Love is Blind

Chapter 9: Serendipity

Antonio cleaned up his mess with the paper towels he grabbed from the kitchen before he took care of Shadow by filling the dog bowl with his favorite food and the other with fresh water, causing an excited patter of nails being heard from behind him against the tile floor at the sound of food, making Antonio laugh as he felt the wagging tail swatting against his pant leg. The Spaniard gave Shadow a gentle stroke over the Lab's fur before he made his way to the living room to gather his shoes for the day, brushing his fingertips over the feeling of them to find his pair of red sneakers just as he heard footsteps getting louder to mean Gilbert had finally gotten ready. "Hey did you know?" Gilbert asked as he collected his own pair of shoes for the day. Antonio tilted his head slightly in confusion as he continued to lace up his sneakers. "Maybe? What?" Gilbert smirked, "Just how much of a Spain in the ass you are?" Antonio rolled his eyes in an unamused way. "Hilarious. Are you Ready?" Antonio asked while he got Shadow's harness down from its hook on the wall. Gilbert pulled on his sunglasses and smiled brightly as he reached for the doorknob to step outside, "I'm always ready for Dennys." Antonio smirked as he heard him leave. "Shadow?"

He heard the telltale jingling tags to know his lab was in front of him, waiting expectantly. Antonio held a calm smile as he situated the harness on Shadow. "Ready to go?" Shadow gave a small bark which let Antonio know that he was and made his way towards the door as well. "Alright then. Vamonos." He said with a chipper tone as they stepped out after Antonio put on his black sunglasses that previously rested on top of his head. Holding Shadow's harness in his free hand, the brunette followed his canine, crossing over their home's sidewalk to lead towards the driveway while the Prussian closed the front door behind them. "I'm driving us there though, I don't feel like walking without breakfast," Gilbert elaborated as he did a light jog to get to the driver's side at the same time Antonio got to the passenger's then unlocked his car before stepping inside. Antonio listened for the chirp to know he could get inside before he reached out to feel around to find the door handle to then open the passenger door before he pulled the lever to allow the seat to fold forward, so he could let Shadow in the backseat. Once he found it, he made sure Shadow was comfortable before he adjusted the seat back so he could sit. "Ah but I wanted to drive today," Antonio stated jokingly with a smirk directed over towards the Prussian as he buckled up. Gilbert rolled his eyes, "Ha ha. Very funny."

Antonio laughed, making Gilbert ease up too. Yes he was still mildly upset about how he was woken up, but they pulled pranks on each other often enough that neither could hold a proper grudge. Besides they were best friends and hazing was how you showed you care. "So why did you wake me up at," he glanced down at the time on his car's time before pulling out onto the main road. "8am. It's way too early to function." Antonio sighed, "You're apologizing to Romano today. In person. I want him to feel comfortable at my house, and not so tense like he sounded." Gilbert knew how much it meant to Antonio, and after seeing how happy the Italian made the Spaniard, he decided he would at least give the Italian a proper chance. "It's still /our/ place, but you're right. I'll apologize, but do you think he'll come if he knows I'll be there?" Antonio sighed, "I don't really know," he answered honestly before he pressed his lips together in a pout as he tilted his head in thought. "Maybe if I ask him to."

Gilbert's attention was mainly centered on the road ahead as he pulled out of the driveway and onto their street division, but he still took care to listen and was able to detect how his friend was nervous even if he was trying to hold back by how the Spaniard was fidgeting with his hands as if he wasn't sure what to do with them. "If it helps, I can just not be there whenever you want him over. I know you want to see him, and I don't want you being sad because of me. So you don't have to be so nervous," he stopped at a stop sign and used the break to pat Antonio's shoulder before giving it a light squeeze. The Prussian still felt a bit of guilt about Romano not wanting to be around at their place might not change anytime soon if he doesn't get the chance to apologize because of how he acted. Antonio hadn't realized what he had been doing and felt sheepish because of it, but decided to help himself by crossing his arms in case he did so once more. "Sorry. I want you all to get along though. Even though I really like Romano, I don't want to kick you out of the house. That's not fair." Gilbert nodded slightly yet continued to hold onto the steering wheel a bit tighter as to take out his stress onto it, "It's fine." Antonio shook his head adamantly, "No it's not. If I have to, we can just arrange something, and we'll explain that you're sorry and want to apologize. He'll probably understand if you're sincere about it." Gilbert shrugged, "Maybe," although he didn't seem too convinced. Antonio sighed softly as he leaned his head back on the headrest, "He will."