Paint it Another Colour

Chapter 71

I know right! Random chapter in the middle of the week! Basically, I'm ill and have literally nothing else to do T-T I can't even get up and wander round without having to sit down! So, in the middle of not being able to breathe, this sort of, happened.
MiddleEarth4eva

The knock at the front door came when Lovino was starting to make lunch. He'd left Giselle where she'd fallen asleep on a sofa in the front room and padded into the kitchen to turn on the hob. The shadow through the glass was an odd one, making him unnerved by it. The knock had been a loud one and had roused Giselle, and she came barrelling out of the room she'd bee sleeping in, nearly crashing into the stairs. 

"Who is it?" she asked, skidding to a stop and glancing up at him. "Has the meeting finished already? I wanna know what happened."

Lovino glanced at the clock. If the meeting had already finished, it hadn't been a long one - they'd only been there for about three hours. "I don't think it has" he said, patting her head. "Right, um, do you want to just go upstairs a moment?"

"Eh?" Giselle frowned. "Why?"

"I don't know" Lovino glanced at the shadow at the door. "I just... if you want to stay, that's fine." Giselle nodded and skipped the rest of the length of the hall to the door as the person knocked again. "Fine." He stepped around her and twisted the key in the lock, opening the door wide enough for him to be able to see outside. The person on the step was someone he recognised, but not well enough to say who they were, but well enough to know that he didn't want them in his house. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, Lovino Vargas, right?" they said in a strong Italian accent, tipping their small, brown hat at Giselle as she appeared around the back of Lovino's legs. "Buongiorno signora."

Giselle grinned. "Bonjour."

Lovino glanced down at her, and then back at the person in front of him. "That's me. What do you want?"

He extended a hand to Lovino and gave a shark toothed grin. "Luciano."

Something clicked inside Lovino's brain and suddenly, Luciano was all the more familiar. He briefly remembered something about a dark place, and something about electricity, but didn't wait around to remember more. He slammed the door in Luciano's face, backing away from it.

"What's wrong?" Giselle asked, staring up at him, turning the key in the lock. "Who's that man at the door?"

"I..." Lovino started, leaning against the wall and sliding down it to the floor where he brought his knees up to his chest. "I can't remember. A bad person. A very bad person. Don't open the door again."

"Is he one of them?" Giselle asked, separating 'them' from the rest of the sentence with a spit.

Lovino hesitated and nodded. "I think so. I think... Feliciano? He's not mine. Mine wears a scarf."

"Have you seen my counterpart?" Giselle asked. Lovino was about to shake his head when there was another knock at the door. "Should I get it?"

"No" Lovino grabbed her arm. "Don't touch the door. He's still there."

After a moment, there was a clanking noise and the letter box slowly slid open, a pair of red eyes appearing on the other side. "There you are." The barrel of a gun appeared, slowly poking it's way through to their side of the door, pointing in their direction. "Now, I want you to open this door, or I'll kick it open."

"Ne fais pas" Lovino said before Giselle could take another step forwards. "Go into the kitchen, now. I'll deal with him." 

The second she'd disappeared into the kitchen, Lovino stood up and made his way towards the door, closing the letterbox forcefully against the gun  After a second's hesitation, he turned the handle again, opening the door. He was met with the gun that Luciano still held.