This chapter is filler. I'm sorry, but like, school and writers block were killing me and I wanted to get something out, you know! because, like, its been two months. I thought it was sort of choppy (writers block makes me super worried that my writing is all blocky and awkward) but my sis read it and told me to stop being a baby and post it already so! You get this filler chapter, but hey, at least it's cuter filler, right?

/dodges thrown objects

"You are not putting maple syrup in your omelet."

Matthew and Lovino were in the Vargas' kitchen, possibly the largest room in the house, making breakfast. Matthew had started up on pancakes and Lovino was whipping up some omelets. Lovino had asked Matthew what he wanted on his, and Matthew hadn't even touched the bottle of syrup (The good kind too! Lovino said that they imported it or something) when Lovino denied him.

"But Lovino-"

"No, damn it! Enough is enough," Lovino huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking as resolute as a man in a flower-patterned apron could. "You can't just dump liquefied sugar into everything you eat. And anyway, syrup will mess with the taste of my tomatoes."

"What if I don't want tomatoes in mine?"

"Why the fuck would you not want tomatoes? Have you ever had an omelet with tomatoes?" Lovino looked incredulous, like tomatoes were the best thing ever and it didn't make sense not to have them. "Obviously not, if you're claiming that you don't want them. Just focus on your pancakes, you, you… Canadian."

"Was that supposed to be an insult?" Matthew laughed. "I am part Canadian, you Italian."

Lovino huffed and turned more towards his side of the stove top - to hide his blush, if his red ears were any indicator. "I think I liked you better when you were too scared of me to be a sassy little shit."

Matthew took the last pancake off the skillet, smiling, "That was before I knew you could quote The Princess Bride."

"Hey, The Princess Bride is the shit," Lovino bumped Matthew good-naturedly as he joined him at the table. "Damn, this actually looks good."

Matthew nodded his agreement as he grabbed the maple syrup bottle and poured syrup over everything on his plate. Literally everything. He had made large spiral over his pancakes and omelet and fruit, and it was perfect.

Look, Matthew really liked maple syrup, okay?

"How can you eat that?" Lovino asked, cringing despite the undertone of amazement in his voice, as Matthew took a bite of his sticky, maple-y omelet.

"'S d'lich'us," Matthew mumbled through his mouthful, "B'st thin' ev'a."

"Fucking disgusting," Lovino huffed, before pointedly not looking at Matthew for the rest of the meal.

The previous night had been fun, especially after Matthew had dragged Lovino out of his "super tough scary guy" persona. Matthew had slowly wheedled personal information out of Lovino (Like the fact that he could quote Hitch and several other romcoms) between plotting out a game plan.

"Look, this is going to be super easy," Lovino had said, ignoring Matthew's confusion t the statement, "The only thing we really need to do is... Get you some respectable clothes. Yes, that's the number one priority, because like hell am I letting you go out in the rags you pick out. ... No offense."

Matthew had taken some offense (He called his clothes rags!), but the plan was set. They ate breakfast, then Lovino led Matthew through winding halls and out to the garage. Matthew was a bit starstruck - last night he hadn't noticed the number of keys on the rack, all marked with the delicate, looping handwriting that Matthew now recognized as Lovino's - but there were a lot of cars, all extremely nice. Lovino paused, before grabbing a key and heading to a bright yellow Fiat.

"Guinevere says she'll meet us there, so it should be fine to take 'Mone."

Matthew's eyebrow's rose at the affectionate tone in Lovino's voice. He had heard of carheads naming their 'babies', but Lovino didn't seem the type. "You name your cars?"

"It's not like I name them all," Lovino flushed, "Just Limone here and the Maserati."

"What's the Maserati's name?" Lovino looked away sharply, obviously embarrassed, and Matthew backed off reflexively, not wanting him to be uncomfortable. "It's okay if you don't want to-"

"It's Pomo, like pomodoro - tomato."

Matthew blinked in surprise. "Oh. That's cool."

Lovino shot Matthew a crooked, genuine smile before climbing into the car.

Exactly 6 minutes and 28 seconds later they arrived at a small store, despite running several red lights and nearly colliding with 2 other cars.

Matthew climbed out, resisting the urge to kiss the ground (oh my god Lovino didn't drive like that before, no one should ever drive like that, oh my god that was terrible and I'll have to do it again on the way back, why do bad things happen to good people)and headed over to an impatiently waiting Guinevere.

"Christ, you took forever. What'd you do, actually drive the speed limit?" She asked.

"Fifteen over, mostly," Matthew muttered, eyes still widened in fear, "Five over at his slowest."

Guinevere clapped Matthew's back. "You poor thing. Anyway, I arranged for the boys to meet up with us later - although, why I have to be the communicator, I don't know - at which point Francis, Lovino, Fernandez, and I will 'lose' you and Julchen and conveniently not answer our phones to move operation... What was the name again?"

Lovino clicked his tongue in thought, before smirking at Matthew. "Operation Maple Bastard."

Guinevere rose a brow. "Not going to ask. Anyway, to get operation 'Maple Bastard' moving. Then it's up to you, Matthew. I mean, we could stay nearby and quietly sing 'Kiss the Girl', but I have faith in your romantic ability."

"W-Wait, you're leaving me alone?"

"It worked at the party, right?" Lovino said, "Look, don't worry about it right now, alright? We still have to do something about your... I guess you could call it an outfit. Sort of. Oh, no offense."

"None taken." Matthew sighed, looking up at the storefront. "Do you really think this'll work?"

Lovino rolled his eyes and led Matthew into the store. "As I said yesterday, this is going to be easy as pie."

Plot twist: it's not going to be easy as pie.

But that's for next chapter; school, stress, and anxiety permitting, next chap will be out within two weeks (wow, not having to wait a month+ to get a chapter, exciting right?)

Lovi named his cars Lemon and Tomato because of their colors im sorry but I can TOTALLY see him doing that.

Next chapter will /actually/ be romance, shopping, ACTUAL PRUCAN, etc

Sorry, again! but yeah fave, follow, review, etc~