A Helping Hand

Chapter Eleven: Betrayal

Lovino sits down on the couch followed by Antonio. Without a word or glance at the man Lovino moves closer, their arms and hips touching. Antonio tenses up a little when he feels a head rest on his shoulder. Is this Lovino seeking comfort? Could the story really be that devastating to him that someone like Lovino will need someone close as he says it? Better question; would Lovino fight if he tried to hold him right now?

"Don't even try it." The Italian says quickly when he notices Antonio's arm begin to raise.

Antonio sighs, placing it on the arm rest. "Fiinne, I'll behave."

Lovino takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. "It all started when I was about fifteen…"

Four years earlier:

Lovino looked over to his three friends eating on the roof with him. He had grown bored of their routine lives. His father was a major mafia leader, yes, but he didn't want to join his father's group, he wanted to make his own. Life was all about reputation to him. Power came from reputation, and he wanted power.

"Hey…let's make a gang." He had said. It was merely a blurting out of his thoughts, he wasn't initially going to act on it. After all, the four of them were nothing special. Lovino of course knew how to use weapons, he was taught out of necessity by the time he was ten, but none of them knew the first thing about defense or attack.

"A gang sounds good." His friend George mumbled, dark brown eyes looking at Lovino with a smirk through long black hair. "We could have some fun."

"I don't know…" Raivis said quietly. "Only Lovino really knows how to fight…"

"I can fight!" Brad, a boy with buzz-cut blonde hair and bright blue eyes pointed out. "I have been playing paintball all my life, and just recently learned how to use a real gun! This could be so awesome!"

"If we do this…" Lovino leaned back against the door. "We would need to keep it safe, no violence necessarily." He said, looking to his friends. "We'll rule over the high schools for now, and then when we graduate we will go after this town and so on."

Raivis frowned. "You are sure about this, Lovino? I know you want power…but maybe…"

"Come on, Raivis! Don't be such a coward!" George groaned, looking to the smallest member of their group.

"Be nice to Raivis." Lovino commanded, glaring at George. "I will not tolerate childish quarrels in this group."

"Already acting high and mighty, I see." George scoffed. "You're such a little brat."

"And you're an ass." Lovino smirked. "This should get interesting when we get older, huh?"

George laughed, wrapping an arm around Lovino's shoulders. "Most definitely."

The group went big quickly, controlling everything in the high school in town from the nerds who sold cheat sheets to those who dealt drugs. George and Brad used the infamy to sleep with any girl they wanted, where Raivis used it to keep himself from getting bullied again. Lovino, however, simply basked in his power. He would flaunt it to his father, who would only frown at his son's actions. Despite his families concerns and urges for him to stop, Lovino was living it up and loving the entire thing.

Around this time, one of the Vargas' members had left, creating a gang of his own from disgruntled members who wanted more killings than Lovino's father allowed. This man's name was Frederick , and while he was young, he was powerful enough to gather over forty-two men of his own. His group escalated, constantly butting heads with the Vargas until Frederick got an idea. There was one trump card he could play against Romulus; his eldest son. When he approached Lovino the boy flatly refused, wanting nothing to do with Frederick or his traitorous gang. Frederick beat him over the head with an iron pipe and that was that, or so Lovino thought.

Nearly a year to the day from the formation of Lovino's gang it happened. Something horrible that would change all of their lives. Going to meet with the group like usual, Lovino and Raivis head to the playground. Sitting there on one of the three swing sets was brad, leaning against the chain connecting it to the bar.

"Brad, if you were tired you could have said you weren't coming." Lovino sighed, walking up to his friend with Raivis close by his side. Once they reached Brad both notice a large blood stain covering his shirt as fresh blood drips down to the woodchips beneath them. "BRAD!" The Italian screamed, grabbing his face to look up at him. A harsh reality washed over him as he saw a familiar stillness in Brad's eyes, a stillness he saw when his father killed an intruder when he was young.

"I-is he okay?" Raivis asked, his whole body trembling as he looks at their friend. "H-he's not…he's not dead…right?" Tears began to flow from the boy's flushed cheeks as he notices Lovino's body begin to shake with rage.

"This shouldn't have happened…" Lovino hissed, his fingers gently wrapping around Brad's face. "We stayed away from violence and killing…how did this…?"

"You should have said yes." Frederick teased, walking up to them. "Poor little Brad didn't see it coming. So trusting this one was. All I had to do was relay a message through a believable source that you wanted him to arrive an hour early so the two of you could talk alone. Never once did he think it could be bad." He shook his head in distaste. "Such loving devotion…it makes me sick."

Lovino hugged Brad's head to his chest and grabbed Raivis' arm, pulling him closer as well. "Come any closer and I will cut out your heart!" He warned, making Frederick stop in his tracks.

"You always did love the knife, didn't you? That special Vargas family knife. For not wanting their prestige you sure do love them, huh? Or is it just an homage to your love for your precious daddy?"

"I will not join you, Frederick! Especially now! How dare you kill off one of my men so casually? DAMNIT!" Lovino screamed, hugging Brad close. "He was like a brother…he was family…" He stopped, realizing something. "Wait…where's George? WHAT DID YOU DO WITH GEORGE?" His voice was panicked, the idea of losing two member being too much for him.

"George? Ah, yes. He's fine, don't worry." Frederick said as George comes up to stand next to him. "He was never in trouble. You see, I've had him following you since before I even left Romulus and his weak group."

"George…" Lovino mumbled weakly and Raivis whimpered.

"How could you, George…? We were all…such good friends…" Raivis sniffled, rubbing his eyes on his sleeve.

"Hah! I was never your friend, you fools. I was using you, obviously. My original plan had been to kill you, actually, but you never leave Lovino's side do you?" George groaned. "Like a damn puppy following his master, it's sick."

"What would you know about loyalty?" Lovino asked, glaring at George. "You're disgusting."

"Now now boys, I'm getting tired of your melodrama…so it's time to make the deal." Frederick said, pulling out his cell and a bag containing a replica of Lovino's knife. "Say no and I will call the police, telling them you killed your pal here. George can testify that you wanted to see him alone tonight, the police know who your family is and about your precious knife…I even had George stab him the way you stab-a one jab kill."

Lovino felt a lump form in his throat. "I can get out of it."

"Can Raivis?" Frederick asked, smirking. "We made sure to frame him as well. You little family code ensures you won't let him go down, doesn't it? Now come, join me and your father will never touch us."

Raivis looked to Lovino horrified. "D-don't do it, Lovino. I am alright with going to jail, just don't-!"

"Deal." Lovino said, covering Raivis' mouth with the hand not holding Brad to him. "I will work with you, so leave Raivis alone."

"Oh, of course." Frederick smirked. "We won't touch him, you have our word. Come meet us tomorrow; same time, same place."

Lovino nodded stiffly as Frederick and George left. Once they were out of sight, Lovino pulled Brad into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"Lovino! You can't-!" Raivis stopped, noticing Lovino's shoulders shake. "…Lovino…" He mumbled, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder as he started to sob into their friend's hair.

"Wh-why? I just wanted something of my own…I-I just wanted my own success and my own devoted men…I never wanted to screw over my father…I just wanted to get power and loyalty." Lovino sobbed, his voice shaky and quiet between trembling breaths.

"I won't leave you, Lovino…I promise no matter what happens, I will stay by your side." Raivis promised, rubbing his friend's back. "I will never betray you."

"After that I worked for Frederick until the day I appeared at your café. I actually lied to Abel when I said I got out easily, the truth is I killed the man guarding me…I killed George." Lovino buries his face in Antonio's shoulder as the man fights every fiber in his being that tells him to hold the boy. "I believe Raivis though, they didn't want him and were constantly trying to scare him off. That's why I left him there when I ran, I knew they would let him out and he could live a normal life…" He mumbles, his voice slightly muffled by Antonio's shirt. "But that damned idiot came back."

Antonio hears the break in Lovino's voice, feels the dampness seeping into his shirt, and he finally snaps. Quickly, so Lovino cannot pull away, he wraps his arms around the boy and brings him into a tight hug. "Lovi…dios mio…Lovi…that's horrible…" He mumbles, burying his face in the eerily still boy's hair. "Whatever you want to do…anything, just tell me and I will do everything I can to help you."

The body beneath him moves slightly before Antonio feels a pair of lips against his ear. "I want to kill him." Lovino whispers bitterly. "I want to find Frederick, murder all of those damned traitors, and then kill him. Brutally."

Antonio nods. "Whatever you want." He whispers, kissing the top of Lovino's head when the boy buries his face into his shoulder again.

"Mm…" The teen mumbles, sinking into Antonio's embrace.

Antonio smiles as the boy relaxes, patting him on the head. "I'm truly sorry, Lovino. Just like Raivis, I will never leave your side either."

Lovino blushes and turns away flustered. "I-I know…"

"I love you, Lovino, you are my best friend."

"…You too..."

Antonio smiles, pulling Lovino closer. The boy is finally admitting it in his strange roundabout way. "Thank you."

"…Yeah…" Lovino mumbles, hiding his face in the man's chest. "N-now shut up for a second." He orders and Antonio nods, stroking his hair silently.

A/N: I don't really like doing those breaks in a chapter, but oh well. This...this is a super depressing chapter. For the record, Brad, George, and Frederick are all admittedly on-the-spot names and characters. (Only now do I realize for George and Frederick are names of villains in my manga on dA lD Ooooppsssssssss. Too late to change it.)