeing him like that when he wasn't doing it just to be dramatic. No, Gilbert was definitely not doing well.
"Do you want to take a shower?" Lovino asked after a long moment, trying to sound as gentle as possible. It came out sounding rather stiff, but he still got his point across just fine. In response, Gilbert peeked up at him and gave a small, wordless nod.
.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅. 𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅
The longer they stayed under the warm water, the more relaxed Gilbert became. Soon, his frown was replaced by a softer expression that was more true to himself, and his eyes seemed to regain their usual fire. As Lovino gently massaged shampoo into his white-silver hair, Gilbert finally spoke up for the first time since they got home.
"…Sorry."
Lovino frowned, then after a second flicked water in his face. Gilbert's eyes immediately shut, not daring to reopen them out of fear of shampoo getting in them. He let out a whine of protest. Lovino just ignored him and pushed his head slightly down to keep scrubbing his hair.
"The hell are you saying sorry for? You never say sorry," Lovino grumbled, turning the water back on.
"I say sorry all the time! Well, only when I feel like it… Oh, finally— my back was starting to hurt from leaning down so your short self could reach me!"
"Bastard! You're not even that much taller than me…"
They didn't speak for the next few minutes, simply enjoying each other's company. Lovino was relieved that Gilbert seemed to be turning back to his normal, energetic self, but he wasn't about to admit that. Even though he acted annoyed by every affectionate little kiss given to him, he did not protest or move away, which further encouraged Gilbert.
They stepped out of the shower, and Gilbert, in somewhat of a giggly mood, just yapped away for the entire time they were drying off. Lovino, after fixing his hair to the best of his ability in front of the mirror, opened the door that led to their bedroom so he could change.
"Come on, get your clothes on," he told Gilbert over his shoulder.
"Hmm, what if I don't want t—"
"Get your goddamn clothes on! We need to talk."
"Fine, fine."
.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅. 𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅
They sat on the bed, cross-legged in front of each other. Lovino stared intently at Gilbert, who only grinned nervously.
"Talk," Lovino commanded.
"Huh? Talk about what, exactly?" Gilbert responded innocently. Okay, this was pissing Lovino off.
"Stop acting like nothing's wrong," Lovino snapped. "You've been getting weirder and weirder all day! Tell me the truth, dammit…"
Gilbert's smile wavered, and his eyes flickered to the window. Lovino followed his gaze. The storm was really picking up, and it was almost impossible to see outside through the torrent of raindrops hitting the glass. At the rate it was going, it was obvious the storm was going to get worse. It might even last until the next day, but Lovino was secretly glad if it meant he could laze around and do nothing for a while. He mentally patted himself on the back for being so productive and getting everything he need to get done before the storm picked up. When he glanced back at Gilbert, though, the German did not look too enthused by the raging storm.
"Hey," Lovino muttered, leaning forward and poking Gilbert on the shoulder. "Come on. You gonna tell me what's going on or not? It's okay." Gilbert's red eyes flicked back to him. They always soften when he looks at me, a little voice in Lovino's mind whispered.
"Well, ah, you see…" Gilbert began, rocking from side to side a few times as he chose his words. "Okay. So… I wasn't really able to go on my morning run because of the rain. You know how I usually do every day. I guess that's when it kind of started…" Lovino nodded, coaxing him to continue.
"I guess it just threw me off. I hadn't missed my run since… I don't even know. I don't, um, particularly like getting wet from the rain. I— I don't know why. I just can't stand it when my clothes start sticking to me and then it gets cold and also dries unevenly… Again, I don't know why. And honestly, it's annoying as hell." Gilbert stared down at his hands, giving a tiny, bitter smile. "And even after I get dry and change, I can still feel the sensation clinging to me. It makes me want to crawl out of my skin." He turned his gaze back to Lovino, looking nervous, and weirdly, guilty.
"I can usually handle myself better. I mean, I have before. But this time it was just… difficult for me. I guess because I was already thrown off. So, uh, yeah. That's why I said sorry before… I know I was acting weird. I couldn't… I couldn't help it." He looked at Lovino in anticipation, fiddling with the sleeve of his shirt.
"You don't need to say sorry," Lovino insisted. He took Gilbert's hands and rubbed them comfortingly. "I… thanks for telling me. I should have asked sooner. And we could have gone out a different day when it wasn't raining. Well, you could have convinced me to, probably."
"I guess so… What's done is done, anyways," Gilbert responded, looking down at their joined hands.
"So, what can I do for you, amore?" Lovino asked him. Gilbert tilted his head in confusion.
"Do for… me?"
"You're not feeling well," explained Lovino, scooting a bit closer, "and I'm sure you're exhausted from today. You've been stressed. So, what can I do for you for the rest of the day? We have nothing else to do now except relax."
Gilbert nodded slowly and gave Lovino a fond smile. Lovino gave a tiny grin in return. "Maybe make some hot chocolate…" Gilbert suggested quietly. "And we can hang out. Take a nap, maybe…" He tilted his head, looking hopeful.
Oh, Lovino loved this man. "Bene," he murmured. He gave Gilbert a sweet, tender kiss before ruffling his hair and sliding out of bed.
The two spent the rest of the day relaxing in each other's company. Gilbert still seemed a little shaken up, so Lovino took care of him to the best of his ability, determined to keep a smile on his face. They had lazy conversations, shared kisses, and simply enjoyed the warmth of each other as the rain pattered on outside. True to his word, Lovino made Gilbert's favorite dinner, and as they were eating, they noticed that the sound of rain against the roof had ceased. That made Gilbert hopeful he could go back to his normal routine tomorrow, and Lovino hoped so too. He just wanted his boyfriend to be happy.
They got ready for sleep, both of them barely awake at that point. Still, they managed to get into bed successfully, settling next to each other in the dark.
"Your side of the closet is a mess," Gilbert mumbled sleepily. "We should clean it tomorrow."
Lovino let out a tired grumble, shifting to press closer to his lover. "Maybe the next time it rains."