Three Tomatoes

[Niklaas de Vries]

A day off, a London afternoon, and an empty pack of cigarettes. The perfect day to kick back at home and read some of the romance novels collecting dust in his room, right? Well, it would have been, if Niklaas hadn't had the sudden and spontaneous urge to go out and do something. In the end, “doing something” ended up with him wandering around Reagent's Park …and he just as bored as he was when he left his apartment. Christ, was he always this lethargic on his days off, or was it just this afternoon's humidity getting to him? If it was the latter case, than he couldn't wait for the fall to come; anything was better than the warm, sticky humidity of London.

If nothing else than to just be rid of this lethargic feeling, he wandered over to the Three Tomatoes, a cheerful little cafe that was owned by a Spanish woman who had so much energy it would make even the most sugar-high child stop and stare in awe. On the other hand she was very... huggy. Niklaas wasn't a huggy person, and he liked his personal space, thank you very much. Carmen took those aspects and tossed them out the window, hugging him suffocatingly close whenever she got the chance. Some men would have given anything to be hugged by such a beautiful lady (and Carmen was beautiful; there was no denying that), but the Dutchman himself saw it more as a bother than a blessing. Would it really kill her to learn what the term “personal space” meant?

The café was oddly quiet today, which was somewhat understandable, it was the middle of the afternoon on a weekday. It was during the evenings that the place was packed, or so Niklaas though. Being someone who would much rather have his meals at home, he had little experience concerning such things. He had more experiences with bars, although that really wasn’t the same thing. Bah, whatever. Honestly, he was glad for the moderate peace, being surrounded by droning, buzzing conversations gave him a headache.

Glancing down at his watch as he took his usual place, he gave Carmen five minutes before she came bouncing out and pulling him into a hug. Ten, at most, and that was him being generous.

ELECTRIC OF GS AND BTN

[Deleted]

It'd been a good day so far, and as it began to settle down to mid-afternoon, it was fairly calm compared to lunchtime. There had been plenty of business as usual, considering it was a weekday, and everything seemed right in the world. A typical day, nothing particularly out of the ordinary happening, and Carmen was happy. Personally, she didn’t understand why people were constantly so upset, stressed, and generally displeased most days. It seemed they tried to make it so only extraordinary occasions could bring a genuine smile of happiness and pleasure to their faces, and Carmen always found herself puzzled by their near constant bleak pessimism. Life was good just enjoying the usual routines of drinking coffee, baking churros, or simply interacting with people – everyone was so different, so unique! There was a lot of exciting people to be met, especially in London of all places; but a lot of people just didn’t seem to realize that. Unfortunate but true, Carmen didn’t bother to think about the topic for too long as she stirred some dough in a mixing bowl. She was preparing to make some desserts for tonight due to them quickly running low, and she didn't really have that much else to do. Her employees were all busily attending tables or finishing up orders, and she took a moment just to stop and watch them. They were all nice people, and she was extremely fond of them; going so far as to affectionately refer to them as her “kids” often enough. Carmen was (infamously) known for her motherly tendencies, and it wasn’t surprising she did - but everyone was their own person and she shared a unique relationship with each individual person she knew. Never was anyone exactly the same – that was actually an impossible thought, now that she took a moment to actually think about it. She shrugged to herself, still smiling, and she hummed as she began to spoon the dough onto the tray to make cookies. She had finished nearly all of them and only had two more scoops when the bell rang, signaling there was a new customer, and Carmen automatically looked up as a natural reaction. Obviously she was facing a wall and couldn't see, and curious, she peeked out the door to see who it was. All it took was for her to see the hair and the scarf to recognize Niklaas, and Carmen grinned. She half-ran, half-walked as fast as she could back to where she had previously been, and quickly finished placing all the balls of dough on the tray, and nearly threw it in the oven. She set the timer for the cookies and washed her hands with little patience, she wanted to go see Niklaas as soon as possible. It had been a while since Carmen had seen him, and quite frankly, she had missed him and his snarky mouth. It just didn't feel the same without having him around and listening to him complain about something. “Take your breaks now, niños, and I'll take over!” Carmen called, voice filled with anticipated excitement and a chorus of “okay”s and “thank you”s were heard in response. Hardly drying her hands and tossing the paper towels in the trashcan as she went out to the café – she quickly perused the tables, there were only a few people and they seemed just about ready to leave, thankfully. She made her way over to the Dutchman, beaming even more brightly than usual. Carmen took the seat opposite of his, overflowing with enthusiasm, and she cheerfully greeted, “Long time no see, querido~! How have you been~?”

words: 607 tag: niklaas bby <3 notes: look at that i replied quickly what is this

MADE BY HABBUE OF GS

[Niklaas de Vries]

He wasn't necessarily hungry at the moment, having his usual hagelslag before leaving the flat earlier that afternoon, but Niklaas scanned the menu regardless. He might as well look like he was at least considering ordering something, and not just sitting around taking up space-- he knew that drove some servers absolutely nuts. Instead of really reading what the menu had to offer, he listed at least five people who would tell him his boredom came from having no friends. At least one would suggest that Niklaas get himself a girlfriend –or a boyfriend, if he swung that way-- make the time go by faster. The Dutchman's previous relationship had thoroughly convinced him that love sucked, so he tended to avoid that avenue. Such was the price he paid for letting his walls down, even for the briefest of moments.

The Dutchman looked impassively over the top of his menu when he heard the familiar voice trill out; “Take your breaks now, niños, and I'll take over!” Was she seriously sending all her employees out on a break just because Niklaas happened to show up? He considered the possibility for a few seconds before concluding that it probably wasn't the case. If Carmen made her entire business come to a grinding halt whenever someone she liked walked in the door, she would have been out of business years ago.

Looking back at his menu, he spared a glance at his watch as Carmen enthusiastically filled the seat across from him. Just before two minutes since he arrived; not her slowest but not her fastest either. Thankfully she had abstained from hopping in his lap and throwing her arms his neck, although something told Niklaas was was only because they were in her cafe and she had to maintain at least some sense of professionalism. “Long time no see, querido~! How have you been~?”

“I still don't know what that means.” He said as he set his menu aside. His mother and Marianne had been the multilingual ones in the family, the former speaking fluent German and French, but Niklaas himself was completely hopeless when it came to languages beside Dutch and English. Not that he had needed to learn much else, nor did he really have the motivation. “I've been fine,” Niklaas continued, propping his chin in the palm of his hand. “Nothing much to complain about, just bored out of my mind for no reason.” He would leave it at that and let Carmen fill in the blanks, even though he knew that she would suggest doing something together, which wouldn't be that bad (provided she pay her half), and hell it would be something to do other than just meander about London aimlessly by himself-- and probably get himself lost in the process, although he would never admit that.

ELECTRIC OF GS AND BTN

[Deleted]

It was probably a bad idea.

Actually, on second thought, it most definitely was. Antonio stood outside the small café, wondering why he'd come in the first place.

It was a nice day, a beautiful day in London in fact (by London standards. Not by Spanish standards). The lunchtime shift at Pasión had just ended and the break had started. It wouldn't last too long--chef's breaks never did--but Antonio hadn't visited his sister in a while and he figured it was about time.

He winced slightly to himself as he remembered their last argument. Carmen had a sharp tongue and he hadn't exactly held back too much either. He remembered storming out and getting drunk that night...ended up sleeping with...with someone. Antonio frowned a little. He didn't really remember who. The argument had been over something stupid...his crazy plans to travel perhaps, or the fact that he hadn't called in a week. Or maybe it was the fact that he was still working at Pasión despite Carmen's urges for him to work at her café. It'd been two weeks since then and while Antonio was long over the argument (it was hard for him to stay mad at anyone for long, let alone his sister), his sister might not be. Antonio had discovered her tendency to hold grudges the hard way.

His twin sister was a tough person to deal with, no doubt, at least behind the scenes. To her customers she was friendly enough, to Antonio...well that was a completely different matter. Though they were (he hoped) decently close now, the two had grown up separately after all. They were only just learning how to live with each other.

Antonio had brought a dozen pink carnations over to appease his sister, but he wasn't sure how she'd react. Maybe amiably, since they were in the restaurant, but he'd no doubt hear her lectures later.

Ah, why was he still waiting? Regardless of how tricky she could be to deal with (and he said this in the most loving manner possible), she was still his sister after all. He should stop being a wuss.

Pushing open the door, Antonio stepped into the café. The warm atmosphere was very different from Pasión's and Antonio liked the friendliness of it. It was brighter and less formal and that suited his tastes perfectly.

"Hey Carmen!" he said as brightly as possible, waving at his sister who was talking to a customer at a table. "I brought you some carnations~"

[Deleted]

Noticing that the salt and pepper shakers, along with the container filled with sugar and sweetners was slightly askew, she fixed it with a slight frown. Normally they were placed just right on the end, but whoever had last cleaned the table had done a bit messy of a job. It was the small details that people noticed, and even though it was honestly a tiny mistake, people would remember -- they always did. Carmen returned to paying attention to Niklaas's words, smiling and nodding along. He wasn't the type to get irritated over a little lack of attention, she knew. She laughed when he finished, and amused, said, "Well, at least you aren't using that ridiculous application on the Internet -- Google Translate, I think it's called! It has horrible translations and just messes everything up." She drummed her fingers on the tabletop with a knowing grin. "Aha! So you came to me to fix this, yes? Good thinking, querido. My shift ends in a little while, why don't we do something after that~? I've been a bit bored lately myself!" It would be nice to go out and do something that's supposed to be fun. Carmen had been trying to restrain herself from letting loose so often, being more and more busy with the Three Tomatoes and her brokering information. It hadn't been easy, but it was necessary in order to Carmen to stop distracting herself from what was currently important. "Hey Carmen! I brought you some carnations~" But, of course, Antonio had to barge in at the worst possible time. Seriously, she thought he would know better. Carmen held grudges for quite a bit, and while she appreciated his attempt to make amends, they didn't help very much until she had cooled down – which also took a pretty lengthy piece of time. And she was especially not in the mood when today had been going so well, and she was actually going to get to go out for the first time in what felt like forever; no matter what happened, Antonio wouldn't be coming with her and Niklaas. It was her time to spend with him, and her brother would only end up being a nuisance – she had a better tolerance for others, but Antonio was a special case. ”Hello, Antonio,” she said, tone a lot less enthused than usual; she only used his full name and refused to use Spanish to speak to him when they were in the middle of the fight and she was still angry with him. Take the hint. ”You can leave them on the counter, if you want.”

words: 437 tag: niklaas <33/antonio >8T notes: i’m sorry i took forever (as usual)

MADE BY HABBUE OF GS

[Deleted]

Word Count: 319
Notes:

...So she was still mad at him.

He should've known. But Antonio was never the best at telling what people were thinking. He got along alright when he was face to face with them, but...

Well, it'd always been easy for Antonio to forgive. Usually... It was often a bit of a surprise when others didn't feel the same way...

Suddenly, the Three Tomatoes seemed a lot less welcoming.

Antonio's cheery smile dropped somewhat. He was...okay, he was honestly rather annoyed at his sister right now. It wasn't even that big of a deal! He'd already forgotten their argument. Why couldn't she?

Sometimes he wondered what Carmen held against him. Sometimes he wondered if his sister even cared.

...She had to care, right?

They were affectionate enough, but not all that close. Antonio tried to reason that was the way all siblings were, but then again he'd never had a brother or sister to take care of.

Maybe she didn't care. Maybe it would be better if he just stopped coming.

...Damn, these were depressing thoughts.

"Alright, Carmen," Antonio said cheerfully. She'd forgive him sooner or later...he was sure...well, he hoped. "Actually, there was something I sorta wanted to talk to you about..." His voice faltered. Antonio rarely felt nervous, but his sister could be rather...erm, intimidating when she wanted to be.

He had to at least try to apologize though, right?

"Well, um, for what happened two weeks ago..." Antonio rubbed the back of his head. "You know, um, well, what I mean to say is..." Antonio knew he had his idiotic, I'd-like-to-apologize-but-I-don't-know-how-I'm-really-trying-here grin on his face.

"IguessIwasjustwonderingifyou'dforgiveme."

He said it all in one breath before looking a little guiltily into his sister's eyes.

Looking for some way to diffuse the tension, Antonio noticed the customer she was standing next to. "Oh, hey!" he smiled. "I'm Carmen's brother, Antonio. It's nice to meet you!"

made by MISSO on IOF

[Niklaas de Vries]

A few years ago he would have had an eye for miniscule details. Dabbling in photography for couple years gave one an eye for such things, but that had since turned that energy and preciseness to his music. Picture perfect finger movements, pausing at just the right time to breathe so you can play your solo without gasping for air by the end, knowing the keys of the piano so well that you could play any song blindfolded. Okay, so he was kind of a stickler for details like that, but not so much for the little containers of spices on his table. Carmen seemed to notice they were out of place, however, and rearranged them absently as she spoke, mentioning Google Translate's less-than-accurate translations in a bemused tone. The application itself was... passable. Not bad, but not great either. He wouldn't recommend it to anyone who was interested in learning another language.

“...My shift ends in a little while, why don't we do something after that~? I've been a bit bored lately myself!" Said Carmen. Did she have to be so peppy about everything? ...Dumb question. Of course she did, although her jubilation was somewhat contagious. Maybe that was why he had come to her before anyone else- because he needed someone far more upbeat than himself to get him out of this slump. Something that didn't involve getting high in his flat and watching the Nijntje (he didn't care if the cartoon was called “Miffy”;Nijntje was Nijntje) tapes he had managed to scrounge up. That, and the good weed was really expensive and hard to get in this city. Not exactly something he'd smoke every other day as recreation.

“What did you-” His question was cut off when someone called out. Glancing at the new voice Niklaas was taken somewhat aback at how... similar this man and Carmen looked. It was almost eerie in a way. Whatever the case, and whoever this look-alike was, Carmen seemed less than thrilled to see him. Christ, what did he do to make her regard him with anything less than sunshine and smiles? Whatever had happened, Niklaas didn't want to be in the middle of it. Let these two deal with... whatever it was they needed to- just keep him far away and out of it. God knew what would happen if Carmen ever got angry, and a part of him didn't want to see. The happiest, nicest people had the fiercest tempers, after all.

“Well, um, for what happened two weeks ago..."You know, um, well, what I mean to say is..." The look-alike (Antonio, was it?) said nervously, scratching the back of his head before taking a breath. It was when he said... some sort of fast, jumbled mess of words that was almost intelligible to his ears. Whatever he had said, it was for Carmen and it was probably personal. That was his cue to leave. He stood up, trying not to make it obvious that he was backing out of an uncomfortable situation. “"Oh, hey! I'm Carmen's brother, Antonio. It's nice to meet you!" Oh, goddamn it. With a sigh Niklaas resettled himself in his seat. He couldn't exactly get away easily now.

“Niklaas,” He began. “I'm a... friend of Carmen's.” Hopefully he would just leave it at that and take this private, whatever-kind-of-matter this was outside or in the back. Anywhere he wouldn't be caught in the middle of an argument.

ELECTRIC OF GS AND BTN

[Deleted]

"IguessIwasjustwonderingifyou'dforgiveme." To be completely honest, Carmen was going to forgive him as soon as Antonio said he was sorry and apologized. Their fight hadn't been as serious as others previously to it; it wasn't too bad. She didn't know why she managed to tolerate everyone else, but when it had to do anything with her brother, she couldn't handle it. Maybe this is what people meant by "issues with their siblings". But his nearly incomprehensibly muttering of his words was not an apology. He hadn't admitted he'd done anything wrong. He was just pinning the blame on her, as if she was the problem, and she had to forgive him and everything would be fine and dandy until Antonio screwed up the next time and everything would cycle through once again. She had already been through this enough times to know. But Carmen had to put her foot down for this. It was unfair to her, especially if Antonio wouldn't even admit he was doing something wrong -- whether this was a conscious choice or not, it was about time Antonio purposefully made it conscious and started, bluntly speaking, to get his shit together, because Carmen wasn't going to take anymore of it. But before she could open her mouth, Antonio beat her to it. "Oh, hey! I'm Carmen's brother, Antonio. It's nice to meet you!" Carmen was going to lose it. She was close enough as it was with Antonio's incompetence of making apologies as it was. But then he stepped over the line. "Antonio. Get the hell out of my cafe," she said calmly, dangerously low. This was the step in-between before she snapped completely. Carmen prayed that he would get the message and just leave without saying anything else. But knowing Antonio, she doubted it. This was the last chance she was giving him. She hoped he'd appreciate it. All she wanted to do was enjoy a nice day, hopefully with Niklaas -- but she was hesitant now. This whole scene had probably been off-putting, and she wouldn't blame him if he wanted to just go without doing anything. The usually cheery mood had been dampened, and she doubted Niklaas wanted her company now. "Don't say a word. Just leave."

words: 373 tag: niklaassssssssss/antonio UGH notes: sorry for carmen she's rEALLY ANGRY

MADE BY HABBUE OF GS

[Deleted]

Word Count: 414
Notes:

Antonio had been meaning to reply to Niklaas and was almost about to when his sister's voice, dangerous and low, came through.

"Antonio. Get the hell out of my café."

There was no joking around. No possible chance of forgiveness. No, it was just...

Get the hell out of my café.

Antonio swallowed.

He wasn't good at this sibling thing, Antonio knew that. He wasn't very sensitive to other people's feelings. It took him too long to catch onto what other people were implying. He was blunt and could be careless and yes, he admitted all of that. All of it.

Still, he didn't think...

Why was it that everything that Antonio ever did was wrong?

Even when he didn't know what he'd done.

He just didn't understand his sister. Maybe he should stop trying to understand her. It might not seem like it, but he was trying...

Antonio wanted to say something. He did, oh he so desperately did. To make up for his mistakes, even if he didn't know what they were. To make things okay. But...

"Don't say a word, just leave."

Antonio stood there, staring at Carmen for a moment. He'd really messed up, even if he didn't really know how or why or what. And he...well, he felt terrible inside. It was like someone had gutted him and was twisting the knife inside of him.

But okay. Okay.

"Okay," Antonio said, his voice dull and flat. "I'll leave."

Maybe he should just give up, here and now. Maybe he and Carmen had been separated as kids for a reason. Maybe this was why. Because Antonio was an idiot. Because he was a fuck-up. And because, even after he'd messed up, he still didn't know what he could do about it. Maybe there was no way to remedy this situation.

Maybe he'd just have to accept that. Accept it and move on.

Carmen's words stung and things seemed to move slowly around him. Time seemed to slow.

Okay.

Time to go.

Antonio gave one nod to Niklaas, internally apologizing for what had happened in front of him. Then, he turned to Carmen.

Maybe he should just leave. But he couldn't...quite...

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Antonio turned around and walked straight out of the café. He didn't bother looking back, he didn't bother waiting. His sister had made her position clear. It was time for Antonio to leave.

The door swung shut behind Antonio.

And that was that.

made by MISSO on IOF

[Deleted]

This wasn't a soap opera, but the way both of them were acting, it was seeming like it was. She tensed the moment Antonio opened his mouth again, anger and frustration still pulsing through her veins. She didn't want to hear it, she didn't want to hear it, she didn't want to hear it-- "Okay, I'll leave." No fighting. Nothing. Her stomach dropped. He nodded to Niklaas as a non-verbal apology, and she felt the irritation rise again. He barely knew him, and yet... Antonio turned to her, and she steeled herself. "I'm sorry." Carmen almost screamed. She had been waiting to hear that -- just those two simple words -- for so long. It was all she had wanted. And now that she finally had heard them, she felt the guilt settle in, weighing down on her shoulders. Niklaas having to witness all of this aside, this was horrible. All her life, Carmen had dreamed of just being able to have a family. A sibling... she had always taken care of others. Estelle was one. But that was more maternal than anything -- sometimes she had longed for a sister or a brother, because she was so lonely. Days of sitting alone in the corner, wanting a companion to play with after Estelle had vanished came back, flooding through her mind. She was going to drown if she didn't do something. "Antonio, wait--" The door swung shut, cutting her off, and she sprung out of her seat in a panic. She couldn't handle losing somebody else in her life -- someone so close to her. This was worse than the other arguments they had. Carmen wasn't sure she couldn't handle it. She had just been putting on a brave face; she regretted it now. It figured. The one time Carmen told him to get out, it was the one time he listened to her. "Niklaas, querido, lo siento -- sorry," As Carmen nearly sprinted to follow after her brother, Spanish began tumbling out her mouth in a rush, and she had to remember to speak English. But that was the last problem on her mind right now. "I'll -- I'll be right back, I'll make it up to you, I'm sorry." She threw open the door, wildly glancing around for Antonio to catch him before he could get away. The bell rang loudly, clamoring in protest, but she didn't care. Her eyes fell on her twin, and she grabbed onto his shoulder without thinking. "Antonio -- hermano," she corrected herself, voice soft and out of breath, as her heart pounded wildly in guilt for tossing her only remaining known family out, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap like that. Can we... talk about it? We haven't been communicating very well, and... I'd like to fix that, if you were willing to."

words: 462 tag: niklaasss/antonio  notes: lightning reply

MADE BY HABBUE OF GS

[Niklaas de Vries]

Sept 12, 2013 13:58:15 GMT -8 Niklaas de Vries said:

As odd as it was, the argument reminded him of the argument his parents had before they divorced. The woman being cold and distant, her voice a dangerous whisper, and the man being apologetic and asking to be understood. No, Beatrix, you don't understand; I have to do this! Niklaas shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind of such unpleasantness. The parallels he could draw just made him more uncomfortable than he already was, and a part of him dreaded that the reunion with his own siblings would be just as chaotic. Elise and Marianne were, from what he remembered, little angels despite the threat of poverty and foreclosure breathing down their necks. But there was always the possibility that the decade-and-something of separation had changed them, just like it had Niklaas. He had been forced to grow up too quickly, but what of his sisters? Either they hadn't changed at all, or time had made them bitter and jaded, just like he was. It was best he didn't linger on these thoughts for too long. Elise probably didn't even remember him, she had been so young when the divorce happened, and Marianne... hopefully she was still as bright and bubbly as he remembered.

"Don't say a word, just leave." Niklaas flinched slightly, and he hoped that neither of the two saw it. Those words struck a little too close to home for him; too similar. This entire thing was way too familiar, and he wanted out of the whole mess. Day off be damned, maybe he could slip in a time slot for himself at the Vortex. Maybe some new aspiring band or singer needed someone to play saxophone for them. Whatever the case, he felt like he needed a smoke, but knew he couldn't partake. Smoking was prohibited in the Three Tomatoes, and even if it wasn't Carmen would probably remind him for the hundredth time that he smoked too much, and how labored his breathing sometimes became seriously worried her. He coughed into a fist, almost like his lungs were angrily reminding him that he could go ten minutes without sucking on smoke. Luckily this fit was short and nonviolent (and his coughing fits could get very bad), and he didn't feel the urge to spit anything up. What he did want was away from this- this, TV soap opera bullshit. Seriously, the only thing missing from the entire scenario was a doctor coming in as dramatically as possible and announce that Carmen was pregnant, and that Niklaas was the father. Away from a situation that bitterly reminded him about how easily his mother went from loving and supportive, to distrusting and disgusted. Away from this unpleasantness, period.

Antonio seemed to have the same idea, seeming to conclude that any attempts to patch up whatever remained of his relationship with Carmen was pointless. “Okay, I'll leave” he resigned heavily. He gave an apologetic nod to the Dutchman, and muttered one last phrase before he left; “I'm sorry.” Niklaas could practically hear Carmen's anger crack and shatter like glass. Her anger and frustration crashing away to reveal something much more hopeful and desperate. That was something that he had never seen from her, heartbreak. It was like Antonio's simple act of leaving had ripped a hole in her world. A hole that she couldn't repair without him.

"Antonio, wait--" The door closed, and Carmen jumped up, pausing only briefly to regard Niklaas. "Niklaas, querido, lo siento -- sorry," Her accent was starting to escape and run amok all over the place, tongue naturally falling back to the language she was more familiar with. "I'll -- I'll be right back, I'll make it up to you, I'm sorry."

“It might actually be best if I left.” He replied, standing up, tucking in his chair both to be polite and to show that he didn't intend to come back. “Just call me or something.” Like he needed to tell her. Carmen would most definitely call him later that night to apologize in every way that she knew how. Properly offer to take him out to a nice dinner to make up for it. Carmen all but sprinted out of the cafe, Niklaas trailing behind her at a much more casual pace, and he didn't regard her and Antonio as he fiddled with the lock on his bike and pulled it free of the rack just outside.

ELECTRIC OF GS AND BTN

[Deleted]

Word Count: 440
Notes:

Antonio walked listlessly in the direction of the restaurant he worked at. Maybe he'd take an extra shift...or...well, if he couldn't focus he'd go home. Hopefully the boss would understand. Antonio had been working hard recently...

There was the sound of something behind him, a bell ringing or something of the sort, but lost in his thoughts, Antonio paid it no attention. He just wanted to get away...

Footsteps neared him and suddenly, there was a hand on his shoulder. Antonio didn't really have to look to know who it was. Carmen's grip on his shoulder was tight, a little too tight. What had he done wrong now? Maybe he should've just left, shouldn't have bothered with apologies... He could never figure his sister out...

"Antonio—hermano." For the first time that day, Antonio heard his sister speak Spanish. That...that had to be a good sign, right? He was a little hesitant to believe in it. He'd misread her actions so many times before.

Her voice was soft and out of breath as the word continued to tumblr from her mouth. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap like that. Can we... talk about it? We haven't been communicating very well, and... I'd like to fix that, if you were willing to."

...Really? Antonio blinked as he turned around to face his sister. Had he heard her words right? She was...she was forgiving him? His melancholy expression broke into a relieved smile. Antonio didn't like to be hated. Sure, he'd held his own grudges before (and they had lasted way too long), but that was always the exception, not the rule.

Still...Antonio hesitated before answering his sister. What if he upset her again? He seemed to be rather talented and doing just that. Perhaps it would be better to hug her and say things were alright and then leave. If he just left then maybe she'd have time to fully calm down. She'd been so angry at him only a few minutes ago...

Antonio reached over and hugged his sister. He really did want to know her better, he really did want to try. "Sí, of course we can talk about it, of course I'd be willing to..." He released her from the hug and noticed Niklaas out of the corner of his eye. The man was leaving. Was that his fault too? "But you have work and your customer—Niklaas—is leaving. We can talk later, sí? Some time when it's better for you?" He gave his twin a smile. Maybe this would work, yes, maybe. He hadn't said anything wrong yet, had he?

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[Deleted]

Antonio smiled his perfect, happy smile, and Carmen felt so relieved. It was as if everything that had been spinning out of control, everything that had been so delicate and about to collapse at the slightest push in the wrong direction -- was right again. A burden was lifted from her shoulders with his blissful beam, and sh couldn't help but return his grin. They said happiness was contagious, and Carmen was prone to agree with the old saying. It was hard not to smile when someone was doing it so earnestly right in front of you. When Antonio's arms wrapped around her to engulf her in a warm embrace, she just as eagerly return it, nearly flinging her arms around him. It was the first genuine hug they had had in a long time -- perhaps maybe from when they initially realized the truth about their biological genetics. There had been so much disbelief and surprise at first; but it had soon settled down to just being so happy and content with finally knowing the truth about each other's existence. Well, Carmen couldn't speak for Antonio, really, but she would assume he had felt the same ecstatic, pure excitement she had. "Sí, of course we can talk about it, of course I'd be willing to..." She was confused when Antonio suddenly let go, looking past her, and she glanced behind too; seeing Niklaas had exited out after her and was leaving. The sight was a bit disappointing, but she could understand how awkward he must have felt, and Carmen actually preferred the Dutchman wasn't around for such personal conversation. This time was meant to be between Antonio and her. It was about time they had a sibling-to-sibling talk, in all honesty. "But you have work and your customer—Niklaas—is leaving. We can talk later, sí? Some time when it's better for you?" "Adios Niklaas! Thank you again, and I'll talk to you later! I'm on break, actually," she explained, after calling after her friend, looking back now at her brother -- her brother. She was passionate, full of so much emotion right now, in this very moment. Carmen was always a passionate person, and she was never one to be able to lose her touch with what she believed in, ever -- but she was all pumped up now for this, so she sure as hell wasn't going to back down. "No, this time is good -- for me, I mean, I hope for you as well! It's slow right now, and we can talk in the back. I'll keep an eye out for any potential customers, just in case, but... Tonio, por favor, podemos hablar ahora?"

words: 447 tag: ANTONIO <3 y NIKLAAS <3 notes: lightning reply number 2

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Word Count: 422
Notes:

Carmen's face broke out in unadulterated relief and when Antonio gave her a hug, she returned it with so much sincerity that Antonio almost laughed out loud.

For the first time in a long time, Antonio felt like they were alright again. That they were on good terms, that things would turn out alright. He felt unbelievably happy, unbelievably joyful in this moment. Being forgiven felt good, so undeniably good.

Carmen, at his comment, stepped back as well and looked back to see Niklaas leaving. Antonio felt a little twinge of guilt again, knowing that Carmen was losing a customer and possibly a friend as a direct result of him.

"Adios Niklaas!" Carmen's voice broke through Antonio's thoughts, surprising him. "Thank you again, and I'll talk to you later!" There was a surprising amount of cheeriness in Carmen's voice, as if everything Antonio had done had been just simply forgotten. His sister turned back to him with a smile on her face. "I'm on break, actually," she explained.

What a coincidence that he should be on break too. Antonio couldn't really resist smiling. Maybe they could work through their problems. No, definitely! Surely they could! Antonio might like doing things at his own pace in his own time, but this was something he truly, genuinely wanted. He wanted to spend time with his sister. With family. Antonio hadn't realized how much he had missed family in the past few years. It was only now with Carmen did Antonio recognize how much he needed someone who was his family. Antonio would try, god, he would try as hard as possible to be family to Carmen.

"No, this time is good -- for me, I mean, I hope for you as well! It's slow right now, and we can talk in the back. I'll keep an eye out for any potential customers, just in case, but... Tonio, por favor, podemos hablar ahora?"

"Sí~" Antonio couldn't keep the stupid grin off his face or take the happiness out of his voice. He was suddenly seized with a desire to make things work out, to know that things could work out. Often, his fiery passions burned out before they were recognized, but not this time! Antonio would make sure of it, he most certainly would. Things would work out simply because Antonio desperately wanted them to work out.

"¡Vámanos!" Antonio said cheerfully. "We haven't really talked in forever, haven't we?" He took his sister's hand and gave it a playful swing. "You lead the way."

made by MISSO on IOF

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She squeezed his hand after he took it in his and blissfully began swinging them; a familiar gesture between two people who were as close as lovers. Although Carmen could not claim she was possibly as close with Antonio with such a bond, she was hoping that by the end of their conversation that they would be able to possess such happiness. It was the passion that ran through their blood -- a trait they had clearly both inherited from their father. Ah, Carmen remembered, her smile quirking into a frown, that's right. Antonio still was not aware of their father's passing, was he? From what she could discern from her memory, she was fairly certain he did not. She would have to tell him at some point; she had been planning on it, at some time when they could both settle down and converse like agreeable human beings. Whenever she had attempted to tell her brother the truth, something had always seemed to have interrupted -- an argument, business, others -- there had never been a good time. But now, perhaps, this would be the best opportunity for them both. "Yes, it's been a long time," Carmen said as she led him back into the Three Tomatoes, feeling their entwined fingers again just to reassure herself this was real. She had blood family; blood family who cared about her. Even though it was known to all that Carmen considered almost all the people in her life family, blood had always been something she had desired for -- her family had been incomplete with only her father. She had loved him dearly, but when he had left her to go to Heaven, Carmen had felt so alone. She had never had a mother in her life, and had instead taken it upon herself to have motherly concern for all of those in horrible situations who had genuinely needed it. She had never entertained the idea of a brother -- let alone a twin. When Antonio had found her, she had left romanticized notions of lost long siblings reuniting run away with her heart. She owed at least something to Antonio's obliviousness, she supposed. "Back here," she showed him pass the counter and into the kitchen. There was a large window from which they would be able to view any in-coming customers, and it was private enough where they could talk without worrying about anyone hearing them. Carmen turned to face him, hands still clasped together, and smiled. "Tonio, te extrañé."

words: 421 tag: ANTONIO <333 notes: a little lateeee

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