Title: Morning, Noon, and Night
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Romano, Veneziano...maybe Romano x Veneziano, if you want?
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: cursing. what else did you expect?
Summary: He wondered why his brother wasn't his usual self today.
Feliciano couldn't remember when was the last time he saw his brother wake up this early. Even though both of them often get up late, Lovino was rarely the first to wake up, having spent a lot of time with the more laid-back Antonio and all. Even weirder was the fact that Lovino was actually cooking breakfast instead of waking him up and pestering him to do it. His brother had never really enjoyed cooking as much as he did, though Feliciano believed that it was simply because Lovino rarely cooked for others and did not know how satisfying it was to see people enjoy your cooking.
Still, despite of all the questions that was popping up in his head, Feliciano couldn't help but enjoy watching his sibling make breakfast. He loved how Lovino looked so serious, so calm as he worked. He loved watching Lovino's movements as he cooked, how he hesitated like an amateur, how he confidently moved like a professional. He loved seeing that hint of worry in his brother's face whenever something was about to go wrong, or that glint of relief in those green eyes whenever something came out right.
Above all, however, he loved how Lovino looked like he was giving his all into making something people usually take for granted. Feliciano was the type to enjoy even the smallest of things, and he liked seeing people give more appreciation to those trivial things they tend to forget.
Carefully, Feliciano closed the slightly ajar door and tiptoed back to his room, quietly ending his little spying session. His brother would finish any time now, and he really didn't want to ruin the surprise Lovino was preparing any further by being found out. Ignorance is bliss, after all.
Or so he thought.
Back in the kitchen, Lovino sighed, turning towards the door.
"Honestly..." he mumbled, frowning slightly, "He could've just came in and helped me."
---
"So..."
Lovino slowly turned his attention towards his younger brother, who was happily munching on a mouthful of spaghetti.
"Hmm?" Feliciano mumbled, tilting his head slightly, a confused look on his face.
"What do you think?" The older of the two paused for a moment before hastily adding, "About the food, I mean. What do you think?"
"Hmm." He chewed a few times before finally swallowing. "It's delicious," Feliciano then said, smiling cheerfully, "We should come here again for lunch sometime."
Lovino was silent for a moment, wondering why he suddenly felt a sense of relief when he heard his sibling's response. It wasn't as if he was worried about picking the wrong restaurant or anything. He just wanted to know what Feliciano thought of it, that's all.
"W-well..." he awkwardly began a while later, "Next time..." A pause. "Next time, I won't be the one paying for all these, alright?!" The older Italian grumbled, frowning. "You eat too much."
"Ve...But it's just so delicious, I couldn't help it!" the younger pleaded, "And, and, I promise I'll pay for everything the next time we come here, so--"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Lovino cut in, looking not the least bit amused by his sibling's pleas. Grumbling quietly, he scooped a spoonful of gelato from his glass, hoping that the cold dessert would help him calm down.
Before the spoon even reached his lips, however, he was stopped by the look Feliciano was giving him. The younger of the two was looking at the gelato with such a hopeful, longing look, and Lovino honestly didn't know how to react to that.
"...Feliciano, stop looking at me like that," the older then murmured, pausing for a moment before adding, "If you really want some, we can just order another one, you know."
The younger brunet quietly shook his head, eyes still on the gelato.
A few seconds later, Lovino finally caved in and sighed. "Here," he said, pushing the half-eaten dessert towards his sibling, whose face instantly lit up.
"Grazie!" Feliciano cheerfully said before proceeding to eat the treat heartily.
The older Italian could only sigh and shake his head at the sight. Honestly, that brother of his was so--
"Hey, fratello..."
"What, Fe--" Lovino stopped mid-sentence the moment he saw a spoonful of gelato offered to him. He eyed the treat for a moment before giving his brother a confused look.
Said brother merely smiled and said, "Open your mouth~"
At that, Lovino froze for a moment before returning to his senses and proceeding to try to avoid the spoon that was being pushed towards him. "C-cut it out, idiot!" he frantically sputtered, "Didn't you want it?!"
"But you want some too, right?"
The older of the two fell silent. True, he did want some, and it looked so darn delicious, but being fed by his younger sibling at a public place was just...just...
Pride and dignity be damned. It was the dessert's fault for looking so tasty.
Hastily, Lovino ate the spoonful of gelato that was offered to him, desperately willing away a blush. "There, happy?" he brusquely said, crossing his arms and shifting his eyes away.
"Mmhmm!" the younger replied, nodding cheerfully. "Was it good?" he then asked innocently.
There was a moment of silence before Lovino quickly, quietly murmured, "I suppose it was."
---
It was a little past eight. Lovino and Feliciano were walking down the street leading to their house, the former walking slightly ahead of the latter.
"The place where we had dinner was also pretty good," Feliciano lightly stated, a small smile on his lips, "We should go there again sometime. Maybe we should bring our friends, too."
Lovino merely replied with a quiet 'hmm', obviously distracted by something else.
"Say, fratello," the younger of the two began a short while later, no longer able to hold back his curiosity, "What happened? You've been acting strange today..."
The older Italian stopped in his tracks, silent for a while before letting out a loud sigh.
"What's wrong? Please tell me, Lovino."
"Nothing, it's just..." Lovino stopped, sighing once again before finally turning to face his sibling. "It's...It's all that bastard Antonio's fault, alright?!" He paused, letting out yet another sigh before continuing in a lower voice. "He told me to be nicer to you, since I apparently yell at you so much and stuff, and, and I don't know, I gave it some thought, and it didn't seem like such a bad idea, but--"
Feliciano placed a finger over his older brother's lips, effectively silencing him. "I understand," he softly said, smiling as he slowly removed his finger from Lovino's lips and enveloping him in a hug. "Thanks for being so nice to me today," he quietly murmured, "But you don't need to be like that for me to like you. You're perfectly fine the way you usually are."
"I, I see..." Lovino fell silent for a while, somehow relieved to hear his brother say that. "W-well, I get it, so let go of me," he then quickly said, a soft blush coloring his cheeks, "We're in public. It's embarrassing."
The younger of the two let a soft laugh as he let go of his sibling. The two then resumed their walk home, now walking side-by-side.
"Can we hold hands?" Feliciano suddenly said after a few meters.
"No," Lovino sternly replied, desperately willing away a blush.
A short moment of silence ensued before Feliciano quietly asked, "Then can we sleep together tonight?"
There was a long pause before Lovino gave a silent nod of approval.