Romano x Reader. Workplace love notes.

It was simple. You hated your job. All you had to do was pick up a phone every ten seconds to listen to people complain. You'd stopped listening to them by now. It wasn't even your job to listen to them, but half the time you couldn't tell them that before they went on a full-scale rant about something not working properly. All your job was was to redirect them to the right person.

    But you weren't the only person who thought your job was boring. In the big room of booth-like workspaces, there were twenty of you. And between nineteen of you, there was a little running joke. Just to liven things up a little. Every time somebody shouted-

"DUCK!" Somebody yelled. The room was suddenly filled with the sound of office chairs hitting the corkboard divides between booths as people scrambled to lay down on the floor. Grinning, you shook your head, sticking your head out of your booth and looking up and down to see many others doing the same.

"Boss!" Somebody else hissed, and everybody hurried to resume their normal positions as the elevator doors opened at one end of the room. You, being at the opposite end of the room, knew you had some time to make sure everything was right should he want to speak to you. But as usual, he didn't. Well, no news was good news, as far as you were concerned.

    Your friend Taylor stood up and looked over the separation between your two work spaces.

"He's talking to Lovino!" The auburn-haired Brit hissed, glancing over her shoulder.

"No wonder. He swears that much at the customers. If Lovino wasn't his grandson he'd've been fired months ago." You smirked, looking up at her. "Now sit down before he sees you."

"Even if he does see me, he wouldn't care." She grinned at you.

"Taylor~" She turned at the sound of her name. "I pay you to work, not to chat." She sat down.

"Spiacente, signore!" She called, making you snort in amusement. There wasn't even an attempt at an Italian accent in those words, making her sound hilarious. The only sound following that was the tapping of buttons on keyboards until he left again. Then Taylor's head popped back over the divide.

"You really suck at accents, don't you?" You asked, grinning.

"No, I said it like that on purpose. You know Italian is my third language." She said proudly.

"How many languages do you speak?" You asked, blinking.

"Uhh...." She went quiet, eyes towards the ceiling and lips moving slightly as she counted in her head. "...Ten? Eleven if you class French-Canadian to be different to regular French. Which it is."

"Holy-"

"DUCK!"

"SHOTGUN!" You yelled back. That was the only word other than 'boss' that got everybody back on their feet.

"Yeah, holy shotgun." The Brit grinned again, her unusual eyes smiling too. She had something called central heterocromia, meaning the area surrounding her pupils was a different colour to the rest of her iris. Grey around the outside and golden-brown in the middle. "Why do you think they put me in here? You get foreign people living in this country, and they have a little trouble speaking the language."

"Why are they in the country then?" You asked quietly, folding your arms.

"Don't even get me started on that." She muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Taylor!" Somebody called.

"That's me!" She turned around, looking at somebody you couldn't see because you were still sat down.

"Got a foreigner over here! Sounds Polish or something!"

"On it!" She trotted away. You didn't hear what happened for a few seconds over the general noises of the office, but soon you heard: "Polish?! That's friggin' Russian you idiot! They're nothing like eachother!" You smiled at your computer screen, clicking off a few things and bringing up a game of Solitaire. Shifting a few cards around, you looked up when you noticed somebody's presence at the entrance to your workspace.

"Oh, hey there Feli. What brings you here? Don't you work in the kitchen?" You asked, looking at the Italian.

"Si... But somebody asked me to give you something!" He beamed, handing you a yellow sticky-note. You looked at it, thinking it may be something to do with your work, but it wasn't. Written in some of the most beautiful calligraphy you'd ever seen were the words 'Tu sei la mia vita'.

"Tu sei la mia vita..." You read quietly. "Feli, isn't this-" You cut off when you looked up and saw he wasn't there. "Hm." You leant back in your chair and stuck the note to the bottom of your computer monitor, just because of the sheer beauty of the writing.

"Back!" Taylor looked back over the divide.

"So?"

"Ah, just some Russian who wanted-" She switched to a flawless Russian accent. "To speak to my boss, da?" She grinned. "So I told him 'YA ne znayu, gde on, ser'. He seemed quite impressed with my Russian-"

"You told him what?" You asked, shaking your head slightly.

"That I didn't know where he was. But anyway, then he said -and this freaked me out a little- 'Pozor. U nas yest' nezakonchennoye delo'. Which means 'Shame. We had some unfinished business.'"

"Oh, that's creepy!" You nodded slightly. "So what did you say? By the way, you don't have to tell me in Russian too."

"I just went 'Oh?' Like I was asking what it was, and he said 'never mind, I shall call back tomorrow if I still cannot contact him'."

"And the conversation finished there?" You asked.

"No." She shook her head. "I said, 'Okay then, I'll be here, just ask for Taylor', and he said 'I will. You sound too beautiful for me not to'. Then hung up!"

"Oh, dude... Dude, that's weird. But hey, on another note, look at this!" You said, taking the sticky-note from your computer and giving it to her.

"Niiice..." The Brit nodded slowly, handing it back. "That's some decent calligraphy. Who's it from?"

"That's the thing, I don't know! What does it even mean?"

"Tu sei la mia vita? It means 'you are my life', in Italian."

"Really? But who'd give me that?"

"Who knows?" She shrugged. "Anybody could easily look something up in Italian. Who gave it to you?"

"Feliciano, but..." You trailed off.

"So? You don't think it's from him?"

"No." You shook your head. "His handwriting is a barely decipherable messy scrawl. Not something so beautiful as this."

"Come on, it's almost time to go home for the day. Sleep on it, you might think of something. Or you can come out with me and the guys, get totally smashed then call in tomorrow sick because of a hangover." The grey-and-brown-eyed twenty-three year old grinned at you widely.

"That's tempting, but I need every penny I can get of this month's pay. My cat needs to go to the vet, and I can't afford it, really..." You sighed sadly.

"Well come on, leave the note and go home. You might get another one tomorrow!"

"Maybe..."

-----

You did get another note the following day. Delivered in exactly the same way at exactly the same time. Though because Taylor wasn't there due to a 'stomach bug' -which you knew to really be a hangover-, you had to collar Feli to ask what it meant.

"Feli, wait." You said before he could leave again. "What does it mean?" This note was written in the same stunning script, but had the words 'Tu sei la mia anima'.

"Sorry bella, I'm under instructions not to tell you!" He beamed at you and bounced off quickly. You watched him go, an unimpressed expression written on your face. Standing up, you left your booth and went to the only other person there who could help you. Lovino.

"Hey Lovi!" You leant over the wall of his booth, only to see he was napping, leant back in his chair with his feet on the desk. You couldn't help but smile at him. He looked so cute when he was asleep! Ugh, what were you thinking? This was the office asshole! The only one who refused to play along with your little game of-

"DUCK!" Somebody not too far away yelled. You did, flattening yourself on the carpetted floor.

"God dammit!" That was Lovino. "I swear to God, if your caught doing this, all of you are going to burn!" He snarled angrily.

"Shotgun!" Somebody else called, and you got to your feet, brushing yourself off. Lovino looked at you, wondering why you had been on the floor outside his workspace. 

"Aww, did somebody disturb wittle wovi's naptime?" You asked, pouting like a child.

"Patronising cagna." He muttered under his breath, turning scarlet. "Was there something you wanted or were you just grovelling around my booth for no reason?" The grumpy Italian asked, speaking louder.

"Here." You held out the note. "Feli gave me this but he says he's not allowed to tell me what it means. Taylor's off with a 'stomach bug', so I can't ask her either. So you're my last reliable source." Lovino looked at it, then up at you.

"Sorry, can't help you." He said, putting his feet back on the desk.

"Don't be a dick, Lovi. You're Italian, and you lived in Italy most of your damned life. If you couldn't speak Italian, I'd be a little worried."

"But I enjoy being a dick, it's just how I am. And don't call me Lovi!"

"But it's cute!" You grinned he glared at you. "But I'll stop if you tell me what it means."

"What what means?"

"Tu sei la mia anima, idiot!" You said angrily. He looked at you for a moment, lips slightly parted. You looked at him, blinking. "Hello?" You maved a hand infront of his face, and he seemed to regain his senses.

"Tu sei la mia anima..." He sighed, closing his eyes lightly. "Means 'you are my soul'..."

"Thank you, Lovino. Was that really so hard? Hey, you wouldn't happen to know who can write like this, do you? I mean, it's beautiful, and I-"

"I told you what it means, now fuck off!" He snapped, glaring at you again.

"Ooh, looks like somebody got their curl in a knot. Calm yourself, I'm going." You held up your hands in a fake surrender motion.

"You'd know about it if I had my curl in a knot..." He muttered to himself darkly. Getting the feeling you weren't supposed to hear that, you pretended you didn't and just went back to your own space. Sitting down, you stuck that note beside the first one. Looking at the two notes, you let a sigh slip past your lips. Somebody who can write like that must have some huge patience... They must have taken forever... You thought, shaking your head. I wonder if I'll get one tomorrow...

-----

Copying how you'd seen Lovino sitting yesterday, though unintentionally, you leant back in your chair and put your feet on the desk, crossing your legs. You felt your phone vibrate in your pocket, and took it out. Taylor had sent you a text.

Sorry I'm not in today. I genuinely do have a stomach bug now. It said. You smiled and shook your head.

You're like the girl who cried wolf. Why do I believe you? You sent back.

Because I'm your best friend and you wouldn't be able to cope without me. But what I really want to know is have you got today's note yet? You shoved your phone back in your pocket and sat up properly when you heard footsteps.

"Ciao bella!" Feliciano. You looked up expectantly. "Here! There's only two more now!" He beamed, passing you the yellow sticky-note before leaving you again. He just didn't wait around for you, did he? You looked at it, taking a second to decipher the flowing, curving writing. 'Tu sei la mia luce'.

"Tu sei la mia luce..." You whispered before standing up. You could easily text Taylor to ask her, but for some reason you didn't really want to. Making your way over to Lovino's station, you peered over the corkboard wall of it.

"Ciao!" You grinned. He looked up at you from his computer screen, then rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat.

"What the hell do you want now?" He asked rudely.

"Tu sei la mia luce." You said, holding the note out. He turned bright red and looked at you.

"C-c-che cosa?!" He stuttered, eyes wide as he stared at you like you'd just asked him to kill a man.

"Calm down, I'm only asking you what it means." You said, waving the note infront of his face. "It's what today's note says."

"O-oh..." He looked away from you, swallowing. He looked... Embarrassed.

"Lovi?"

"Don't call me that!" He snapped, turning back to you. "... 'Tu sei la mia luce' means 'You are my light'... Now g-get lost!"

"Oh... Heh, you're so cute when you're flustered." You grinned at him before leaving. The second the words left your mouth you wanted to hit your head against a brick wall. Hard. What the hell had you just said?! Hurrying back to your place, you hid your head in your hands. You didn't even like the guy! He was a totall ass to everyone! Nobody liked him, why should you? Swallowing, you pulled out your phone.

Yeah, I got it. I asked Lovino what it meant. 'You are my light', apparently. You sent the text message, taking a few deep breaths.

Hm... You are me life, you are my light... I see a pattern developing here. What was yesterdays?

'You are my soul'.

I definitely see a pattern here. I wonder what tomorrows will be... Anyways, get back to work you! I'll be in tomorrow. You smiled at that, putting your phone back in your pocket. Me too... You thought, nodding slightly.

-----

You were tense as you waited for Feliciano to appear. He was due any second now, but you didn't see him.

"Come on Feli... Where are you?"

"Calm down, __________. He could be actually doing his job for a change, instead of carting you notes." Taylor answered, leaning on the divider between your two workspaces.

"But-" You were cut off by your phone ringing. You picked it up with a sigh. "Bella Italia co, how can I help you?" You put on that sickeningly sweet phone voice most people on the phones for big companies had. You didn't hear the reply though, Feliciano was walking towards your station. Leaning down, you quickly grabbed the empty bag of potato chips that sat on the top of the waste basket, and held it next to the mouthpiece of the phone, scrunching it up before slamming the phone down and putting the bag back in the waste basket. The two looked at you blankly. "Bad reception." You grinned, taking the phone off the reciever and putting it on the desk so nobody could call you.

"Okay... Well, today's note, bella." Feliciano's grin wasn't the same as it normally was. It was somewhat... Sly. "Non dirlo a lei. Assicurarsi che lei chiede Lovino." He said, looking at Taylor.

"Perché? Che cosa dice?" She asked, blinking. You looked at the two, clueless about their conversation. All you knew was that it involved Lovino.

"Chiedetele se stessi." Feliciano actually smirked as he walked off.

"So what does it say?" She asked, looking down at you.

"...Tu sei la mia amore..." You read quietly. It wasn't as intricate as the others. In fact, when you held it up against the line you'd made across the bottom of your computer monitor, you could see that they got decreasingly detailed as they went on. Tomorrow's could easily be just looping writing.

    The Brit started to laugh, though she was clearly trying not to.

"What?" You asked, looking at her. She shook her head. "What? What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing..." She spluttered, biting her lip.

"So what does it mean then?"

"I can't tell you. Feliciano told me not to tell you." She grinned, folding her arms and resting them on the divider so you could see she had.

"Fine then. I'll just go ask Lovino." You threatened, standing up.

"Be my guest." She said.

"...Fine. I will." You took the note and left your space, heading over to Lovino. When you got there, he was drinking water from one of those little plastic cups. "Hey Lovino. Tu sei la mia amore." The Italian did a spit-take and put down his drink and stared at you. His cheeks turned crimson as he looked at you, mouth hanging open. He looked like you'd just told him he was the father of your unborn child. Shocked, but there was just a little, hidden delight hiding in his eyes. You glanced to your left, then to your right. That was when you spotted both Feliciano and Taylor watching you from across the room. They looked away when they saw you looking at them. Eventually, Lovino seemed to come to his senses and close his mouth.

"U-uh, that m-means 'y-you are my l-love'..." He stammered, blushing even darker. "_________, I-"

"Non dirle!" Two voices shouted across the room. Both you and Lovino looked towards Taylor and Feliciano.

"Solo un altro giorno! Uno!" Feliciano called.

"Ma io-" Lovino started. You looked between them, wishing you spoke Italian.

"Non!" Feli yelled. You left Lovino and went back to them.

"What the hell is going on?!" You demanded, looking at the two.

"You'll find out tomorrow." They both said at once.

"You know?" You asked Taylor, feeling betrayed.

"He just told me while you were over there. You're going to find out tomorrow, trust me." She said.

"But-"

"Tomorrow!" They chorused. You sat down with a huff, glaring up at the two.

-----

When you came into work the following day, you were practically bouncing in anticipation. You wanted to know who had been sending you these notes! Sitting at your dsk, you reached to turn on your computer. But something was off. Something wasn't right. Counting the sticky-notes, you counted five. Wait, five?! Snatching the last one from the bottom of your monitor, you looked at it. ust like you had thought yesterday, it was just looping handwriting. But what was written seemed far more important to you. Lovino Vargas. You almost dropped the note, but you shakily managaed to replace it. From left to right along the bottom of your computer monitor read: 'You are my life. You are my soul. You are my light. You are my love. ~ Lovino Vargas'.

    You took a few moments to calm yourself down. Then you slowly stood up and went over to where Lovino worked. Sure enough, he was there.

"...Really?" Your tone of voice said that you thought he was being sarcastic as you looked down at him. He sat resting his elbow on his desk, chin resting on his fist. Looking up, he opened his mouth, then closed it again and looked away, nodding. "Lovino-"

"Feliciano was wrong. It was a stupid idea." He stood up and pushed past you.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" You asked, turning. He stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Tell you what?"

"That you like me..." There was nobody else in the room yet, so your hushed whisper carried easily.

"I..." He turned around. "I'm sick of always being second to Feliciano. I guess I was worried- no, scared that you would prefer him over me. So I hid behind notes to judge your reaction before telling you who I was." There was a deep sadness in his hazel eyes as he looked at you.

"Lovino..." You closed your eyes for a second and sighed before looking at him again. "You are my life..." You started to walk towards him slowly. "You are my soul... You are my light..." You paused just in front of him, and he looked at you, a little uncertainly. "You are my love..." You whispered, closing your eyes and pressing your lips against his gently. When you pulled back, he looked at you for a moment, searching your eyes.

"...Ti amo, bella..." He whispered. That much Italian you knew.

"I love you too..." You murmured, letting him kiss you. He rest his hands on your waist and you tangled your fingers in his brown locks as he kissed you more passionately.

"Hey! Break it up, lovebirds!" You heard a voice call. You pulled back, guiltily pulling your fingers from his hair and turning around. Taylor was stood beside Feliciano, looking at the two of you. "You've got a job to do!"