~Red~

Antonio shivered lightly and pulled up his scarf which was wrapped around his neck. He was awaiting an old classmate of his, Lovino. The two had recently gotten in touch after Antonio's friends Gilbert and Francis decided it would be wise to play Cupid.

Antonio sipped his coffee and took deep breathes. He was unsure what to do or how he would recognize Lovino; it had been years since they last saw each other.

The red scarf was a gift Lovino had given Antonio before leaving. Antonio treasured the scarf, he had always loved its rich color and soft texture. Red was the only color that mattered anymore.

There was a small screech; it was from a chair being pulled out. There was that intoxicating smell that wrapped around Antonio's soul and robbed him of his thoughts.

Cinnamon and chocolate, that's what Lovino had always smelled of; a smell that he worshiped.

There was silence and then Antonio spoke, "Lovino...?"

Silence continued and Antonio began to frown. He sat there, feeling his face heat up when suddenly there was a voice, one that wasn't Lovino's.

"Antonio! It's so great to see you again. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing pretty weel, art school is a bit of a struggle, how are you Feliciano?"

"I'm fine, Lovino was really excited to meet you, he's being so shy right now, and his face is so red! Oh Antonio, look at him!"

Antonio closed his eyes and chuckled imagining Lovino's face. Perfectly tanned, a little bit of chub in his rosy cheeks and pink sprinkled along his nose as his hazel eyes widened and then darted into another direction as the pink became brighter his tongue poked out slightly.

Felciano noticed the dopey look on Antonio and nudged his brother lightly only to receive a glare that sent shivers down the younger's spine.

"I'll just go now. It was nice to see you!"

Antonio listened to his footsteps as they became lighter and lighter until nothing was heard. Tilting his head slightly, Antonio sighed, "Speak to me, Lovi."

He expected many things, to hear Lovino cuss angrily or to receive a sharp punch to the shoulder, but he didn't expect to feel Lovino's warm hands grab his cold ones. Suddenly, he felt words being drawn out and a slow panicking sensation overwhelmed him.

'Look at me you bastard. Stop staring at my scar.'

And Antonio let out a short gasp of fear, "Lovino..."

'Yeah, I'm mute now. Lots of fun. I see you still have my scarf. Now, please stop staring at my scar you dickhead.'

Antonio slowly let out a broken-hearted chuckle, "Believe me Lovino, I don't stare at anything."

It was now Lovino's turn to panic. If he could speak, this would be the part where he lost his voice to anxiety. Instead, he slowly raised a hand up and waved it softly in front of Antonio's eyes.

"I'm afraid I've also been left without something. I am blind."

There was silence once more. Pure silence as the two sat there in realization that they were left in a very interesting predicament. The mute who required people to see what he said and the blind who required hearing what others said.

So they sat there in silence for nearly an hour before Antonio broke the silence, "Honestly, after losing my sight, red became the only color that mattered. It was the color of your shirt the day we first met, and the color of my soul when we reached high school, the color of your face whenever we talked, the color of my jacket which you proudly wore after spending the night with me in my red car driving around the county. It was the color of my mind, when I found out you were leaving, the color of my eyes after you did, and the color of this scarf that smells just like you. Cinnamon and chocolate. Red is the only color I would want to remember because red is my heart whenever I'm around you."

Lovino smiled slightly and nudged the Spaniard before grabbing his hands.

'Cheesy bastard.'

"Only for you," Antonio smiled and pulled his scarf from his neck slightly only to wrap it around Lovino as well.

The Italian blushed and frowned slightly, trying not to let it be too obvious that he was happier than he had been in a long time. He looked up at Antonio, beautiful Antonio with green eyes that would never see again and he felt pain in his heart.

Their foreheads touched lightly and though no words were spoken, they had a conversation that was worth more than what a million words could say.

'Cheesy bastard.'

'Tesoro mio.'