So, school ended for me on the 17th! Hopefully this means faster updates and you guys finally getting to see the plot unravel more thoroughly.

Two things: I know I've been reaaallly slow with updates these past few weeks, but school is over and now I have MUCH more time to dedicate to writing! I also realize that with the shorter chapters and the uneventfulness lately, you guys are probably really bored. Don't worry, because this is pretty much the last chapter before shit starts getting real. There won't be as many time skips or jumping around as you've seen as this story progresses.

My estimate is that there are going to be 35-40 chapters of this fic when I'm done, but who knows? I have a whole bunch of stuff planned for this story that you guys probably haven't even thought of yet. My goal is to finish it before summer ends, but that is highly unlikely. Oh, well, I'm just glad I'll be able to work on this more quickly than the past few weeks!

Also, I really just want to thank all of you who have reviewed, favorited, followed, or even just read or looked at this story! It's like a child to me, so I'm very pleased whenever I see that someone is enjoying it! Thank you all!

xXxXx

One week later

xXxXx

"Buongiorno, Lovino!"

The older Italian rubbed his eyes as he trudged wearily into the kitchen. It was currently nine in the morning, and Feliciano was hard at work preparing a hearty breakfast for the three residents of the apartment. Ludwig was sitting at the table, drinking a cup of coffee and reading some sort of document that he got from his workplace.

"Good morning, brother," Lovino muttered, plopping down at the table as far away from Ludwig as he could get. "Are you making breakfast?"

"Of course! It should be done in a few minutes. Plus, Antonio said that he's going to be coming over to eat breakfast with us, if he's welcome."

Lovino huffed with annoyance, but it wasn't as hostile as it could have been. "Fine, whatever." Instead of scolding his twin, he turned his gaze to Ludwig. "Hey, you. Why aren't you helping my brother cook?"

Ludwig met his eyes with an equally irritated glare. "He told me he didn't want me to. He said it was better if he did it himself."

"He would probably burn everything!" chided Feliciano as he cracked some eggs into a pan.

Just as Lovino was about to retaliate, someone knocked on the back door. Lovino took it upon himself to march towards the door and wrench it open, his hands on his hips. "What the hell do you want?"

"Buenos días, Lovi!" Antonio cooed, leaning forward to trap the younger man in a hug. Lovino blushed fiercely and shoved him away, too flustered to say anything other than a general complaint.

"G-get off!"

Antonio grinned widely, ruffling his hair. "It's okay, Lovino! I know you don't like much physical contact nowadays! I'm sorry." He released a hearty laugh and pinched Lovino's cheek. The Italian growled and forced himself away, grumbling quietly.

As Feliciano dished out breakfast onto four separate plates, Ludwig took it upon himself to set the table with silverware. He poured fresh cups of coffee for all of them, and the four men settled down to eat. A fairly lighthearted mood set over them as they began to share news and stories from recent times.

"Ooh, ooh, me next!" trilled Feliciano, his smile wide with laughter. "You guys should have heard what Lovino did last night!" He looked over at his brother, who was shooting Feliciano a death glare, warning him to not give away anything too embarrassing.

"Okay, so it was about two or so in the morning. I was fast asleep, but something didn't seem right, so I woke up. There was a strange noise coming from Lovino's bedroom, as if he was talking to someone." The other three looked extremely concerned; Lovino in particular looked as if he was going to explode if his twin went too far. "So naturally, I was confused and wanted to go see what it was. I tiptoed as quietly as I could into his room and kneeled beside him." At this point, Lovino was spluttering and blushing violently. "He was asleep and making lots of cute little sounds. At first I thought he was having a nightmare, but I guess not! He was muttering little things about cats and how he wanted to cuddle with them. There were even a few 'Antonio's in there too!"

Antonio and Ludwig broke out into open laughter as Lovino lunged towards Feliciano and forced his hand over his mouth, blushing heavily. Feliciano shoved his hand away with little effort.

"Calm down, calm down! I'm kidding! But you were mumbling about kittens!"

"I was not!"

"Yes, you were."

"I hate cats!"

Ludwig raised a hand to silence the two brothers. "All right, all right. That's enough." Noticing that they were all pretty much finished with consuming their breakfasts, he rose to his feet and began to clean up after himself. "I'll clean, if you want," he offered.

"I'll help!" Feliciano squeaked, hurriedly collecting the plates from the table. "Lovino, why don't you go refill up some of the stuff downstairs, in the café?" The older brother nodded. "You can take Antonio with you."

Lovino automatically flushed red and scowled. "What? No way. He can go somewhere else."

Antonio, on the other hand, ignored Lovino's remarks and chuckled. "I'd be glad to help, Feliciano. There's nothing to worry about. With our combined efforts, that café will be restocked in no time! Come on, Lovi!" He grabbed the other's arm and dragged him to the lower level of the apartment.

"Well, they're something, aren't they?" muttered Ludwig as he picked up a mug off the table.

Feliciano released an amused laugh. "Oh, yes."

"If I may ask, were they...infatuated with each other before the accident?"

The Italian paused in his tracks, narrowing his eyes. "What do you mean?" he inquired cautiously.

"You know, in love. I am not too experienced in the subject of love myself, but they definitely seem to have a certain admiration for each other that is extremely easy to see. Hell, if I can see it, it's a miracle you haven't by now."

"I have seen it," Feliciano sighed, setting a plate in the dishwasher. "I'll tell you something, but you can't tell anyone, especially not either of them."

"Of course."

Feliciano held out his hand. "Pinkie promise," he demanded. Ludwig linked his finger with the other's and then crossed his arms over his chest.

"So tell me."

"Antonio was in love with Lovino. It looks like he still is. The plan was for him to confess his love for my brother once he woke up from his coma, but as you can see, since Lovino has no recollection of him, there was no way that was going to happen."

"Ah, I see."

"They were the best of friends before the accident," whispered Feliciano with a wispy tone. "Lovino would never admit to it, but I am almost completely sure that he loved him too. They were always together, no matter what. Whenever Lovino was working, Antonio would grab a table and sit there for hours, talking up a storm with him as he watched him work. He wouldn't order anything, except for water or a coffee, maybe. He'd just talk to him and watch. It was endearing."

"And what would Lovino do?"

"Oh, he'd just respond with snarky little comments like usual, but you could tell he really didn't mind it at all. Hopefully it won't take long for them to regain that friendship," he finished softly.

"It takes a long time for friends to become best friends, and even longer for them to become lovers," Ludwig advised.

Feliciano made a soft little sound of doubt. "I don't think that's true," he pouted. "I mean, I've only known you for, what, three months? I consider you my best friend."

The pale white skin on Ludwig's cheeks immediately faded to a bright pink. "I—what?"

"You heard me. You're my best friend, are you not?"

"I, uh..."

Feliciano laughed loudly, his smile stretching to his eyes. "That's what I love about you, Ludwig," he crooned. "You can tell the difference between two seemingly identical guns, but when it comes to telling someone whether or not you're friends with them, you can't do it!" He erupted into a plethora of giggles, covering his mouth with his hand.

"You—shut up!" Ludwig shot out a hand and shoved him, being sure not to hit him hard. "I can so tell who is and isn't my friend!"

"Okay, then admit it!" Feliciano returned the other's action with a shove of his own. "Say I'm your best friend!"

"All right! Fine, I'm your best friend! Why on Earth does any of that matter?"

The Italian shrugged, a smug grin on his face. "It's just...fun to have a best friend, I guess." Ludwig grunted and returned to his cleaning. "So...best friend...I think Lovino's settled here long enough. Don't you think it's about time to take me out on patrol yet?"

Ludwig shot him one hell of a glare, his blue gaze cutting like shards of ice through Feliciano's skin. "Depends. By how immature you were just acting, I would say no."

The happy-go-lucky smile on Feliciano's face instantly shifted to an expression of disbelief. "No?" he gasped indignantly. "Why not?"

"You can't just go around acting like a child in an environment where you could be killed," the leader explained.

"But...I promise I won't! I'll take it seriously, I promise! And besides...I really do want you to be my best friend," he whispered. "I like you a lot, and...I don't know what I'd do if you decided to leave."

"Leave?" Ludwig huffed in amusement. "Where would I go?" He shook his head. "But never mind that. Immaturity aside, I suppose you've waited long enough. In fact, I'd say we could go out tonight if you really wanted to. I guess that you're pretty good with those knives by now, am I correct?"

The other's eyes sparkled. "Oh, yes! I've thrown them so many times I'm sure that I could hit something from a mile away!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Italian. Well, then, we can go out on a patrol tonight, just the two of us. But for now, let's finish up these dishes."

xXxXx

The chilly March night air seemed to be colder than it had been in years, at least to Feliciano. Then again, he always had a low tolerance for the cold weather, but he hadn't felt this freezing even in the past winter months. Even in a scarf, jacket, boots, and gloves, the young Italian was shivering violently not a minute after he and Ludwig had stepped outside.

"All right," began the leader, turning to Feliciano. "Do you know where Gale Street is?" The other nodded, hair falling in front of his face. "Okay. Well, that's about as far as we'll be going in that direction. That's the farthest point in our territory from where we're standing right here. From here, what we're going to want to do is trek east, where we'll meet up with the border of Vargar av Is. Don't be afraid if one of them approaches us; they tend to be very nonviolent, even if they come off as intimidating. That's why they exist in the first place: for the sake of nonviolence." Ludwig glanced at Feliciano and noticed that he had barely responded to him. "Are you okay?"

Feliciano rubbed his hands up and down his arms, nodding slowly. "Yes, I'm just...Is it cold to you?"

Ludwig blinked. "Uh, I guess so. It's bound to be cold at this time of year."

"I know, but...it seems a lot colder than usual." The Italian threw his gaze to the ground, ashamed of himself for showing weakness before they had even started the patrol. Narrowing his eyes, Ludwig reached forward and set a gentle hand on his shoulder. Feliciano gasped and flinched away from the touch, staring at him with wide, shocked eyes.

"You're afraid," Ludwig observed. "People tend to be more sensitive to the cold when they're scared or apprehensive or something."

"That makes sense," the other man whispered. Ludwig sighed heavily.

"Listen to me, Feliciano. I'm not going to let any of the other gangs hurt you, okay? As your leader, it is my responsibility to keep my comrades safe. We'll fight them off. I have a pistol on me, and you have your knives." He motioned to his belt and then to Feliciano's, where he had secured six or so blades to it. "We'll be fine." The Italian didn't look that convinced. "Besides, isn't it the duty of best friends to look out for each other?"

Feliciano smiled at that, a soft, genuine little grin just for the two of them. "Sì, I guess it is."

"Then there's nothing to be afraid of, Feli." The shorter of the pair was rather shocked at the nickname; it had been so long since he had used it, and even then, he must not have used it two or so times before. It was a rare endearment, and it was something that Feliciano appreciated more than he could express with words. He held out his arms and grabbed onto the leader, burying his face into his shoulder. Ludwig didn't make any move to return the embrace, but he didn't shove him away either.

"I know. There's no reason for you to ever lie to me, Ludwig." Before the taller man could respond, Feliciano pulled away and grinned again, his eyes shining like pieces of amber in the moonlight. "Let's go, then!"