I'm back. Here's the update. I'll try and get the next one out, next Tuesday. Okay? This is a feelsy chapter mostly. The action starts in the next one. Enjoy. Remember, I don't own Supernatural or Hetalia.

"It could work?" Lovino asked, enunciating each word. By this time he was absolutely red in the face, looking about ready to murder any one of them. "Oh, and how well, might I ask? It just went great the last time, didn't it? Everything was fucking perfect!"

"Lovino, look, you know none of us meant for it to end up like that. It was a bad situation." Sam said, obviously trying to calm him down. "You can't completely blame us."

"I'm not blaming you, asshole." Lovino glared up at the mammoth of a man towering over him. "I'm just saying, that maybe we aren't really suited to work together."

"Hey!" Dean stepped in. "I don't think you know what you're dealing with here. This is some serious shit going on. There's almost a dozen people dead. You don't want to get mixed up in it. I'm saying, we have more experience than you do, so just go find something more to your caliber and skill level. It's nothing personal against your abilities as a hunter."

"He's got a point, Lovi." Antonio said. "You've only been hunting for a little over a year and a half, and me for a shorter time than that. Maybe we should just let them take over. Or work with them if you're set on it. I don't know if you're even up to taking on a case this big right now, anyway."

Lovino turned to glare up at the man, hazel eyes turning unequivocally murderous. "What did you just say?"

"Well, I just meant that…" Antonio trialed off, backing down from his shorter, but more daunting companion. "Maybe, they can help. Possibly." The last thing Antonio wanted right now was to have Lovi have a mental breakdown in front of the two older men. They were obviously already doubting him, and he didn't want to give them any justification. If they had seen how he'd reacted to that heart…

"We don't need their help."

"Maybe we should talk about this someplace else." Dean suddenly said, nodding toward the man peeking out the window of the morgue. "We're checked into a small motel about five minutes from here. Let's go there. Okay?"

Antonio quickly muttered an affirmation before Lovino could say anything. Then, he grabbed his friend and pulled him toward their car. "Please, Lovi. Just go and talk to them. For me?"

Lovino glared at him for a second as the other two stepped into their car and started the engine. Finally, he sighed. "Yeah, okay. Whatever. I still don't want to work with them. And I make no promises. And…" he pushed him back slightly. "Call. Me. Lovino. Or I'll kill you." Without another word, he opened the door and slipped inside the Ferrari.

Antonio ran around and settled into the other side, as Lovino stared the engine. They followed the Winchester brothers back to their motel, which surprisingly wasn't the same as the one the other two were staying in. It was, however, just across the small two lane road. Lovino parked next the Impala and stepped out, slamming the door behind him. Dean was already walking up to their room and unlocking the door. Lovino stormed ahead, catching up to him. Sam hung back for a second, catching Antonio just as he was stepping out of the vehicle.

"Antonio, right?" the imposingly tall man greeted.

"Si." the Spaniard said with his characteristic grin. "And you're Sam. I wish I could say Lovi told me so much about you, but I can't. Because he never even mentioned you until we saw you in that restaurant."

"Really? I would think that he would at least tell you what case we worked together."

"No. He won't say anything about it. Not even what it was about. I have a feeling it was something terrible, though."

"Yeah… It's not my place to say, but I do have a question. If you're willing to answer me."

Antonio raised his eyebrows. "I… Maybe. What is it?"

Sam cleared his throat. "You said something about Lovino being not being up to the case? What exactly did you mean by that?"

"Oh, that." Antonio looked down, uncertainly. He wasn't sure if he should tell the man what he'd seen or not. He knew Lovino, but Antonio still didn't know the extent of their relationship or what Lovi would be comfortable with him knowing. And he'd obviously share any information he gathered with his brother, which was only natural. But, this man might have the answers that he was looking for to help his little companion.

"If you're not comfortable saying, I understand…"

Antonio didn't let him finish before the barrage of worries he'd been hording spilled out. "Lovi has been having nightmares. And seeing things. He's freaked out by the most random things. He's really jumpy. He doesn't talk about his past, or his family. He hasn't been sleeping. He started smoking. He's taking some kind of medication, but I don't know what kind. He's just…really unstable."

"I was worried something like that might happen."

"Wait, do you know why?"

"Yes. But if he isn't ready to tell you, it isn't my business to get involved."

"But-"

"Antonio!" Lovino yelled from the doorway of the motel room. "Get your ass in here now! I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

Sam immediately turned and started walking toward the room with the Spaniard trialing behind him. He bit into his lip apprehensively. He had no idea how he was going to deal with Lovino's problem. He obviously wasn't talking about it, and it didn't appear Sam was going to either. He might be able to get some information out of the other one, but that wasn't certain. But what was painfully obvious was, Lovino was headed down a dangerous path, and if something didn't stop him soon, he might end up destroying himself. And that's the last thing Antonio wanted to happen.

Once they were all gathered in the room, Dean sat on the edge of his bed and waited for the others to follow his example so they could talk comfortably. Sam claimed the chair at the small window and Antonio plopped onto the small couch. Lovino sat on the arm beside him.

"Alright, bastardo, why don't you say what you dragged us over here to say so we can all leave and move on with our lives?" Lovino said.

"I don't want you to work this case by yourself. You're too young and inexperienced." Dean said, fixing him with steady gaze. "If you want, you can stay and work the case with us, or if that idea is utterly repulsive to you, you can leave. Either way, we're not leaving. And we are taking this case."

"You know, it seems we've had this conversation before. Many times. And I think every single time, I've proved myself to be a very capable hunter. I'm starting to think you're just following me to make sure I never hunt again."

"Lovino, that's not what we're doing." Sam said. "But we've looked into this case very hard before we decided to take it. And it's bad. People are dying left and right. Do you really want to get yourself caught up in that? Think what happened last time…"

"Don't you dare go there." Lovino turned a piercing glare on him.

Antonio suddenly whispered, "Lovi, he has a point. We could use help. I know my researching skills aren't too great yet, and this is going to take some out of the box thinking, and man power. What does a little help hurt?"

Lovino looked at him. "You… You're the one who suggested it in the first place."

"I think it's a good idea." Antonio said fervently.

"If you think it's such a great idea, then you work with them. And I'll work alone!" Lovino suddenly shot up and stormed out of the motel room, slamming the door violently behind him. Antonio stood up, considering if he should go after him or not.

"How messed up is this kid?" Dean asked, staring at the door, seemingly in shock at his sudden outburst. "I mean, I knew he was a bit touchy, but God, that was…"

"Antonio says he's severely messed up since…you know."

The Spaniard hung his head shamefully. He really shouldn't have told him anything. He had, of course, jumped to the conclusion that there was something wrong with his Lovi. "He's not messed up. He's just upset about something. And he's venting…in bad ways. But he won't tell me anything. He's keeping it bottled up and that's the problem."

"You two should probably just go back to wherever you're staying for now. We'll meet up again tomorrow." Dean said. The two exchanged phone numbers, and Antonio ran out of the hotel to find his pint-size companion.

He looked out to the Ferrari, but there was no one inside. He slowly walked around the building, looking first to the left, then walking around the right side when he saw nobody. He found Lovino sitting against the side of the building, back pressed against the wall. His head was leaning back against the wall, eyes closed. His knees were drawn up and one hand was resting on his knee, a cigarette held between his fingers. Antonio could just make out the tear tracks trialing down his face. He was the exact image of sadness and desperation. Antonio's heart dropped like a boulder as the young man lifted the cancer stick to his lips and took a long drag of the mephitic smoke.

Antonio slowly made his way over, and knelt down in front of his friend. Lovino opened his eyes to regard the man in front of him. It took everything in his power not to break down and cry right there at the absolutely dead look in his Lovi's eyes. He bit his lip, then gently took the cigarette out his hand. "You know I don't like you smoking these. You're going to kill yourself. Is that what you want?"

Lovino didn't respond as he watched him put it out.

"Well, do you want to die?" Antonio asked again, desperate to get some kind of response out of him.

Lovino closed his eyes again, slumping even more against the wall. Antonio's stomach dropped at the silent confirmation. "Why?"

"It doesn't matter. Not anymore."

"But… It matters to me."

"Sure. Look, why don't you do yourself a favor and just leave. Find yourself another hunter to work with, or just stop hunting all together. Get yourself a wife, have a couple of kids. Forget me. It'll be better for you, trust me."

Antonio felt each of his suggestions like stabs through his sensitive heart. "I don't want to. I want to stay with you. Please don't chase me away."

"Why would you want to? God, you barely know me. Just go get yourself a fucking life. Leave the hunting to me. I should work alone anyway."

"No. No one should be alone."

"You don't understand anything."

"I'm not leaving you!"

"Well, why not!?" Lovino suddenly sat up, opening his eyes again, and leaning toward Antonio.

"Because!" Antonio struggled to sift through his mind for the right thing to say in order to make Lovi know he just wanted to stay with him and help him. However, there was no enlightenment on the proper words to say. So, he did the only thing that popped into his mind. He leaned forward, meeting the other halfway and pressed their lips together. He could still taste the nicotine on Lovino's lips.

For a second, the moment was frozen, neither doing anything to change it, until Lovino violently shoved him away and stood up. "I don't know what kind of game you're trying to play here, but I'm not going for it!" He glared down at the other, before wiping his lips on the back of his sleeve and walking away.

Antonio stared after him, the worst kind of agony settling in on his heart. Slowly, he got up and followed him. Lovino was already getting in the car. He started walking to the Ferrari, but before he could get closer, the Italian started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Antonio sighed, and slowly walked across the empty road and through the cars in the motel parking lot. He walked up to the room, he and Lovino shared. He walked in and saw Lovino was already lying on the bed, pointedly ignoring the Spaniard. Antonio walked over and collapsed on his own bed, and soon the smell of cigarette smoke infiltrated his thoughts. He felt a few tears spring to his eyes, but didn't make a sound. He couldn't let Lovi see him cry. He'd never let Lovi see how much pain his rejection had caused him.

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