He wouldn't cry. He, Lovino Vargas, age seventeen, would not - No. Could not cry in front of his little brother.
Okay, so his little brother was fourteen, but Feli really only acted about six.
"L-Lovi!" Feliciano bawled as he ran to his big brother, opening his arms as he jumped for a hug.
And for once, Lovino latched on.
Feliciano had never been hugged by the brother he cared so much for. Not the day he broke his leg. Not the day his best friend moved away. Not the day the lunch lady gave him English food instead of pasta.
Not even the day the mafia burned down their beautiful villa in Italy…murdering their parents.
That's how the Vargas brothers ended up in foster care three years ago. They both hated it. All they wanted was to go home to two loving parents in one settled home. Not hundreds of houses, changing every week to give them new 'parents' that can hardly pronounce their names, let alone remember them.
But Lovino would live though their past a million times over if it meant today wouldn't come. Today he was being separated from his baby brother. Finally they were going to be adopted and not just moved around, but they were adopted by two different families.
Feli was going to a German family, Mr. Roderich Edelstein and his wife, Mrs. Elizaveta Heredervary.
Lovi, however, was being adopted by some twenty year old Spanish man named Antonio Carriedo.
Fucking bastard, Lovino thought scathingly. We were about to be with a wonderful family. Now we're being separated so I can live with some dumbass who only adopted me because in a year I'll be an adult and he won't be responsible for me.
But the teen was brought out of his dark thoughts by the sound of a car honking outside the building.
Feliciano and Lovino Vargas walked hand in hand out of the building to see two cars waiting.
One for Feli.
One for Lovi.
This could very well be the last time they see each other. For some dumb reason, the bastards at the foster care until wouldn't allow them to have one another's address. No matter what.
"I-I love you, Feli."
"Really, Lovi? I love you, too! Fratello, I don't want to leave you!"
"Me neither…" Lovino rubbed the tears from his eyes as he watched his brother do the same. "I promise I'll find you. Next year I'll be an adult. They can't keep us apart."
"What if they're scary people, fratello? Lovi, what if they hurt me?"
"They're great people. I bet they'll give you pasta every night. And they'll give you goodnight kisses when you go to sleep, just like mom and dad used to."
Feliciano sniffed. "Just like you do when you think I'm already asleep?"
Lovino chocked on his words. "Y-Yeah. Just like that."
He shook his head. He was already crying, but he'd try to refrain from more tears. "Let's go."
He brought his little brother to his car. Feli's hand was shaking.
He opened the back door as Feliciano's new parents stepped out of the car.
Elizaveta hugged Feli as Roderich came to stand by Lovino, holding out his hand.
He took it begrudgingly as Roderich spoke. "I assume you're Lovino Vargas?"
"Feli's big brother, yeah."
"Pleasure to meet you."
"Uh-huh."
"Mr. Vargas…I do apologize."
Lovino snorted. "For what? Ripping away the only thing that's left of all I've ever loved? Oh, no need to apologize. I'm sure you have your reasons for ruining our lives."
"We did try to adopt you, too, but they said you had just been adopted. We tried."
Lovino sniffed his now runny nose. "I know it's not your fault. I just feel angry. I can't live without my brother. I just hope he can live without me.
"Te amo, fratello." He spoke just loud enough for his brother to hear and walked away. If he didn't leave now, he never would.
He remained silent as he got in the passenger seat of his new guardian's car.
"Hola, Lovi! Mi llamo Antonio. Como estas?"
"The name's Lovino and I speak English and Italian, not Spanish, dipshit."
"Now, Lovino. You shouldn't say things like that. And besides, I was told your brother calls you Lovi all the time."
Lovino glared. "And are you my brother?"
Casting his eyes down, Antonio shook his head.
Seeing he'd gained some control, Lovi pushed it further. "Besides, you're only three years older than me. When I started foster care, you were young enough to be there, too."
Antonio's eyes hardened and he pulled the car over.
"Look, I know you're not happy, but I'm trying. In a year you'll be an adult and hopefully mature enough to act like one. But until then, I'm in charge of you. I may not be very old, but I know how the world works, so please. Sit back, relax, and learn a thing or two while you can. And you never know: maybe while you get to know beyond your fairytale villas and shitty foster homes, you'll actually have a bit of fun."
Lovino scoffed, but the coldness left over in the Spaniard's voice was enough to make him shiver.
As soon as the pair arrived home, Antonio went to put on some dirty boots.
"Lovi, I'm going to go over and take care of my - excuse me, our - neighbor's tomato garden."
"Whatever, I'm going to take a shower. Where's the bathroom, bastard?"
"Lovi-"
"No. The second you took me from my brother you became my bitch."
Antonio glared. "Upstairs, first room on the right. And when I get back you better have retrained that potty mouth of yours, or we'll see who's the bitch."
The teen ignored the remark, kicking his shoes off in the middle of the clean floor.
But as he walked, Spain's words gave him a beautiful idea.
Antonio put his face in his hands. "Lars, Bella. I don't know what to do. He refuses to listen."
Lars smirked. "I know something that'll calm the kid right down."
"I am not getting him high."
"Well," Bella smiled. "He has to warm up to you eventually. You have too good of a personality for him to stay mad."
He laughed. "Thanks, Bel. I hope you're right."
Suddenly Lars rejoined the conversation. "Am I hallucinating? I swear I see a hot guy coming this way."
His fellow companions looked up and Antonio stared in shock.
"Tonio!" Lovino called - my god, was it just him or did Lovino sound really seductive? - fresh out of the shower. All he wore was a small, white towel loosely around his hips, water dripping from his hair and down his chest, glistening in the sun. "I'm sorry, I could only find this hand towel. Mind showing me where the other towels are?"
"L-Lovino-"
The aforementioned boy gave a pout. "I thought you were calling me Lovi?"
"Lovi…" the Spanish man had stopped to wipe away some drool. "Y-Yeah. Come with me."
Lars laughed. "I guess he warmed up to you."
"Lars!" his sister scolded as the two other men walked back to the house.
Antonio showed Lovino where the towels were and quickly headed out as the younger started to drop the towel at his waist.
"Dios mio," he whispered as he leaned against the wall of his room. "Where'd that come from?"
Looking up, his confusion grew. "No, where did that come from?"
Hidden up on the ceiling was a video camera.
Antonio sighed. Going to the camera, he pressed the off button.
"Let's see how he likes his screen of blackness."
He laid down on his bed. Soon he'd have to get up and make Lovino some food.
And myself, too, he thought as his stomach growled.
But all thoughts of food left him as Lovino walked in, smiling way too sweetly and innocently.
"Hello, Lovi," he smiled back, faking happiness.
Lovino came over to the bed, sitting up by the Spaniard. "Hey, Tonio. I hope you're well…" He smiled, moving his hand closer to Antonio.
"What's with the change of heart?"
"I like you, Tonio. A lot."
The Italian moved to straddle his guardian. "Come on, Tonio. You know you want to."
He brushed themselves together pleasuring.
Antonio faked a small moan and turned them both over, so now he was over top of Lovi. He kissed the boy's neck.
Lovino just laughed. "I caught you! I can turn the tape over to the authorities, claiming you tried to rape me."
"What tape?" Antonio smiled. "You mean the one I turned off?"
Eyes shining with panic, the teen stuttered. "Y-You what?"
"That's right." Tonio chuckled as he ran his finger's down the scared boys chest. "I can do whatever I want to you and no one will know."
Lovino's breath caught in his throat. He was stuck. He couldn't escape.
Antonio laughed darkly. "But I'm better than that. I won't do that to you."
He got up to stand at the side of the bed so Lovino could sit up and catch his breath.
"Now try to compose yourself. Supper will be ready in a few minutes."
He walked out of the room, leaving Lovino to wonder exactly just happened.
