Chapter 8: The Breakout

"Put the knife DOWN!" Ludwig demanded angrily, though his eyes were still wide with disbelief at the sudden transformation of the man before him.

Feliciano only laughed and pointed the weapon at his captor.

"I don't think so...You're letting me out of here, even if I have to kill you. Are you sure you want to mess with me?"

"You think I'm afraid?" Ludwig growled, taking out a gun and pointing it at Feliciano with a click.

Roderich held onto an injured Elizabeta, and they both pressed themselves against the edge of the kitchen. The woman's arm was dripping with blood, and she glared at Feliciano angrily for his treatment of her. The Italian ignored them and narrowed his eyes at Ludwig.

"Will you shoot your hostage?"

"Only if you refuse to cooperate," Ludwig snarled back. "Now drop the weapon."

"After you!" Feliciano yelled as he threw the knife. The other shouted out in pain as the blade embedded itself in his hand. He squeezed the trigger on reflex, but missed his captive by a hair. The Don's son charged forward, but Ludwig refused to let him take the gun. He gripped the weapon with two hands and swung his fists, dodging out of the way and catching Feliciano on the back of the head. The mafioso hit the ground hard, but didn't stay down. Instead, he staggered to his feet and bolted for the door as Ludwig fired another shot behind him. The bullet went straight into the wall.

"COWARD!" Ludwig shouted, following Feliciano with his gun before him. He ignored the blood dripping from his hands as he ran, leaving his bewildered companions behind. Roderich and Elizabeta stared wide-eyed at each other.

"Damn him," Liz grunted "One of them will be killed…"

"There's nothing we can do about it now. You're hurt!"

"This is nothing!" she insisted. "Just get me something to wrap it up and let's go help him!"

Ludwig slowed down before he passed through the door to look outside into the backyard where his captive had fled. In the dark, he would need to be much more cautious. There was no telling if Feliciano would try to attack him again. It seemed the other man was more interested in getting over the fence, however.

"Get your ass back here!" he barked.

Feliciano disappeared into the neighbor's yard, and Ludwig was halfway through hauling himself up after him, when a light came on behind the other house and a furious voice pierced the night.

"Stay OFF my property!" his neighbor, Vash Zwingli hollered. There were several rifle shots that followed, and Ludwig cursed, ducking back into his own yard. The last glimpse he caught into Vash's property revealed Feliciano clambering over the next fence as a bullet splintered the wood an inch away from his foot. He couldn't help but be impressed by how quick his captive was.

"I'll never catch him like this," he muttered to himself, rushing back into the house. The only advantage he had was knowing the layout of the neighborhood better than Feliciano did. If he could just get to his car quickly, perhaps he could cut him off. There were only so many places the other man could go…

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Pain was rousing Lovino from a very unsettling sleep. He had been dreaming of the first time his brother had undergone a sudden transformation, back when they were children. It had been the same night they had been kidnapped by a frightening man who had hoped to collect a hefty ransom from their father. The two little boys had been tied up and locked in a closet for hours. Lovino remembered the small, dark space and Feliciano's wailing that went on until his brother's throat hurt too much to bawl any longer. The older brother had cried too, but more quietly, trying to stay strong and appear tougher for his brother. He had told Feliciano that their father was coming, that they were going to get out of this place soon and go home. But as more time passed, the boys had grown more and more frightened, and suddenly, the closet door had been opened to reveal their captor- a masked man with a very scary voice. What happened next was a blur in Lovino's memory. One thing he did remember clearly was that the man had grabbed Feliciano's curl, angry at the child for screaming. But as soon as his fingers had closed around the odd hair, Lovino's little brother had gone completely silent. Then, he had turned into someone Lovino didn't even recognize…

Lovino gasped as he awoke. There was a soft beeping coming from somewhere nearby, but it took the young man another moment to process that he was lying on a hospital bed. He was dressed in hospital clothes and hooked up to a machine monitoring his vital signs...There was so much pain in his shoulder. Then, Lovino remembered the bullet. He trembled, thinking of how close he had come to losing his life in that fight between Sadiq and Antonio. Antonio! That cop bastard! Lovino hated that he had been fooled into thinking he was just some random cafe worker. The whole time he had been played with and manipulated...There was no one left he could trust anymore. No one except-

"Feli…" Lovino muttered under his breath. "Dammit…"

"We'll find him," a voice said suddenly, nearly giving the injured man a heart attack.

"W-what the fuck?! Who?!" Lovino demanded, twisting to stare at the figure he hadn't noticed sitting in the chair in the corner of the room, watching him. How long had he been there? Lovino's suddenly movement caused pain to shoot through his body, and he cursed, easing himself back into his former position.

"Relax, Lovino," the man told him. "You need to recover."

Lovino's eyes widened as he recognized the voice of the man who spoke to him. His body went stiff and his mouth fell agape in disbelief. It couldn't be...Lovino's visitor came closer to him, though he had to drag along the chair he was handcuffed to.

"Y-you-!" Lovino choked, overwhelmed by conflicting emotions. The Don only smiled back at his son.

"Si, bambino. It's me."

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Lovino screamed at him, looking like he was ready to spring from the bed. Only the hospital machines and a single hand on his chest held him back. "Don't you fucking touch me!" the Don's son shouted, smacking his father's hand away. "Who the fuck do think you are, showing up like this now?!"

"...Your father," the Don answered after a moment of silence. "Funny, I thought you would be a little happier to see me."

Lovino threw him an incredulous look, his face flushed red from anger and the intense emotions coursing through him. He had thought the man was dead. He had thought he and Feliciano were all alone in this world, left to do the Mafia's bidding until they were lucky enough to find an opportunity to escape. There had been a part of him that had held out hope that his father was alive, but Lovino had been ready to run. He had never expected to see the man like this now.

"You...you think you can just show up here? After leaving us alone with that bastard underboss?"

"I didn't have a choice!" the Don protested, looking hurt. "I had to leave so that the police could finally shut the Family down!"

"W-what? What the hell were you thinking...?" Lovino gasped. "You were just going to turn everyone in?"

"Yes," his father answered quietly. "The police and I made a deal. I had to turn myself in first and become an informer. In return, they were going to get you and your brother out and lock everyone else up. I told them you had never been initiated, that everything you and Feliciano did was because you were forced by the Family...You and your brother mean everything to me, Lovino. I didn't want to see you two hurt by my business."

"Y-you jerk," Lovino croaked, feeling tears begin to leak from his eyes. "I never wanted anything to do with your fucking Mafia...You should have just kept us out of it! Told them we weren't joining..."

"You know why that wouldn't have worked," the Don told him. "The Family knew about your brother's powers. They were going to use him whether he liked it or not. And you, Lovino- you're the only one who can control him. With the two of you, they're unstoppable."

"I didn't ask for this!" Lovino snarled. "I would have left a long time ago if it wasn't for Feli being so fucking clingy! He depended on you! And then you went and LEFT! Now he's gone, and it's ALL YOUR DAMN FAULT!"

"Don't you think I KNOW that?" the Don snapped back, startling Lovino as he pounded on the armrest of the chair. "You think any of this has been easy for me? I haven't even been able to sleep from guilt and worrying over you two! When I found out both of you were missing, they put me in solitary confinement because I attacked the officer that told me...THEY were supposed to protect you! That was the deal. But they failed, and I- I didn't think I'd be able to live with myself knowing you and your brother were gone. I was so relieved when that Spanish officer found you."

Lovino opened his mouth to say something scathing in response, but the rare sight of his father in tears stopped him. It made him uncomfortable, and the other's words hung heavily over him. Lovino sniffed and cried quietly himself, reluctant to open his mouth again when he was sure his voice would sound broken. He averted his gaze and flinched slightly when he felt the hand that wasn't cuffed to the chair touch his shoulder.

"I- I want to go home," Lovino mumbled.

"I know," the Don sighed. "You will...but first, you need to get better. Then, they'll let you out."

"How did they find me?" his son demanded, still bothered by the way he had been tracked. "That cop- He knew who I was the whole time?"

"No," his father replied. "He didn't find out for sure until he showed me your handwriting...and a photo of you sleeping on his couch."

Lovino scowled at this. "Bastard…"

The Don managed a small smile. "You were out looking for Feliciano a long time, weren't you?"

"What the fuck else was I supposed to do?" Lovino growled. "Sadiq would have killed me if I came home without him. Maybe literally."

His father shook his head. "He needs you. Feliciano is a danger to everyone without you to stop him. If he was to unleash his power…" He stopped and stared at the curl sticking out from Lovino's head. "You haven't felt anything- have you?"

"No," Lovino told him. "If I had, I wouldn't be lying here right now. I would have found him already."

"I suppose that's a good sign...Though it would help if we had a clue as to where he was."

"I've looked everywhere, dammit," Lovino said quietly. "There's nowhere else I can think of- Besides, whoever has him doesn't want to be found. It's...fucking impossible."

He buried his face in his hand and sobbed. He hated showing this much emotion in front of a man he absolutely loathed right now, but Lovino couldn't help it. Weakened and in this hospital bed, he felt as helpless on the outside as he did within. There was no one else who would be able to find him- the cops were useless in his opinion even if Lovino had managed to walk right into their set-up.

"Don't give up so easily," the older man said, patting his shoulder. "I didn't give up on you. And now here you are, right in front of me. Your brother is much tougher than he looks, even without his powers. He'll be able to survive until you find him."

Lovino sniffled. "You really think they're going to let me go after him again? I couldn't find him before, and if Sadiq figures out I'm working with the cops, he'll shoot me on the spot."

"Sadiq would be foolish to show his face again after such a narrow escape," the Don replied.

Lovino turned his head to stare at him.

"So he really is still out there?" he muttered, wanting to believe that the underboss was behind bars and no longer a threat. He had assumed Antonio's backup would have been enough to capture him, but apparently in all the chaos that Lovino remembered very little of, Sadiq had managed to make an escape.

"He is...but it won't be so easy for him to move around anymore. The police are watching for him. If he tries to go back home or to one of the usual meeting spots, they'll be waiting."

"He'll still be looking for Feli," Lovino grumbled, distressed. "I have to go search for him."

"Right now, you need to rest," the Don told him, brushing Lovino's hair out of his face as the younger man frowned at him. "When you're better, maybe the police will let you assist with the search."

"And? What the fuck's going to happen to you, old man? Are they going to lock you up?" He didn't want to think of his father facing a worse penalty, as much as he hated him right now.

The Don sighed. "Yes, I have to go back to prison. If I testify against the Mafia members, they may lower my sentence, but…" He looked away. "It's nothing for you to worry about. Just focus on getting better, Lovino. I'm counting on you to be there for your brother."

Same as always, Lovino thought grudgingly. He knew his father was right about giving his body a chance to recover. He couldn't be of any use if he was just making his injury worse. Still, he would have given anything to know where Feliciano was at the moment.

Soon, a nurse and two police officers came into the room. The policemen took the Don away while the nurse stayed to check on Lovino's condition. Being looked after in a hospital was still a very strange experience for him. He hoped that he would be allowed to leave soon, but at the same time, dreaded it. At least here he felt like he had a certain degree of protection.

As time passed, Lovino began to feel tired again. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, pushing his worries away as best he could, but a strange sensation came over him and made his whole body shiver. Opening his eyes, Lovino frowned, wondering if he had just imagined it. Then, there was a jolt right from the base of his curl. The man jumped, and his eyes went wide, realizing what had just happened. The signal- No…

"Oh, FUCK…" he gasped.

Feliciano had transformed. And now Lovino knew exactly where he was. He could feel the power of the transformation tugging at him like a magnet, drawing him closer to his brother. There was no choice now. Injured or not, Lovino had to go. The next time the nurse came to check on him, the bed was deserted.

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A/N:I'm sorry for taking so long! OTL Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. I'm always a sucker for these kinds of family relationships, so it was fun to write!

As you may have guessed, we're approaching the climax of the story. This will probably be my typical 10-chapter deal. Let me know what you think of things so far! Thanks to everyone who's stuck through this with me and left such lovely reviews! I hope to get the next part out soon~

-K.I.