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“You know something, Lovi?”

“Hn.”

“I keep wondering how you managed to survive being raised by Toni.”

“Luck.”

“Hm. Yeah, probably.”

A few moments passed in silence.

“Why are you asking?”

“He’s running around with Gilbert and Francis trying to catch a tomato fairy that I think is actually just a hummingbird.”

“…That tomato bastard.”

You laughed and moved to lie on the grass next to Lovi. Of course you wouldn’t actually say anything mean about Toni; the two of you had been best friends since you were little countries just starting out in the world. You guys were inseparable; whenever one of you got into a fight, the other was right there in the thick of it. If you ever had a problem, Toni was always the first person you went to, regardless of what was wrong. And you were the first person he sought out as well.

But sometimes you had to question his mental state, which is what led to the conversation you were currently having with Lovi as the two of you relaxed in Toni’s backyard. Earlier, Toni swore he spotted a tomato fairy and took off after it, dragging the other components of the Bad Touch Trio with him.

So here you and Lovi were, waiting for them to come back while questioning the three grown men’s mental capacity. You were honestly kind of surprised at how long it was taking them to get back. They couldn’t have gone that far could they?

…No, they definitely could.

“Maybe we should just go inside and start dinner,” you suggested, lazily twirling a strand of grass. Lovi just grunted and stood up, letting you know that he agreed with what you’d said. So you stood up and the two of you headed back into Toni’s house to prepare dinner.

You were just in the middle of cutting up some fresh tomatoes when a blur of blond, brown, green, white, red, and blue swept into the kitchen.

“Hola!”

“Bonjour!”

“Hallo!”

“Adios!”

“Au revoir!”

“Tschüs!”

Greetings and farewells were shouted in three different languages as the blur sped through the room and upstairs. You stood there in shock before looking at Lovi in bewilderment.

“What just…happened?”

Lovi scowled and began viciously chopping up the herbs. “Tsk. Those bastards.”

“Wait…that was the guys?”

“Who else would it be?”

“I don’t know. But why did they run upstairs like that?”

“WHAT’S WITH THE INTERROGATION?! I KNOW NOTHING!!”

“…Lovi that was really suspicious.”

The Italian just spluttered for a moment before growling and whipping around to put the herbs in the pot on the stove, not bothering to answer you. A loud crash from upstairs made you jump and stare at the ceiling before looking at Lovi again, only to see him diligently ignoring you. You scowled and tossed a towel at his head.

“You’re being mean. Tell me what’s going on.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Come on, Lovi, can’t you just—“

“I’m not allowed to, okay?”

That surprised you. What could those three be up to that you weren’t allowed to know what was going on? Toni never kept secrets from you, and that included things he did with Francis and Gilbert. But before you could ask Lovi anything else, Francis and Gil conveniently charged into the room and over to Lovi.

“Sorry, frau,” Gil said, clamping a hand over Lovi’s lower face. “Can’t let him spill any secrets, ja?”

“Oui, that would ruin all the fun!” Francis said with a grin. Your scowl returned and you opened your mouth to question them but were once again prevented from doing that. Gil removed his hand from Lovi’s mouth and grabbed him under his arms while Francis took hold of his legs as the two men ran out, shouting goodbyes as Lovi screamed curses at them.

You were beginning to wonder if the BTT had decided to start experimenting with drugs. Because seriously, this day couldn’t get any weirder.

And then you saw the turtle.

“Wha—“ You stared in disbelief. There was legitimately a turtle walking from the hall, into the kitchen, and towards the living room. And it had a small flower on its back.

You watched its progress with interest, only to have your gaze caught by a second turtle following right after the first. But this one had a small card on its back instead of a flower with the word “Will” on it.

Deciding that there must be some purpose behind these turtles, you sat down and waited to see if any more would come. And you were right to do so. A third turtle was following after the first two with a flower on its back. Then a fourth with another card that said “you.” This pattern continued as more turtles made their way through the room, alternating between flowers and cards.

You were fighting back a blush as the last turtle with a flower walked past you. All together there had been thirteen turtles with flowers and the message “Will you go out with me?” spaced out on six cards. And since the other men had already left, you could only assume Toni was behind this.

And you were proven right when said man entered the room with a bouquet of your favorite flowers in hand and a shy smile on his face. You lost the fight against your blush and stared down at the tile bashfully, nervously playing with a stray thread on your shirt. You couldn’t believe this was happening. Your best friend wanted to date you? If you were honest, you’d thought about dating Toni before, but always assumed he would never be interested. Not many guys went after their best female friend. Especially considering the fact that he was exposed to way more beautiful women than you when he hung out with Francis and Gil.

“So…will you?”

Toni’s soft question broke you out of your thoughts and you hesitantly looked up at him through your lashes.

“Are…are you sure?”

Toni tilted his head in confusion before his face softened as he realized what you meant. He smiled gently and went over to take your face in his hands.

“I have never cared for a woman as much as I care for you. You are, without a doubt, the most beautiful, intelligent, amazing, wonderful girl I’ve ever known. I can’t imagine myself being with anyone else.”

And with that said, Toni slowly leaned forward to capture your lips with his own in a short kiss that somehow managed to leave you completely breathless. He pulled away and rested his forehead against yours, a smile on his face.

“So what do you say?” he asked, rubbing his thumbs over your cheeks. “Will you give me a chance?”

A wide smile spread across your face as you lightly pushed your forehead into his.

“Of course.”