In the hallway just outside his bedroom, Lovino bumped into a familiar face that he wished he didn't have to see. It was surreal to see someone who he had only really heard about but never really met one on one. Well, they had met but this time he wasn't covered in his own blood screaming.

"Oh – I… Nice to meet you," Ludwig stumbled on his words, holding out a hand. "I'm-"

"I know who you are," Lovino said sourly. "What're you doing in my house?"

"Isn't this Feliciano and Kiku's-" He cut him off with a hand. He politely shut up, giving up on his question to listen to Lovino. What a doormat for such a large guy.

"It is but I'm here too. So, it's mine by default as well – Temporarily…" He crossed his arms rather childishly. "What are you doing here?"

His face flushed, Lovino rolled his eyes.

"You were at the party and you just decided to stay?" Ludwig nodded, Lovino didn't want to know all the gritty details. It was clear he had emerged from Feliciano's room. "I thought you had assignments or some shit, kid." Ludwig frowned.

"I'm twenty." Lovino's eyes widened before he began to snicker.

"Yeah, okay, kid," He began to wonder if his brother was a cradle snatcher – He really was like grandpa. "Why don't you go home and finish your homework?"

"The semester hasn't started yet," Ludwig frowned – Lovino wasn't sure why the loser seemed so hurt. "It's good to see you doing well, at least."

"Hm, well, could be better."

"Feliciano sometimes tells me about you, how you're doing…" He shook his head. "Sorry." Lovino had to raise an eyebrow at him. Strange fellow – If he knew anything about his brother it was that he wasn't so reserved and polite. Gilbert was honestly kind of an asshole, but he wasn't a pansy like Ludwig was acting.

"Ludwig! What's taking so long?" Feliciano popped his head out the doorway, "Oh! Morning!"

"You didn't tell me this idiot would be here," Lovino scolded. "I would've shielded my eyes from his ugly face."

"Don't be so rude!" Feliciano scolded back but Ludwig stopped him.

"It's fine, I don't mind the insults, he doesn't mean anything by them." He frowned, dead serious.

"No, I meant every word." Ludwig shrugged.

"It doesn't really hurt much. They're not very good." Feliciano chuckled, Lovino going red with anger.

"Whatever, you go back to your boyfriend, I need a coffee." He grimaced.

"We- We're not – Uh…" Ludwig seemed rather embarrassed, but Feliciano was carefree as ever.

"We haven't got much of a clear line here – Ludwig likes to make things complicated." It was clear that this was something that Lovino didn't want to get involved in. He didn't care for other people's relationships that much and when it came to Feliciano it probably didn't matter anyway. Usually, they were gone by the next time he met them.

He stared at the two before rolling his eyes, "I don't give a shit, fuckbuddies then." He said before walking away from this little confused relationship.

"Um, excuse you," Feliciano called out, offended. "Friends with benefits is a much nicer term!"

"The only reason you're behind that door is because you're naked and you suck at hiding it!" Lovino yelled back, ready to drown himself in a cup of coffee or maybe two.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Feliciano sighed. "He's kind of a dick."

"No, it's really fine. I didn't expect him to have it in him so soon after…" He saw Ludwig's face change into something more saddened. It was strange to see him like this – Usually, he only stuck to one of two emotions at one time. It was either he kept up a wall of strength or frustration. This was one too many emotions at once. "Can you put on some clothes, please?" He requested, a face of pink. Feliciano looked down before smiling at Ludwig.

"What? It's nothing you haven't seen! If anything, you're overdressed." Ludwig's face didn't change as he still continued to avert his eyes. If there was one thing that Feliciano could say about him with confidence it was that he was a prude to a fault. He humoured him though, picking up his pants and underwear, throwing them on.

"Thank you," Ludwig said as Feliciano pulled his underwear back on. "I wasn't really expecting him to be like that." He admitted.

"Well, I tried to warn you," Feliciano laughed. "But I can see how you'd be a little stumped. I didn't exactly tell you how different we are…" Something was bothering him as he pulled his jeans up, fiddling with the zipper. "He wouldn't admit that you helped him in the hospital and still hasn't so I'll do it for him."

"It's nothing, I was just…" He thought for a moment. "I thought he was you for a second. I think that scared me even more." Feliciano paused.

"Me?" Feliciano's attention had been gained, lifting his head from his buttoned-up jeans to focus on him. Ludwig nodded. "Oh, I'm really sorry," He frowned, rubbing his neck. It was an odd situation for him, he acted differently than before. Ludwig had been thoroughly rattled up and Feliciano was just trying to fit everything back together like normal. "I didn't think about that – I would've been scared too if I were you." It only made him frustrated by his brother's distinct antagonism.

"He's the one who was hurt," It was something that didn't really need to be said and Feliciano just found it a distraction. "So I'm fine in comparison."

Feliciano smiled, turning to place both hands on the sides of Ludwig's face, "I can't tell whether you're the smartest person I know or the silliest."

"How do you mean?" Feliciano scoffed, removing his hands and putting them on his hips as if to admire the cluelessness he displayed.

"They obviously don't teach you feelings in university, huh?" Ludwig's brows knitted together.

"No?" He looked down before looking back up again. "Can you please put on a shirt? I don't need to see your nipples." Ludwig's frank way of putting things amused Feliciano.

He snorted, "I didn't know I was so unattractive!"

"No- No! It's not like that, I'm sorry-" Ludwig cleared his throat. "I didn't mean to offend you."

He hadn't really taken the request so seriously but sometimes Ludwig had trouble discerning that, "You know, you were never great at expressing yourself," His voice had become muffled as he pulled his forgotten shirt over his head. Fully dressed was not his idea of comfort but he'd probably do anything for Ludwig. Sitting at the end of his bed, he grinned. "Real stiff and orderly." He lowered his voice and put on a German accent to imitate him.

"Is that a bad thing?" Feliciano shrugged.

"It is when you think you haven't had a bad time with all… This," He pouted. "You should take care of yourself too. You'll look older than me!"

"Is that all you care about? Appearance?" Ludwig sighed.

"Of course not! I care more about the insides!" He grimaced. "I could've worded that better…" Instead, he put a hand on his heart. "The heart! And don't try to go all science-y and tell me that the heart doesn't really work like that." He pre-emptively told him.

"Okay, I won't then," Ludwig smiled tersely. "I just don't like to think that I did wrong by your brother. I didn't think I'd care so much about his opinion." He explained. Feliciano shrugged.

"Sometimes he just decides not to like someone. Don't take it personally – He'll come around if he wants to…" He frowned. Ludwig came to sit down beside him, Feliciano moving over to accommodate him.

"I saw you were stressed last night," Ludwig pointed out. "I think you need to take care of yourself too."

"… I was," Feliciano admitted. "He just disappeared with Antonio and even though he was with someone else it didn't feel great. I didn't even think Antonio would actually come – I was just having a joke."

"Well, you can't treat everything too lightly then," There it was. The light scolding, Feliciano didn't mind it. It set him straight. "But it is strange… Do you think…?"

"Think what?" Ludwig was hesitant. "You can say it – I promise there are no cameras in the walls." He chuckled, expecting him to say something that could potentially be somewhat insulting about his brother. Often people said things that could be construed that way.

"No, it was a bad thought. Too quick to make any conclusions." The scandalous nature of this conversation's direction made Feliciano sit on the edge of his metaphorical seat.

"Hm, I can get an idea," His eyebrow raised coyly. "You think they – Well."

"Well?" Ludwig furrowed his brows but seemed to be embarrassed by the suggestion. A sign that he was thinking the same way Feliciano was.

"You've seen Antonio, right?" Ludwig nodded hesitantly. "I have a sneaking suspicion he's bent – At least a little. And Lovino looks like me so of course, he's cute!" The younger man sputtered.

"W-Well, technically he came first so you look like-" Feliciano whined before he could finish the sentence. Mostly because it was a harsh reality that he would always be compared to his elder, the oldest was always the original after all and he'd worked hard to be completely original himself.

"The technicalities don't matter! What matters is this is a sign that Lovino is blooming! Getting out of his shell!" The excitement seemed to die down with Ludwig's sour expression. "What is it?"

"This is an active case, if Lovino is blooming anywhere it shouldn't be with someone working on his case. That's just… I didn't want to suspect anything so serious without evidence. Forget it."

"No evidence? Who spends so long, at night, away from people and comes back looking like he's seen angels! That's love – Or sex. But that's a fine line!" His thoughts seemed to jump all over the place at the possibilities this opened. Finally, his brother couldn't give him too much grief because now that he'd done exactly what Lovino criticised him of he couldn't place any wrong with him again. "I think it's a solid case opened and closed situation. This would probably be the next worst thing he's done, next to a life of crime of course."

Ludwig stared at him. It wasn't a nice stare either. It was a disappointment.

"I would suggest you think about what you're saying…" He shook his head, standing up. "He's your brother. Not a competition to be the worst of the two." Feliciano sat up properly, frowning.

"It's all just fun."

"Fun?" A guilty feeling in his chest began to rise. "I know you love him and worry about him but sometimes that isn't enough. I don't know if you would even like him if you didn't think you were better than him."

"Okay, now that is a statement without evidence." Feliciano stood defensive.

"I'm not blind. You like people to rely on you… That's why we're still just friends. If I don't know what we are then I can't just leave without finding out. I have to…" He stopped. "I'm sorry, I should go home. I'm working tonight."

He tried to suppress how disappointed he was. Usually, their goodbyes were nicer than this, a little more optimistic, "I don't mean it that way." He said. It was the only form of defence for his actions he could come up with.

"I know. Most people don't intend to be selfish. It's human," Even he seemed hurt by what he had said. "I'll see you later."

Feliciano nodded absentmindedly, knowing he was just being honest. Sometimes he needed that, but he didn't want that right now. It hurt too much.

Lovino hadn't expected to see Ludwig in the foyer of the apartment complex looking beside himself. He had only gotten about halfway down the last flight of stairs before they caught sight of each other.

"Are you going somewhere?" Lovino nodded, a little perplexed by the question. Of course, he was, he was dressed and going down the stairs. His brother's place wasn't exactly his idea of comfort. "I don't… Is it important?"

"What the hell is with the inquisition? Get to the point." He walked down the last few set of steps before he put a hand on the front door that led outside. Ludwig stopped him.

"There are people out there."

"People?" Lovino scoffed. "Yeah, welcome to the real world, dumbass," He shook his head before attempting to pull the handle. "Let go of my hand, you want a kiss or something?" He raised an eyebrow at his odd behaviour.

"They're reporters and unless you want your face everywhere then you should go out the back." Lovino groaned.

"This is your fault, you know that?" Offended, Ludwig's attitude changed.

"My fault? You think I wanted to talk to them? I never even mentioned your name." Annoyed, Lovino shrugged in his inability to come up with anything witty in response. He was just as pissed off as Ludwig seemed to be by this mess.

"Fucking animals – You still talked to them."

"And you think I liked doing that? It was the only thing that let them leave me alone," Ludwig shook his head. "What I answered was just a fraction of what I was asked about anyway. They've been saying things about Gilbert." The sad look on his face was indicative of how much they dug up. Whatever it was though, Lovino wasn't sure of.

"What things?" Ludwig shook his head.

"They're nothing important." He looked behind a door, it only led to the laundry room though.

"Hit me with it. I have to see that bastard for my case," The twitch in his lips made him spark into anger. "Come on, what the hell is wrong with him?"

"They're saying he's purposely stalling the case…" He shook his head. "Look, he hasn't been kind about people like us."

"Like us?" Lovino scoffed. "I'm not-"

"You like to get defensive about the smallest things, don't you?" Ludwig sighed, exasperated. "Gilbert wasn't that kind to me when I told him, and he's been reckless in the past about his words when he talked about some of the victims," This news was enough for Lovino to be somewhat disgusted, but it wasn't too dissimilar to what majority of people thought. "He doesn't like to let on how poor they've been at solving the case."

"What's new?" Lovino grumbled. "I can't say I'm happy to hear that one of the lead investigators on my case doesn't like me."

"It's not that… It's complicated." Complicated. Something told him that was Ludwig's way of making simple explanations he didn't like seem better than they were. Gilbert was an asshole. That was plain and simple.

"Yeah, like your little fake relationship?" He jabbed. They had managed to find an emergency exit out back with a short hallway. Instead of opening the door, Ludwig stopped in front of it.

"No, this is worse. People are dead and you nearly were too. If my brother was in any way hesitant to put everything in to solve this case, just because of who they were… It would be worse than anything between your brother and me." Yes, that would be worse. A conflict of interest to the highest degree. Something that should take him off the case. He hated the idea that he was purposely, even if it was subconscious, making the case harder to solve. Making it impossible to solve.

Shocked, Lovino posited a statement in the form of a question, "You believe them?" He didn't expect Ludwig to be so accepting of his brother's faults.

"I don't know, after what he did to me… The papers said he's used slurs before. I don't know who he is anymore," Ludwig swallowed. "He could be anyone," Ignoring him, Ludwig opened the door to exit. "Excuse me, I have to go."

Lovino nodded before he thought about it more, "So do I."

"Just who the fuck are you, detective?" Gilbert was quick to stand to attention when Lovino burst into his office. Antonio remaining in his chair but equally as spooked by the sudden appearance. "And why the fuck are there reporters I have to actively avoid just to live a goddamn normal life?"

"I don't know what you want from this but you need to calm down-"

"Calm down? Calm down? Just when were you going to tell me that they have a detective who doesn't give a shit about the case he's investigating?!"

"Woah, woah, what the hell gave you that impression?" Antonio piped in after Gilbert's confusion.

"I think someone has been reading the papers." Gilbert groaned.

"Have you?" Lovino shook his head. "Then where did you get the impression I don't care? Just because there haven't been answers doesn't mean I don't care – These things take time-"

"Your brother," Ludwig? A sense of betrayal was felt deep in his chest. "Your brother told me an awful lot about what kind of person you are. Even if he didn't verbalise all of it.

"What kind of person am I then?" Lovino scoffed.

"What the hell else would it be? He said you have a problem with people like us, even if I don't want to be lumped in with your brother." He said with genuine disgust. Gilbert looked to Antonio who seemed to be avoiding the conflict.

"Why are you looking to me?" Antonio asked cluelessly.

"I don't know, man. I thought you'd back me up here. He's scary." He whispered. Lovino didn't like people talking behind his back though, that much was obvious when he got closer.

"I'm right here!" Still, Antonio shrugged.

"I can't say much about what you think, Gil. Sorry." Gilbert laughed before turning to Lovino.

"This is just another thing trying to make us seem like we don't know what we're doing. As I said, these things take time." Unconvinced, Lovino's frown deepened.

"What the hell did you say about the rest? What have you said about me?" The amusement at how ridiculous this was died down as Gilbert realised this could be the difference between Lovino denouncing him or working with him in the future.

"Look, I don't understand it but it doesn't affect what I do." Now it was Lovino's time to be amused.

"Oh? It doesn't affect your work? Do you know how fucking ridiculous that sounds to me? If you discriminate against the fucking victims, then how the hell should I trust you to find who did it? You might be closer to the one who did it than you care to admit."

"You will not compare me to a fucking murderer!" Gilbert snapped. "I have spent three years on this case, and I haven't had a good night of rest that entire time!"

"Well neither will I!" His voice grew so loud that it cracked from the strain. "Except unlike you, I can't just close this case and be done with it – I'll live with it forever while you have your time in the limelight. You fucking hack, I should have known your incompetency had to of come from somewhere."

"If I had a conflict of interest I would've never been put on this case and I sure as hell would've been taken off of it." Gilbert made one last attempt to salvage this before Lovino took it too far. Instead, he shook his head.

"No, fuck you," He spat. "Like there has never been a cop that doesn't give a shit about the people he's supposed to protect. You better put an end to those reporters staking out the apartment soon or I might come down here myself and knock your teeth in." The door opened up with Francis peeking through. Gilbert pleaded with his eyes to calm Lovino down.

"Hello!" He sang. "The noise in here is getting a little excited, is something wrong?" Arthur butted in, pushing Francis in the process with his shoulder.

"It sounds like a bloody brawl in here, people are working out there too, I'm sure you are aware." Lovino swung around.

"I'd knock your teeth in too if they weren't so fucked up already!" Francis began to laugh, wheezing in the process as Arthur began a one-sided bicker with him. Lovino turned to glare at Gilbert one last time. "I'm done with this shitty investigation – Don't bother me again. As far as I'm concerned, I'm putting this behind me."

"You can't just obstruct an investigation-" It was clear that Lovino had no interest in whatever Gilbert had to say.

"I can choose whatever the fuck I want to say. And I choose to say nothing until there's a new investigator who actually gives a shit." Antonio stood up, looking to Gilbert as he was realising how far Lovino had gone. This could be bad. Real bad.

"I think maybe we should go somewhere less crowded," He suggested. Lovino stared him down, suspicious. "We can talk about it."

"You're just as bad as him." Antonio smiled.

"I don't think you understand. I'll explain it in private and we can see if we can come to some kind of agreement before Gilbert runs his mouth into the ground."

"Hey I'm right here-" Antonio turned his attention to him to shut him up. It worked, enough. He did have a mouth on him that sometimes he didn't have control of. That's half the reason he was in this mess in the first place. "Go on." Gilbert relented.

"Thanks, coffee?" Antonio asked, softly placing a hand on the back of Lovino's shoulder, guiding him out of the room.

"No, I had some earlier this morning," Lovino muttered before looking back at Gilbert. With a groan, he looked back to Antonio. "What the hell… I'll have another."