Chapter Four


The Breaking Point


"The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary.

Men alone are quite capable of every wickedness."

Joseph Conrad


Classes sucked, somehow, without the promise of Antonio somehow bending time and space to his will so as to meet Lovino at the door as he walked out.

That was the biggest loss, Lovino thought: Feeling sick to his stomach from the effort of holding back his magic as he walked out of the room, then glancing up to see Antonio leaning against the far wall, craning his head over the crowds to catch a glimpse of Lovino as he walked from the room.

Now, as he walked out of the classroom, stuffing books in his bag and trying to ignore the trembles that raced through his body from the effort of withholding his magic, he glanced in front of him to the wall where Antonio would usually be stationed. He sighed, still managing to feel disappointed even though he had known that Antonio wasn't going to be there.

He turned and walked down the hall, peering around so as to avoid the IS, then ducked into a boy's bathroom. He locked himself inside a stall, sat down on the toilet, then closed his eyes. He breathed deeply, ignoring the smell of bathroom, and tried to calm himself. Sometime this week he would have to sneak outside and use his real power. He had learned from experience that, if held in too long, his power would sort of... explode. It wasn't pretty, and it hurt. A lot.

The bathroom door opened and he heard footsteps against the tiles in outside the stall. He opened his eyes, glancing around worriedly. He pulled his legs up and onto the toilet, then waited, holding his breath, for the person to leave. He wouldn't put it past the IS to attack him in the bathroom. It was one of their favorite pastimes, after all.

"Lovino?" a voice hissed. Lovino jumped in surprise, nearly falling off the toilet.

"Antonio?" he asked. He got down off the toilet and slowly unlocked the door, peering out to meet Antonio's brilliant green eyes. He caught his breath at the sight, and instantly the roiling in his stomach dissipated. Wow. Antonio... was gorgeous. He had known that before, but he had never really appreciated it as much as he did right now.

"Hi!" Antonio said brightly, grinning.

"What are you doing here?" Lovino hissed, glancing around, as if expecting there to be security cameras. "We're not supposed to be around each other, remember?"

Antonio's grin turned smug. "Yeah, I know, but they did say that we were allowed to have accidental encounters in the bathroom, right? So if they somehow find out that we saw each other we'll just say that we met accidentally!"

Lovino snorted doubtfully, but he couldn't help the blush from crossing his face. Antonio was so, so stupid, and he love- he was very... fond of him.

"You're an idiot," he muttered, glancing away from the other boy. "I think that you're an idiot."

Antonio chuckled, then reached out and ruffled Lovino's hair, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "So cute~!"

"Shut up! I hate you!" Lovino said, blushing furiously now. He half-heartedly started to close the stall door, hoping that Antonio would try to keep it open so that he could blame everything on him, but Antonio just watched as Lovino closed the door, then slowly peeked out, eyes looking super white in the Italian's blushing face.

"Hi," Antonio said gently. "How are you doing?"

"F-fine."

"And that stupid IS isn't giving you any problems, right?"

Lovino shook his head wildly from side to side, then muttered, "No. They're stupid."

Antonio frowned. "I don't trust them."

Lovino shook his head again, then opened the stall door a bit more, face serious now. "I don't either. I don't trust them as far as I can throw them. Without magic, I suppose, since using magic I would be able to throw them a long way. But would it even be considered throwing if I did that...?" Lovino's eyes unfocused as he thought about it, probably mentally looking up the definition of throwing to see if it matched up with using magic, blah blah blah. Antonio grinned at the sight. Lovino was soooo cute. Didn't he know how adorable it was when he stared off into space to figure something out? Antonio supposed that he didn't, otherwise he wouldn't do it so often.

Lovino shook his head to clear it, the one random hair curl that stuck out of the side of his head waggling around wildly. Antonio felt the sudden urge to touch it, but resisted. Lovino liked his own personal space, sometimes.

"Anyway, I don't trust the IS at all, so I think I'll be keeping my eyes peeled from here on out. I'll probably stay around Feli and her stupid bastard friends too." He pouted. "Safety in numbers and all that... It's necessary, I guess... Ugh, stupid idiots..." He continued muttering under his breath in what sounded like Italian, and Antonio could resist leaning forward and pressing a light kiss to his cheek before turning tail and leaving the restroom.

It took Lovino a few moments of replaying the moment in his mind to fully realize what had just happened, but when he did he found himself, for once, not blushing but paling dramatically. He closed the stall door and sat on the floor, staring at the walls next to him which were, like any bathroom, covered in graffiti, although these ones were magical and couldn't be removed or painted over. He was currently staring at a bad picture of a penis and some words that he couldn't focus on at the moment, but really he was imagining a slight warmth on his cheek where Antonio had kissed him- actually kissed him! He couldn't seem to get his lungs to work properly. What did the kiss mean? Did it mean that Antonio liked him or that he just kissed his close friends? Did that mean he considered Lovino a close friend? Was he insane? Was it a heat of the moment thing? Was he just incredibly horny? Had his lips been itching? Had he been checking for stubble? Why would he be checking for stubble?! That was stupid!

Lovino mentally slapped himself. Of course Antonio hadn't been checking for stubble, that was the stupidest thing he had ever heard of! He had probably just kissed him because, who knows, maybe in Spain they all said goodbye to people they felt friendly with by kissing them on the cheek. It was stupid to think that Antonio felt any other way than that about him. It was common knowledge that Antonio had been with plenty of girls, and so he wasn't even gay, so why was Lovino even worrying about this? Besides, Francis was always kissing everybody, so probably he had just rubbed off on Antonio. Yeah, that was it. It was nothing more than that.

FUCK. Why did he feel so disappointed then?!


AYE**LUV**YOU


Antonio was having a bad day.

After he had accosted Lovino in the bathroom and admired his cuteness, he had then kissed him on the cheek. Kissed him on the cheek. Here he was, constantly telling himself that they were nothing more than friends, would never be anything more, and he shouldn't even think about what he would do to Lovino if he could (although his subconscious mind wouldn't let him forget), and yet he had leaned in and kissed Lovino on the cheek.

He was so ashamed of himself... He had thought he had better self-control than that, but he had been wrong. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about what Lovino was going through right now. Was he feeling violated? Did he never want to see Antonio again? Was he going to complain to the school? He shouldn't do that, he would get expelled if he did!

Antonio groaned and rested his head on his desk. Dennis Creevey looked down at him, then asked him what exactly he thought that he was doing.

"Dying," Antonio muttered. "I'm just dying now."

"Lovesick?" Dennis asked, a question that would have embarrassed any other student but Antonio.

"No." Antonio answered poutily. "I'm not lovesick at all."

"That's what the lovesick ones say, you know," Dennis answered, but he left Antonio to his dying and inspected someone else's potion, which had gone seriously awry.

"Merlin, Toni, what's wrong with you?" Gilbert asked from his place beside the Spaniard. He and Francis were currently making a potion that Antonio was supposed to be helping with. "You're acting like a freak, really you are."

"I can smell the subtle scent of l'amour," Francis said with a grin. "Antonio, are you in love? Guy or girl? Or is it... Lovino, perhaps?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively before turning back to the potion with renewed gusto- meaning that he actually prodded it with his wand like the instructions said, instead of just making Gilbert do it.

"L'amour?!" Gilbert said, whipping off his special potions goggles. "I mean, love? Why would Toni be feeling love for Lovino of all people? He's not even that awesome- ...Um, Antonio? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Antonio startled, then suddenly realized that he had been glaring murderously at Gilbert. "I'm sorry!" he immediately said. "I didn't mean to, it's just, you were being mean about Lovino!"

"I was being mean about Lovino? No I wasn't! I was just saying that he's not even that awesome, I never said he wasn't a little bit awesome-"

Antonio suddenly brightened up. "You think he's awesome? Really? I think he's awesome too! And cute! And adorable! And perfect! And I want to hug him forever!"

Gilbert stared at Antonio, aghast, and Francis just smirked. "Mon dieu, Antonio, you are more hopelessly in love then I would have thought!"

Antonio looked up at him, face confused. "What do you mean? I figured I had a crush on him, but I didn't think it was full-blown love."

"Ohonhon, Antonio, ma cheri, this is more than just plain and simple love, this is l'amour, which is completely different."

Gilbert snorted disbelievingly. "This l'amour isn't any different than regular old love, except that it's French!"

"Exactly," Francis said with a grin. "It's... French. French love is far different than other love. It may be short and sweet, but it's truer than yours."

Gilbert glares at him. "How is it truer than mine, exactly, Francy-pants?" he asks icily. Francis glares back at him.

"You know very well how, Mister Beilschmidt."

Antonio winced and scooted his chair farther away from the two of them. He hated it when they got like this. Usually they were the best of friends, but occasionally something happened that made them want to kill each other. Antonio didn't know what had happened this time, but it had been something truly terrible, considering how riled up they both were.

"I don't think I do, Mister Bonnefoy."

The bell rang for the end of class, and instantly Antonio was out of his seat with his packed school bag over his shoulder. He left the classroom first before anyone else, but he could still hear Francis and Gilbert snapping at each other. Not literally snapping at each other- they weren't, you know, biting each other -but they were sort of speaking icily and far too politely to each other, which was just scary. Gilbert was absolutely never polite, and Francis? Well, he could be polite, but it was usually a polite familiarity, as if he already knew you.

This whole thing was getting way out of hand.

As was usual for Antonio, he headed straight in the direction of Lovino's class, then slowed down as he once again remembered that he couldn't see Lovino anymore. Ugh... stupid dumb Headmaster! He could try to go for another bathroom meeting, but in all honesty that had been pure luck.

Instead, he headed toward his next class, like any normal person would. He kept glancing around for Lovino in the hallway- so much so that he kept bumping into people -but didn't even catch a glimpse of his robes disappearing around the corner. Antonio would recognize those robes anywhere, as slightly worn as they were. Lovino must have gotten them second-hand somewhere.

The rest of his classes for the day passed in a haze of boredom. He had a test in Charms that he only made it through because he was good at Charms, and he also got a ton of homework from Transfiguration that he would probably never get through because he would be waaaay too busy trying to have accidental encounters with his... his... Lovi.

And so it was that, because he was so distracted, he found himself being kidnapped in the courtyard.


AYE**LUV**YOU


Antonio came back into consciousness feeling groggy and incredibly confused. For one thing, when he opened his eyes it was still pure black. For another thing, he couldn't move any of his limbs. At all. He was completely stuck in his current position, and it was kind of uncomfortable.

After a couple more moments- long enough for his senses to come back to him -he realized that he was completely bound, from head to foot. He didn't know what by- if it was magic or actual rope -but he knew that he was bound and also that his eyes were covered, although he hadn't been gagged, which was rather unfortunate for whoever had bound him because he could talk a lot.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" he asked. His voice echoed off what he figured was walls, which made him think he was in a big empty room or a cave or maybe the inside of a giant tree. He had never been good at guessing things.

"Can you hear me? Do you know why I'm here? Did I do something wrong? Was it that chocolate I ate last night, I left crumbs everywhere again didn't I? Well, I'm sorry! It won't happen again! Okay, that was a lie, it probably will happen again, but it won't happen in the near-ish future if you let me go!"

Silence.

"Hello?"

More silence.

"Hello? Are you there, Merlin? It's me, Antonio."

Still more silence. This person was not very good at conversation. Unless, of course, there wasn't actually anyone there.

"Is there anyone there?"

No answer. It seemed that he was right in thinking that there wasn't anyone there. Of course. He had been talking to a wall this whole time. Well, it wasn't like he had never seriously talked to walls before. And besides, it wasn't like there was someone here who had heard him- Wait! Was that breathing?

"IS SOMEONE THERE." he shouted as loudly as he could. "ARE YOU HEARING WHAT I'M SAYING WITH MY MOUTH."

"Dear Merlin," said a snide voice from somewhere to his far right. "Do you ever fucking shut up?"

"Not really,"

"How do people put up with you?"

"Well, I've been told that I'm a fair kisser."

"...And you're proud of that?!"

"Um... Yeah, I guess."

"That's too bad. Well anyway, we've kidnapped you and we won't let you go until you hand over Lovino."

"Lovino? I don't have Lovino. It's not like I keep him in my pocket or something."

"Oh, don't worry, he's coming. He always comes when someone else is getting hurt."

"Getting hurt? Who's getting hurt?"

"Well... You will be, very shortly."

"...I will? That doesn't seem very nice."

"Oh, it won't be. For you, anyway."


AYE**LUV**YOU


Frost Animus bumped into Lovino in the hallway. It wouldn't have been significant except that it was Frost Animus. Frost Animus didn't just bump into people. and he certainly didn't bump into Lovino. Frost was a graceful creature, full of poise and, um, stuff that makes people graceful and pretty and evil. If he bumped into someone, it was on purpose because he had a secret message to impart upon them.

As soon as Frost was out of Lovino's general vicinity, said Italian reached into the pocket of his robes. He pulled out a scrap of parchment that read, Cave under the lake, now, or you'll be sorry.

"Shit," Lovino muttered under his breath. "Shit shit shit shit. Fucking Christ on a cross made out of... of... garlic bread!" He slipped the scrap of parchment back into his pocket and then raced from the school, dropping his bag onto the floor in his effort to leave. It was Felicia again, wasn't it? Fuck. And now they had gone so far as to kidnap her? Didn't her friends notice? Fuck!

He raced outside, across the courtyard, and around to the far side of the lake. There was a cave only known amongst the Slytherins over there, and that's where he was headed. That's where they would have Felicia, and that's where they would offer him a choice, and that's where he would pick getting the shit beat out of him rather than seeing his sister get hurt, and that was where-

"You're here." It wasn't a question, and it also wasn't Frost Animus, and it also wasn't Felicia.

"Who's there?" asked Antonio, turning his head in Lovino's general direction.

"Antonio?!"

"Lovino?"

"What are you doing here?" Lovino asked, completely astonished.

"I don't know."

"It's not supposed to be you!"

"It's not?"

"No!"

The IS member clears his throat loudly. "Um, hello, I'm still here."

"Do I look like I give a fuck?" Lovino asked, turning to glare furiously at the IS member.

"You look like you will give a fuck very soon."

"Why would I-"

"Because," the IS member interrupted. "we're giving you a choice: Watch Antonio here get the bloody hell beat out of him, or wake up tomorrow with Felicia in St. Mungo's. Your choice." The boy leaned back, smirking in satisfaction at the horrified look on Lovino's face.

"No." said Lovino.

"Yes," said the IS member.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"I won't let you do this! Pick on someone else, for fuck's sake!"

"As soon as someone else becomes as perfect for bullying as you are, then we'll leave you alone."

"I won't let you."

"You can't stop us!"

"I can t-"

"Just have them take me," said Antonio. Lovino jumped. He had almost forgotten that Antonio was there, even though that was an incredibly stupid thing to do.

"Take you where?"

"Um... to the place where they do the beating up part."

"We do the beating up part here," the IS member interjected. "In front of Lovino. So that he'll be scarred for life and realize that we mean business and don't want him here. That's what Frost told me, anyway, and I figure he's right."

"Yeah, so then beat me up and leave Lovi alone!"

"Lovi," the IS member said, voice filled with amusement. "It's progressed far enough for nicknames then, has it?"

"What's progressed?" Lovino asked crossly. "There's nothing to progress. Now let Antonio go before I make you!"

The IS member rolled his eyes. "Grab him."

And suddenly Lovino was being grabbed from behind and there was a gag being wrapped inside his mouth and he could hardly breathe and his arms were yanked behind his back and tied together and suddenly there were people surrounding Antonio, who was still blindfolded and couldn't see, and Lovino struggled as hard as he could against the people holding him back but he couldn't get them to let go and-

The first hit landed hard on Antonio's jaw. He didn't yell or anything, but Lovino could tell that it hurt. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from what was going on before him, though. It was like a spell had been cast that made him unable to look away as punch after punch landed all over Antonio's body. Lovino soon ceased to struggle, unable to do anything but watch and blink away his tears as Antonio suffered through punch after bloody punch.

"Now you know," a voice whispered in Lovino's ear. "Don't try to fight us."


A/N GOD this chapter took fucking AGES. Fuck. I'm sorry, everyone, but I'm trying to update everything real quick before school starts, I guess. Also, reviews are appreciated, as are chapter titles, because chapter titles are not something I excel at. At all.

(Yay for finishing editing at four in the morning! *shoots herself*)