Lovino and Gilbert were sitting next to the bed in silence, watching Leo sleep. Both were really worried about their new brother/friend, particularly after what they had overheard and the incident earlier. The two had made an unspoken agreement to get along better for Leo's sake.
After a few minutes, Leo began to thrash around in his sleep, as though trying to escape an unseen foe. Panicked, Lovino shook him awake. Leo's eyes shot open as looked around with wild eyes.
"Are you okay? You looked like you were having a nightmare," Lovino said, sounding worried.
Leo latched onto the older boy as he began sobbing, shaking uncontrollably. Lovino hugged his brother and began mumbling words of comfort while rubbing the frail boy's back, trying to be comforting.
Gilbert watched the two, surprised at how big-brotherly Lovino was being; he had never seen the boy act that way with Feliciano. Then again, when would he have had the chance to? Whenever something was wrong with Feli, everyone would be at his side almost instantly to comfort the boy. Had anyone done that for Lovino?
Gilbert's train of thought was derailed as Francis and Antonio quietly entered the room.
"Lunch is going to be ready soon," Antonio said softly as Francis moved to cling to Gil (one does not cling to Antonio in front of Lovino unless one had a death wish)
Gil stood up and let Francis pull him back out of the room. Antonio looked expectantly and Lovino, who shook his head slightly and mouthed, 'We'll come out in a minute.'
Antonio nodded and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
"Birdie was having a nightmare," Gilbert explained in answer to Francis and Antonio's unspoken question.
The trio walked silently to the kitchen, entering just as Nonno was about to leave.
"Ah, good timing! I was just about to go get you! Where's Leo and Lovi?" he said brightly.
"They'll be coming in a minute," Antonio replied with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Well, sit down at the table and start eating! We're going shopping for Leo after lunch!" Nonno said cheerfully before sitting down and starting to eat his own lunch.
They followed and quietly ate their own food, watching the door for Lovino and Leo while Nonno and Feliciano chattered at their blondes.
A few minutes later, the missing two quietly entered the room and sat down, Leo sitting in Lovino's lap while still clutching his bear.
"Ve~ Leo, what's your bear's name?" Feliciano asked, smiling brightly at the boy.
Leo shrugged, squeezing the bear harder.
"Do you want help coming up with a name?" Feliciano asked, undeterred by Leo's silence.
Again, Leo simply shrugged in reply.
Feliciano's eyebrows furrowed as he began thinking. Lovino began eating his lunch, ignoring the pasta in favor of the tomatoes. After a couple minutes, Leo began eating the neglected pasta.
"I know!" Feliciano shouted, startling everyone at the table. "You should call him White Bear!"
Francis and Lovino stared blankly at him, wondering how he came up with such a dumb name.
Their opinions changed, however, when Leo's eyes lit up as he nodded in agreement, smiling faintly.
"Very good, you've decided on a name. Now eat your lunch! The lot of you have barely touched your food!" Officer Beilschmidt snapped, having become irritable due to Nonno's incessant chattering.
Leo's eyes widened as he slipped off the chair and fled the room, frightened by the man's tone.
"Nice going, idiot," Lovino snapped as he ran out after Leo.
Nonno frowned at his lover.
"You should be nicer to Leo. He didn't do anything," he said, making the man feel worse than he already did.
"Ludwig, Gilbert, hurry and finish your lunch. We're leaving," the man said as he stood up and brought his dishes to the sink.
Ludwig nodded in acknowledgement while Gilbert just scowled.
"No way. I want to go shopping with Birdie," he pouted, slouching down in his chair.
His father sighed.
"Fine. I'm too tired to deal with you right now, anyway," he replied wearily. "Come, Ludwig, let's go."
The small blonde followed obediently, waving good-bye to Feliciano on his way out the door.
Nonno looked troubled, but he smiled anyway. "Hurry up and finish eating, and then we can go shopping for Leo, alright? I'll get something for Leo and Lovino to eat in the car."
The boys continued eating. Feliciano looked around, confused. He hadn't really been paying attention to what was going on, but he knew that everyone was being quieter than usual today, and he didn't like it. So he continued his mindless chattering, hoping that it would cheer up the others.
Lovino found Leo hiding in the corner of their room, clinging to his stuffed bear as he shook in fear. He went up to the smaller boy and pulled him into a hug.
"Shh, it's okay. He didn't mean to scare you. He was just worried that you weren't eating enough," he murmured rubbing the other boy's back comfortingly.
Leo sniffled.
"'M sorry I'm always running away. Why does everything scare me so much?" Leo said, his eyes filling up with tears.
"I think it's understandable. You just woke up not knowing who you are not that long ago, it's okay to be scared," Lovino replied.
The two stayed there in silence while Leo cried, Lovino still rubbing his back. Once his tears subsided, Lovino stood up, bringing the smaller boy with him, and led him back out to rejoin the others.
