The Boy in the Poster

Chapter One: Morning

The apartment wasn't much to look at. It was small, a little old, and had a small, persistent insect problem that the managers refused to take care of. The kitchen was small with a refrigerator that strangely leaked water and the cover on the drawer kept falling off. The bathroom doors didn't have locks on them and the neighbors directly behind them had a knack for hitting the wall and rattling the porcelain canisters. However, the roof didn't leak, there weren't any soft spots in the floors, and the surrounding neighbors (aside from those behind) were nice. For Antonio Fernández Carriedo, that was good enough.

It was Monday morning, nearly 6:50, and the little apartment smelt strongly of cinnamon and honey.

"Lovino! Come hurry and eat!" The twenty-eight year old Spaniard called out from the little kitchen, not taking his eyes off of the breakfast dish. In the living room, the news played unnoticed, giving updates on the state of the economy and details of last night's episode of 'Dancing with the Stars'. Or was it another reality show? He wasn't quite sure anymore. It was so difficult to keep up with everything going on.

"Dada! Dada!"

The rush sound of little feet gave little warning before a small (though very solid) body crashed into his legs, catching Antonio off guard and causing him to stumble to the side.

He just smiled it off though and looked down, seeing round, honey-brown eyes staring right back at him. "Dada! Ve, it's mornin', Dada!" The child exclaimed, as if Antonio hadn't already known.

The man chuckled and nodded, "I know it is, Feliciano. Ah, I really wish you wouldn't run into papá like that."

Wide eyed, the little boy stepped back from his father, emitting a quick "Oh, 'm sorry." Antonio gently ruffled the boy's auburn colored hair then turned back towards the stove. Below him, the boy stood on his tip toes and craned his neck up. "What's tha'?" He asked, pointing at the pan.

"Ah, don't stand so close Feli." With a gentle push, Antonio moved the child back from the stove, though Feliciano still remained right beside him.

"Ve, what kind?" He asked curiously as he still tried to see exactly what it was Antonio was making.

"It's called torrijas and it's very good." The young man replied as he flipped the last one onto a plate and turned off the stove. He stole a glance at the clock then turned towards the hallway.

"Lovino!"

After not gaining an immediate response, he sighed and looked down at Feliciano, who had turned away to play with a tea towel. "Feli, will you go get your brother for me? Tell him it's time to eat."

"Okay~!" Feliciano dropped the towel and quickly ran down the hall, heading for one of the bedrooms. "Vi Vi~!" He child called out as he searched. He finally came to the bathroom, where he stopped and grew quiet once he saw his older brother.

Little seven-year-old Lovino stood in front of the bathroom mirror, toying with a loose front tooth. He wiggled it with his fingers, noting how loose it felt. Dark auburn brows knitted together as he slowly began pulling and wiggling it a bit more, only stopping once the pain hit. He drew his hand away and looked at it again in the mirror, lips curled back to reveal an already gaping smile. One of his front teeth had already fallen out, and now it's brother would join it.

Speaking of brother, Lovino blinked and noticed his younger sibling standing in the bathroom doorway, staring at him.

He frowned and wiped around to glare at him. "What are you doing in here?" He demanded in annoyance.

The four year old smiled widely, "Ve, Dada says that breakfas' is ready. Come eat!" He said, pointing down the hall towards the kitchen enthusiastically.

Lovino huffed and turned away from the boy. "Tell him to shut up. I'll be there in a minute." He said as he started messing with his loose tooth once more.

Behind him, Feliciano let out a low 'oooooo' sound, followed by saying, "You can't say that, Vi Vi! Tha's-Tha's a bad word."

"No it isn't, stupid!" Lovino retorted as he turned and jumped off the stool, pushing past his brother as he left the bathroom. This didn't seem to faze the younger boy much, as he trailed after him.

"Yea-uh!" Feliciano argued.

"Nu-uh!" Lovino shot back. "Only big kids can say it, not babies. You're still a stupid baby." He turned and went into his bedroom to get his backpack.

Feliciano faltered and he frowned, little brows furrowing. "'m not a baby." He muttered as he followed his brother into their shared room.

"Yes you are." Lovino stated as he stuffed his homework sheets into his bag and zipped it up. "You're a stupid little baby who still wears diapers and you still talk like a baby." With bag in hand, he stood up and turned, just in time to see Feliciano's bottom lip beginning to wobble and tears springing into his eyes. His breath hitched and then he let out a loud cry as tears began rolling down his chubby cheeks.

"Waaahh!"

Before Lovino could get a word out, the little boy turned and bolted into the kitchen, where he once again crashed into Antonio. Although, this time, Antonio was somewhat more prepared for it. The sudden yelling had helped.

"Eh? What's the matter now?" He asked as he scooped the child up into his arms, bewildered on what had happened in the last five minutes. At first, he couldn't understand anything from the boy, only getting half-words and choked sobs. At a loss, he rubbed the child's back, muttering things in Spanish in an effort to calm the boy. He didn't seem injured, as Antonio couldn't see any new bruises forming anywhere so it must be something else.

"Shh, it's okay Feli. You're okay. Tell me what happened." He said, trying to coax something out of the boy currently burrowed in his shoulder.

Feliciano hiccupped and snuggled into his father shoulder. "V-Vi Vi sa-said tha'-tha' 'm a ba-baby." He sobbed out.

"Vi Vi called you were a baby?" Antonio asked gently, if only just to make sure he had gotten it right.

Feliciano nodded, "Uh-hu..." He sniffled and rubbed his face against Antonio's shirt.

The young father let out a short sigh, already feeling at a loss at what to do. This sort of thing seemed to happen every day. Lovino and Feliciano would fight, typically ending with Feliciano in tears and running to him. The right thing to do would be to punish Lovino, though Antonio just couldn't bring himself to do it. He could never strike a child, especially one of his own, no matter how badly they were misbehaving. It just seemed wrong.

"Vi Vi is being mean again, isn't he?" Antonio asked as he shifted Feliciano, freeing one of his arms so he could grab one of the two small plates of torrijas and set them on the dining table.

Little Feliciano nodded again and hiccupped, finally calming down. He lifted his head, turning around to look at the table. A couple of fat tears continued their way down his cheeks and Antonio gently wiped them away.

The man smiled at the boy, "Feeling better?" At the boy's nod, he set him down into one of the chairs. He grabbed a napkin and gave Feliciano's face a quick wipe to clean him up. "Okay, eat your breakfast and I'll get Lovi."

"O-Okay, Dada." With another little sniffle, Feliciano picked up his fork and began eating.

Antonio watched him for a moment then turned to head into his son's room. As expected, Lovino was sitting on the floor with his back facing him when he entered. Antonio went into room and squatted down beside him. Lovino didn't look at him, keeping his eyes focused on his backpack.

"Lovi, you know it's not nice to pick on your brother." Antonio started then paused for a moment, waiting for a reply. When Lovino said nothing, Antonio pressed on. "I'm sure you didn't mean it, but just remember not to do that again, okay?"

Keeping his eyes glued to his bag, Lovino nodded shortly. "Okay."

With a warm smile, Antonio ran his hand through his son's dark hair, ruffling it and then stood. "Now come eat before it's time to leave. If you're late again, I'll never hear the end of it from your mother."

"As if she doesn't complain enough." Lovino said as he stood and went out to the dining table, dragging his backpack behind him. Antonio followed after his son and joined them at the table to eat.

There was a brief argument between the siblings again, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle with a little laughter and extra slice of torrija. Feliciano babbled about a cute little girl in his pre-K class and how she chased him around the playground, while Lovino brought up his loose tooth and even showed it off to his father and little brother. Feliciano watched with wonderment and Antonio suggested they pull it before heading off to school. Lovino quickly refused.

After breakfast was finished and cleared away (e.i. the dishes thrown into the sink to be dealt with later), Antonio ushered the two children out of the door and headed out to the car. Feliciano climbed into his booster seat and, with a little help from his father, managed to buckle himself in. Lovino sat next to him in the backseat, placing his backpack between him and his brother.

The trip to school was uneventful, aside from the children's soft chattering or singing. By the time Antonio pulled up to the school, it was five to eight.

"I'm going to be late, hurry up!" Lovino demanded as he stood outside of the car, waiting as his father unbuckled his little brother.

"Be patient, Lovi." Antonio said, even though he fully well knew Lovino didn't have a scrap of patience in his body. Antonio swore he got it from his mother. "Okay Feli, here we go~" He set the little one down and shut the car door. "Okay, hold my hand. Lovi, hold my hand."

With a pout, Lovino grudged took hold of his father's hand and the trio crossed the parking lot. There were a few other parents as well, dropping off their children and saying goodbye. While it wasn't mandatory for a parent to escort their children to the door, it was something Antonio liked doing, especially if he was running late. While the staff of Oakend Elementary had never crossed him, he still like to take precautions. Today's world was much different than the world Antonio grew up in.

Standing near the entrance to the school was a young lady named Elizabeta Héderváry. Although she was young (specifically around Antonio's age), she was probably the better of the Pre-K teachers here. Than again, Antonio might just be biased, since Elizabeta was also a decent friend of his. Or, rather, a friend of a friend. Same thing, right?

"Good morning." She greeted, smiling sweetly at Antonio as they approached. "Running a little late again?"

Antonio smiled sheepishly. "Ahaha, we have a rough start today." He said.

Elizabeta nodded in understanding then looked down at the two boys. "Good morning. Lovino, you better hurry to your class."

Lovino nodded and was about to run off when Antonio pulled him back into a quick hug, using his other arm to bring in Feliciano as well.

"Dad..." Lovino groaned, cheeks flushing red in embarrassment while Feliciano just giggled.

"Have a good day, behave, and I'll see you when I get off work." Antonio gave them once last squeeze and a kiss before letting them go. At the sight of Lovino's red cheeks, he smiled and cooed, "You're so cute~"

That apparently was more than enough for Lovino. He pushed away from his father, muttering under his breath, "Shut up, idiot."

Then, he turned and took off into the building. Antonio handed Feliciano to Elizabeta, who was also his teacher, and said his goodbyes. Now it was time for him to get going before he was late to work. His boss had already warned him once before on tardiness and he couldn't afford to loose this job. With a quick glance at the radio clock, he could tell he would have to race to get to work.

Monday morning couldn't get any less hectic.