FSE

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Hey everyone,

sorry for taking so long to post something (damn, the last chapter was two month ago!), I actually had started this chapter something like a life ago but... well I will post a journal about how life is going after this. Just sorry that it took so long... Hope you will like this chapter, it is the start of the date between Luca and Edward! I hope to get some feedback :3

As always and forever, I want to thank my Gritou to be there and helping me so much. Love you babe!

Dusk still permeated the streets despite the hour being somewhat late, all thanks to the magic of summer. The infamous traffic of Roma was just the shadow of its usual self, and the lupo travelled through the hole-infested roads hardly stopping, the only obstacles to his driving the accursed red lights that he met.

The serenity of the silent quartieri1he went through wasn't met with an equal state of mind. It had been a great while since his last date, not since... well, his ex. Not that he had done much of this dating business, so Luca wasn't feeling that much reassured in his own abilities in charming another fur.

That it was a romantic date, the lupine didn't have doubt. Well, hardly any. Maybe a tiny bit. But the cougar did kissed him in the middle of the piazza, and that hadn't been a misaimed smooch on the kiss or a cultural tic. And their conversations had a bit of a flirty edge too, so he knew that Edward was interested in him... Unless it was just friendly jabbing...

"Ugh." He groaned loudly, drowning the loud chatter of his inner demons. No use to sabotage himself, not being tense. If it was a date and the feelings led to more... he would go with that rift. If it was just a friendly outing, that would suffice.

Stirring the wheel to turn right, he crossed the river on one of its many bridges, getting on the lungotevere2after having cut the bend of the Tiber. Even if the radio was on and playing some Italian song about a woman being dumped, Luca couldn't stop thinking; it was always like that before a stressful event.

He almost wished that things were clearer, like they had been with Stanley. Well, the first Stanley that is. The lynx had been so sure and firm, and had made it clear what he wanted... Not hiding behind a nonexistent wife... Though, the lean restorer was way too aware that he was idealizing the feline.

After all, he had passed what, two days with him? And apart from the hours of their visit, and the time spent eating, all they had done was having sex. Sure, on the surface he seemed to be his type... He always thought what he needed in a partner was security and strength, and the lynx from the US seemed to emanate both.

Passing before the white mass of the Palazzo di Giustizia3, he wondered why he was thinking about Stanley all of sudden. Maybe because he was getting crazy thanks to his anxiety. Or maybe because, with a serious contender for his affections (or so he hoped) he could let go to the crazy fantasy of seeing the lynx again and, crazier still, developing a real relationship with him.

"I really need to get this crap out before I see Edward". The lupo thought, now focusing on searching a good parking spot since the castle has just entered his view field, marking the spot of their date. The stands around it were already lightened up, even though the real bulk of the summer movida4, mainly high schoolers and university students, would have arrived much later.

That was actually one of the reasons why they had decided to meet at such an hour, apart from him leaving his work place early. It was that special time of the day, during summer, when you had the chance to easily find a parking spot in the neighborhood of Prati5, between the leaving of the workers and the arrival of the party goers.

Luca didn't have to search for much long before sighting an empty stretch of street, practically exulting when he noticed it was not only close enough to the castle and, by extension, to the pub, but it was also marked with the white lines of free parking!

Thanking his driving guardian angel, he quickly steered the wheel and placed the car in the Holy Grail of parking spot, all too aware that even a moment of hesitation could cost him his price. Such were the ways of the Romans, unfortunately, and the only way to survive was to be smart and go along.

Turning off the engine, the lupo glanced at his watch, his tall ears dropping a bit at seeing the hour. He prided himself for being punctual, even coming earlier than the set times, but at the moment he was way too early! The restorer had factored too much time in searching for a spot, not even imagining he would be that lucky.

Now he had to choose what to do... Going to the place wouldn't take too long, five minutes if he walked veeeerryyyyy slowly, but then he would have to wait there for Edward's arrival, all alone, with people passing and wondering what he was doing standing there. Or he could remain in the car. Furs would also ask what he was doing there, sit in the vehicle, but at least it would have been better and comfortable than playing the role of a pole.

Those were the possibilities if the cougar hadn't already arrived, of course. In that case, was it better to show up early, relieving the feline from being in that awkward situation? But then, it would seem that the dog was all too eager for the date, and that it was never good, to show your cards and emotions so easily, not at the beginning at least.

"Maybe I should wait just for a few minutes..." The wolf wondered, maybe with a quarter of hour more his timing would be less terrible, his or the mountain lion's wait less consistent and-

TOC TOC6

The lupine turned immediately toward the knocking sound, and there he was, his date, a huge grin extending on his thin feline lips, his eyes sparkling for the smile, or so he seemed to the wolf. The surprise froze every mobile extension of Luca by such an unexpected, to say the least, turn of the events.

"Yo Luca!" The feline greeted him, adding a wavy motion of his paw to his words, leaning on the car to poke his head through the lowered window.

"Hey Edward!" The lupine answered back, high fiving himself for not stuttering and keeping his mental disarray in check.

"I was walking from work, just turning from that road." The cougar said in English, one paw moving toward his right. "And I flashed you driving in the car, then parking."

"Oh, you did?" The lupo asked to buy some time, trying to figure out for how long he had been inside the macchina7. Surely not more than a minute or two... an agreeable period of time, not at all weird or anything.

"Yep! Waited a bit before knocking, in case I was wrong... which I wasn't!" The American waiter purred a chuckle at such improbable possibility.

"Indeed you weren't! So you spared yourself a brutta figura8." The lean restorer rumbled back, slipping a bit of his native Italian.

"Yep!" He chuckled again, regarding him with his deep eyes. "So... are you finally coming?"

"Whut?" The lupine chortled nervously, his hyperactive mind getting the lewdest meaning oddly enough. Edward wouldn't be so forward... would he?

"Are you going to sit there all evening? Come out of the car, we have a date, remember!" The big cat jabbed at him merrily, standing up from the side to further his message. That was lucky thing, since this way he didn't see the mild redness on Luca's cheeks, he hadn't realized his rudeness until now.

He faked checking that everything was alright, a voice in his head repeating "never show too much eagerness", and then finally descending from his car, keys in tow to close it with a push of a button. The puma was waiting on the sidewalk, always grinning and not showing if he had caught the nervousness of the lupo... Which was clearly visible, he was sure.

"So shall you lead the way? I'm not quite sure which stand is the pub!" Edward exclaimed as he was joined by the lupine, looking around as he was saying that.

"Uhm, neither do I... But I guess it won't take too much to find out."

"So, first the entrance, then we start asking?" The cream-furred cat questioned, not at all bothered that Luca didn't know the exact location of the pub. He hadn't gone there yet, after all, he just knew that there was one in the pseudo-carnival around the castle.

Let's get to the entrance... The one toward the Vatican is closer, I think." The canine wondered, stepping to his side to set the pace.

"Then there we go!" The American student smiled, following him. They had to cross the road first, then just follow the sidewalk that encircled the moat of the Castello, dividing them from the area with the stands. They soon passed under the arches of the Passetto9, the wolf glancing at his companion.

"I guess I don't have to tell you what that is." He stated, not too arrogantly, just matter-of-fact.

"Unless you have some juicy stories about popes tripping on their footpaws as they run to the safety of the fortress..." The feline replied, his voice sounding curious to know such fun facts.

"Uhm... I think... Uhm... Sorry, I don't remember any." The lupine apologized, his eyes automatically going to admire the distant beauty of Saint Peter as they passed in front of it. Turning back to the feline, he briefly met his stare as the American was doing the same, though his eyes focused on the lupine right away. Feeling foolish, Luca averted his eyes as they walked toward the entrance of the castle's gardens.

There were several illuminated stands past the metal wrought gates, put neatly under the leafy trees, most of them selling bags and clothes, some books, others local specialties. They weren't the only fur hoping from place to place, slowly regarding what was being sold and a few even buying something.

"Is this an annual thing?" The cougar asked, referring to the stands while walking close to the lupine, their shoulders almost touching.

"Yeah, the Comune10 always organize such things for summer, to color up things for tourists." The lupine answered, feeling the puma's paw brushing against his own, the strange desire of grabbing it arising. But he resisted the temptation, it was too soon for that, no?

"And the locals too, from what I see." Edward purred, referring to the sizeable group of teenagers they were just passing, all the girls looking excitingly at clothes while their horny male companions suffered in silence in the hope of getting something later.

"Yeah, better entertain the local population, no?" The lupo agreed, striding past that group. His ears perked when he saw a bigger stand, with some wooden table and chairs and decorations attempting to simulate an English pub. The efforts were appreciated, but you could do just that much if you were housed in a temporary plastic stand, however big and covered in fake memorabilia.

"There it is the famous pub! It doesn't look half bad!" His companion exclaimed, having spotted their goal at the same time as he did.

"And it seems mostly vacated, good!" The restorer replied, still walking at the same pace than before. The appearance of a big throng of tourists was unlikeable, as far as he saw, so there was no need to rush to take places.

"I hope they serve burgers, I am starving!" The American fur almost growled for the need of nourishment, making the lupine chuckle loudly.

"You haven't eaten at your pub?" He jabbed his date, his ears flicking in amusement. "Big boys like you need to eat!"

"Let's just say I prefer not to eat there." The mountain lion puffed, piquing Luca's curiosity.

"You mean that the kitchen there use... unethical methods?" He poked the other, not sure how to formulate the question.

"Nah, I mean that the cook could do stuff to my food. That's what you get by resisting the advances of a 45 years old burly lady." The other confessed, shivers of disgust wrecking his body.

"Ugh I see now..." The lupo gave out a sympathetic groan as they finally reached the pub, one of the waitress approaching them with a big smile on her short cocker spaniel's muzzle. That cute smile was probably destined to fade away at the end of her shift, after serving beer after beer after beer.

"Ciao ragazzi11! Want a table? Is it just the two of you?" The feminine canine chirped at them, shoving back one unruly curl of black fur behind her floppy ear.

"Ciao! Just the two of us, a small table will do!" Edward purred in Italian, the waitress swooning visibly at his American accent.

"No problem with that! Follow me!" The black haired dog exclaimed, hurriedly moving through the maze of furniture to get to promised table. It almost looked as if she wanted to please them, specifically the cougar, with being fast to provide what they desired... Making the second canine falling for the American student that night.

"Here, lemme clean it a bit..." She said once they reached one of the smaller tables, grabbing a wet towel to clean the already spotless surface, all the while smiling broadly at the feline who just grinned back.

"Do you have something to eat more than fries?" The puma sweetly asked, placing himself on one of the chairs. Luca did just the same on the specular one, happy to let his date deal with the charmed waitress.

The cocker blinked a few times, in the slow, deliberate way women did in front of attractive furs. She tilted her head in a cutsey manner, tipping one finger on her lips as deep in thought. "We've gotta some sandwiches that are la morte sua12, this big!" The waitress proceeded to show the, admittedly, great length of said sandwiches, still smiling vapidly.

"Any suggestions?" The lupo intruded, not wanting to have a drooling girl over his feline.

"Yeah, the one mortazza, stracchino e lattuga13it's over the top!" She answered him, without even turning in his general direction, still staring at the hunky cougar.

"Sounds delicious! What do you think?" The cream furred canine said, waiting to see what he would reply.

"That's okay for me, we take two! With fries on the side." Edward ordered, the black canine already scrambling on her note pad as he spoke.

"Got it. What for drinks? The blonde birra alla spina14 it's very good!" She suggested, eager to please her patron in every way; that surely included more... direct ones, the lupine thought to himself. Luca?" The feline asked his date, waiting for the simple nod to carry on. "Two of those beers then. Big ones!"

"'Kay, they are on their way!" She said before walking away, swooning her hips as much as she could. Unfortunately for her, neither fur paid attention to that, their heads turned to each other so they could talk.

"I hope she is right on the panini, I am starving!" The American fur said, and Luca could almost hear his stomach growling... or maybe it was just the other purring...

"I think we will know soon enough!" He noted, putting his paws idly on the table. "If they are any good, I could drag Ale here next time."

"He likes this kind of places?"

"Sì, but more importantly he likes to eat." The lupine replied, chuckling at the thought of the rottie gorging himself with sandwiches.

"Who doesn't love that?" The puma purred, stirring his arms a bit and resting his paws on the wooden surface, close to the lupo's.

"Yeah. I must ask them if they are open at lunch. If the food is good, I am sure he will want to come and try it as soon as possible." He continued, already planning for Friday's lunch with his coworker.

"That is cute of your friend! But isn't this place a bit too far from your basilica?" The mountain lion said, his brow curling in thought as if he was trying to calculate the distance.

"Not that far, plus we usually go to work with his motorcycle!" The wolf answered him.

"Ohhhhh a motorcycle! I see! Always wanted to do a tour!" The cougar swooned at the idea, staring at Luca meaningfully as the waitress returned with two tall glasses full of golden liquid.

"I can give you a ride around, if you don't mind bumping into holes! Thank you!" The lupine proposed, thanking the cocker girl for the beer.

"I surely don't mind that..." The feline winked at him, blurting a quick "thank you" at the waitress as she delivered the glass with a smile. She looked at him, then at the restorer, her smile dying for a moment.

"You're welcome. The food is coming soon." She informed them with a flat tone before leaving to serve another table.

"Ouch, let's hope she won't spit in it..." Luca thought, hoping that the girl wouldn't feel scorned by seeing the cutey being stolen from her. Not that he voiced his concerns to the cougar, though.

"Well then, maybe we can go for a ride this week end? Maybe showing you the Auditurium of Renzo Piano15?" The lean canine said, a plan already forming in his head. He could pick up the American student where he lived and then see that place and then...

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"I would rather see your neighborhood.... and your bedroom..." Edward purred at him seductively, making him blush madly at the sudden proposition that matched his thoughts exactly. He opened his muzzle to reply, but his voice was covered completely by a loud shriek behind him.

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"OH WHAT A SURPRISE! TESORO, IT'S LUCA!"

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Translation:

1) Neighborhoods.

2) Literally means "along the Tiber". It is the name of the great boulevards that run along the shores of the river.

3) The Palace of Justice, once the building where the Tribunal/Court of Rome sat, now the seat of our highest court, the Corte di Cassazione.

4) Spanish word that has entered the Italian vocabulary, defining the night life and the places where it is held.

5) Neighborhood in the Center of Rome, one of the first to be build after the Unification and the only one added to the historical rioni.

6) Knock knock

7) Literally, machine. Used in Italian to define cars too.

8) Italian figure of speech that means "to make a fool of oneself".

9) Covered passage that links the papal apartments in the Vatican to Castel Sant'Angelo.

10) Municipality.

11) Hi guys!

12) Roman expression that means that some food is very good, that is "it's own death"

13) Mortazza: colloquial name of the mortadellahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortadella. Stracchino: a type of soft cheese. Lattuga: lettuce.

14) Draft beer.

15) For more information about the Auditorium: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditorium_Parco_della_Musica

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