Romano x Reader : Unexpected (4)

CHAPTER 4

Feliciano’s home was situated in the far end of the city, along the Cannaregio area. There were fewer people around compared to the San Marco area situated in the center, which would make it easier to navigate around the area. You felt a little dismayed upon finding out about this, as you had wanted a view of the Grand Canal. Strange as it sounded, you wanted to wake up to the smell of the sea and to the view of Venetian boats making their way around the area. It was a little too imaginative, but if you were going to spend some time in Venice, then might as well spend it in the best location. You watched your friend converse with Feliciano, who was sneaking glances at you, apparently looking worried.
Claire must have told him about the conversation that you guys had before you headed out for his apartment. She approached you with her eyes knit together and her mouth set in a frown as she looked at you from head to toe.

“You look a little tense, ________________. You’re still annoyed with the sudden change of plans?”

“No I’m not”, you said in defense. Claire sighed and gently took your hand, which was apparently balled up. She held your apparently tense shoulders for a moment before settling on smoothening your (h/c) hair, which was only highlighted more by the sunlight which had seemed to mock you on your first day in Venice. The fact that your friend’s boyfriend’s brother gave you a very unwelcoming greeting upon stepping on Italian ground was not something to be taken lightly.

You take a deep breath to clear your head and are about to answer to your friend’s claims when you hear a voice calling out your name. You turn around and see Feliciano with your bags, an apologetic look to his face.
“___________! Claire! Mi dispiace, if only I had double checked the reservations, then maybe it would not have turned out like this and-“

You held up your hand to silence him, and offer him one of your widest smiles. That’s right. Feliciano was the one who had taken care of most of your affairs with regards to getting here. It wouldn’t be fair to brood about the unexpected turn of events when he offered you and Claire a place to stay, and for free if you would like to add. It was such a sweet thing to do, even if it meant living under the same roof with Lovino.

“It’s fine, Feli. It’s no trouble at all!” you say with a weak laugh.
Feliciano’s face wavered a bit before he then proceeded to hail a water taxi, raising both hands frantically and calling the driver. Lovino, who had been silent ever since you flipped him off with your words, had shuffled beside his brother. He raised a firm hand, and before long, a water taxi had pulled to a stop in front of them.

And here you were gazing at the Grand Canal as the boat was making its way towards its destination.

Might as well grin and bear it. After all, you came here for the breath-taking sights and sceneries, and perhaps for some delicious wine and pasta. You start smiling as you start admiring every detail etched in the scenery before you. You were about to close your eyes when the water taxi came to a halt in front of a row of intricately designed buildings.

You stood up carefully, making sure that you wouldn’t trip on the boat, yet your body seemed to have lost its balance and you tripped. You would have hit the pavement in front of you if it weren’t for a pair of hands reaching out to pull you back into place. You turned around, seeing Lovino glaring at you. Scoffing at him and mumbling a word of thanks, you pulled away forcefully from him and stepped on the cobblestone streets of the Cannaregio area.
*****
“Benvenuti, mi signore” Feliciano said cheerfully, as he bowed deeply.
Claire made her way towards one of the chairs in the dining room, but your feet were stuck in place as you scanned the home of the Vargas brothers. It looked simple enough, but it had also seemed all too elegant. The whitewashed walls contrasted the ornate wood. A spirally patterned window overlooked the calm waters of the Grand Canal. A mirror stood at the side, below a coffee table with a vase of exquisitely arranged flowers. The room had a faint smell of grapes as well as tomatoes which had melded together for a wonderful scent.

You could hear Lovino grunting behind you as he lugged in your bags. Feliciano and Claire seemed too busy catching up with each other. You could hear traces of Italian as they talked amongst themselves. Taking a deep breath, you grabbed one of the bags that Lovino was bringing in, only to receive a blank stare from him. You shrugged, dragging the suitcase to the side of the living room. You slumped down on the chairs, feeling slightly surprised at its softness.

Abruptly, you coughed, which had apparently caught the attention of Feliciano. He smiled wryly, before pointing towards a hallway at the side of the dining room.

“Claire, you and ________________ can take the room at the far right. There’s a bathroom connected to it too, so you can go ahead and freshen up there,” he said as he stood up and walked towards you, placing a hand on your hair. You blinked for a moment and smiled at the young Italian, standing up and taking your bag.

“Hey, are you trying to prove something to me, you klutz?” Lovino commented, before grabbing your bag and dragging it as he mumbled words you presumed to be Italian curses, judging from the way that Feliciano flinched upon hearing them. You clench your fists a bit, and then walk over to Claire, who was busy writing down something on her notebook.
“Can we PLEASE get some dinner? I really need a real taste of Italian culture. No offense to Feliciano, of course. What time is it anyway? ” you ask reluctantly. Claire chuckles at your question then lightly pinches your cheek. She stands up and pushes you in the hallway towards the room.

“We can do that, but you better take a bath or something! Feliciano’s offered to cook dinner for us, and I swear that he cooks well. So hurry up! “she answers enthusiastically.

*****

After taking a quick shower, you went out of the hallway and found your mouth watering at the smell of pasta wafting from the kitchen. You could hear your stomach grumbling and you quickly made your way towards the dining room, which was set up nicely with glasses half-filled with red wine. You did your best not to grab a glass while the food was not even set on the table yet. You walked over to the kitchen, where you could hear the clang of pots and pans. From the distance, you could hear the loud, cranky voice of Lovino.

Curious, you took a peek at the source of all the rich aromas.

Lovino seemed panicked, and Feliciano looked pale in the face as he quickly shifted from the stove to the cupboard in three steps, in spite of the narrow space between him and his older brother. Lovino tried to do the same, yet had ended up tripping on the floor and nearly spilled what appeared to be red sauce in a pan. The Italian would have been drenched in that sauce had it not been for Feliciano’s lightning reflexes. The latter then narrowed his eyes and told off his brother in rapid-fire Italian while setting aside the pan. Lovino paled a bit, yet had managed to get a hold of himself and decided on another bowl filled with fruits and tomatoes. His teeth were set in a dangerous snarl, and his face had suddenly taken on a new light. He gripped the bowl tightly and set to chopping them in uneven parts.


If you had it your way, you would have walked in the room and told them off, or perhaps even offered them help. You would have already walked in had you not felt a hand yank your shirt away from the room. Terrified, you would have screamed had you not seen the person behind you.

It was Claire, carrying a basket of bread. She grimaced as she heard the bickering between the two brothers. You stared at her, your eyebrows knitted together. She simply shrugged off your expression and pulled your arm towards the table.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the months that I was here as an exchange student, it’s that you never ever mess with the both of them while they’re busy with cooking.”

*****

“Claire, mia cara, you’ve gotten thinner! You should have more to eat, now that we’re in Italy! ___________, you must eat as well! Unless you don’t really like the-“

“No, no, no Feliciano! Of course I wouldn’t think that way! In fact, your cooking was great!” you interrupted your friend as you reached for some bread, which was snatched away by Lovino, who showed no signs of having had a hell of a time with Feliciano back in the kitchen. If it weren’t for the red wine, which had lifted your spirits, you would have smacked him across the face. Your patience was awfully long for today.

Lovino, on the other hand, had seemed to completely ignore your presence, although you could see him sneak glances at you, to which he responded with a glare, and to which you gladly returned with some interest. He would then go back to staring down at his plate, talking to Claire with a tone you would have never imagined he had. Feliciano was giving him warning glances, to which Lovino had also responded with a glare. The former had frowned inconsiderably, and then had returned to conversing with Claire, speaking to her in Italian.

Admittedly, you might have not given the older of the siblings a chance to talk, especially after having argued with one another twenty minutes after setting foot on Italian ground. You coughed slightly, and faced him, giving him your warmest smiles.

“Look, I know we’ve gone through a bad start, but I do hope I get to know you more. Would that be fine? “ you quietly asked.

Lovino, having realized you were trying to talk to him, looked at you in the eye. You bit your tongue as he placed his hand over your forehead, his face scrutinizing something.

“Have you got a fever, you idiot-head?”

Your face fell. You didn’t understand what aspect of you had made him act stupid. He wasn’t like that towards Claire, and had in fact been warm towards her. You slapped his hand away, to which he frowned.

“You’re so closed off. No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Excuse me?!” Lovino said as he stood up from the table. You stood up as well, trying to ignore the fact that he was a few inches taller than you were. You clenched your fists and tried to look calm as you saw his face turn slightly red.

“That’s right, tomato head. Look at you, acting all cool and closed off. You think you’re going to hit it off with other people like that?”

“_________________, “ Claire had warned sternly, “don’t start an argument again with Lovi.”

“He started it!” you retorted.

“Did not, you idiot tripper.” Lovino murmured. You turned to look at him smirking at you.
Your body suddenly felt like it was on automatic. You walked over to Lovino until you were inches away from him, and swung your hand across his face.

All was quiet for a few moments before Lovino’s face darkened slightly. You held up your arms in front of you, only for you to feel a slight push from him as he picked up the bottle of wine and his glass. Feliciano seemed to have understood, and had slightly nodded, although even he looked sullen as he darted from your face to his.

“Mi scusi. “ Lovino said, and walked towards his room.

You were astonished at the suddenly quiet reaction towards you. It wasn’t usually what you anticipated.

*****

“______________, I love you but why did you do that to Lovino?! I know you guys haven’t been on good terms but that doesn’t give you a reason to smack him on the first day!”
You and Claire had volunteered to clean up the table after Feliciano had decided to check up on Lovino. It wasn’t the best decision you had made, but it certainly gave you a mouthful of scolding from your best friend.

“What was I supposed to do, act accordingly to his bickering? Lucky for you, he has a soft spot for you because you’re Feliciano’s girlfriend!” you said defensively.

Claire reddened a bit and had only stared at you, then went back to tending to the scraps of food scattered across the table. Feeling exasperated, you also excused yourself from the chores and marched up to your room and fell on the bed. You groaned and swore, wishing that the next day would come quickly.

****

Because of the jet lag, you woke up rather earlier than expected, although this was not the case for your friend, who was still fast asleep. It had been two days since you got to the apartment, and all was still quiet since the night of your arrival in Venice. Feeling your stomach rumble, you walked up to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. You found a pile of food stacked on top of the other. You instinctively reached for a can of soda at the side of the door, noting to yourself that you would pay the Vargas brothers for that. Turning around, you could see that Feliciano was at the doorway, his small smile visible. He was wearing a windbreaker and a red scarf, and was holding a black jacket, which he threw towards you.

“Mind if we go around for a morning walk, mia amica?”