Thanks to Quanta and MonalisaRomano17 for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 11

When the bell rang, signifying the end of the school day, Feliks went along with the others to get changed out of his gym clothes. He looked over towards Lovino, hoping that the other remembered that his mother would be picking them up. He hoped that Lovino didn't forget their arrangement or anything.

When Feliks emerged from the locker room, a bit later than the other boys, he saw that Lovino was waiting for him outside. The Italian had been sitting on the ground, and carefully, painfully, rose to his feet.

"Like, do you need some help?" Feliks asked.

"I'm fine," Lovino said. "Come on. Your mother's probably waiting for us."

Feliks nodded his head, and he walked with Lovino to the school's entrance. He couldn't help but notice that Lovino was trying to hide his limp, and there was a particularly harsh scowl on his face, which Feliks assumed was due to the pain he was in. And Feliks also saw the expressions on the faces of the surrounding students. They were giving Lovino disgusted looks while they gave Feliks sympathetic looks. It made him feel even sorrier for Lovino.

Finding his mother's car was very simple. She was where she was every afternoon. She smiled when she saw the two of them, though her eyes strayed to Lovino. Feliks glanced towards him to see that Lovino's scowl was gone, and he had given a small smile to Felicja, but Feliks knew that his mother could see that something was wrong with Lovino, and she was worried.

The two climbed into the car, and Felicja turned a questioning look to Feliks, who only shook his head. He didn't feel that it was right to tell his mother what the problem was with Lovino with the Italian present, and he also didn't want to go into detail about the little that he knew.

The drive was silent, broken only by the times when Lovino had to explain the route, since Felicja had only driven it once and it had been two days ago. It would take some getting used to. It was also a long way away, so it wasn't the simplest thing for Felicja to remember at this time.

They finally arrived at Lovino's house, and it was clear to Feliks that it was a place they had lived in a long time. Feliks's house still had the new house vibe, while Lovino's had time to adjust to its occupants, and it was clear that they had a lot of history in this house.

"Call me when you're finished," Felicja said to Feliks. "Have fun, boys."

"Dziękę," Feliks said, waving to his mother.

Felicja's glance slid to Lovino again, who had his back to her and was on his way to the door, and Feliks knew that he would have to tell her something about what was going on. Perhaps she had advice for him.

Feliks quickly caught up to Lovino, who quietly unlocked the door. Lovino opened the door and hesitated, as though he was listening for something.

"My father's home," Lovino said quietly.

Feliks wanted to ask why that was a problem, before he remembered Feliciano saying that Lovino and his father were always fighting. Feliks also wondered if it could be worse than just fighting.

Lovino led him inside, and Feliks followed after. The interior was a lot like the exterior: proof that the place was well lived-in. Lovino started walking up the stairs, and Feliks started to follow.

"Aren't you going to offer your friend something to eat or drink?" a voice asked.

Feliks jumped, before whirling around. He saw someone that clearly resembled the Italian twins, except a lot more muscular. The man had his attention fixed on Lovino, a look of disapproval on his face, before he shifted his attention to Feliks. This time, he smiled.

"I don't think I've ever seen you before," Lovino's father said.

"Um, yeah, I just moved here," Feliks said. "I'm Feliks, sir."

The man's smile widened.

"You can call me Rome, if you want," he said. "It doesn't look like Lovino's going to offer anything to you, so would you like something to drink? A snack?"

"Um, no, I'm fine, thank you," Feliks said.

Lovino looked backwards, and Feliks could see that there was a flash of something cold in the eyes of the two Italians when they locked, before Lovino continued upwards. His father sighed.

"Sorry about him," he said. "I don't know what went wrong, to be honest. If you want something, just let me know."

Feliks nodded, his mouth going dry. The fact that Lovino's father would say something like that in front of his son was a bit concerning. It made him realise that the problem wasn't just with the kids at school.

Feliks followed after Lovino, and the moment he entered Lovino's room he found himself frozen again. The room… The walls were painted a light blue, but the paint was clearly old. The carpet was also a bit on the old side, but not really worn. The desk and bed seemed normal, but it was the walls that disturbed Feliks. They lacked personal effects – no posters, no photos, no shelves… Actually, the entire room seemed to lack a personal influence from Lovino. The only exception was the bookshelf, which was stocked with books that looked as though they had been used, but taken care of.

"What?" Lovino asked, obviously noticing the look on Feliks's face.

Feliks shook his head. He didn't know how to bring up the subject. Instead, he closed the door.

"…Um, Lovino?" Feliks started. "Like, your dad… does he… hurt you or anything?"

Lovino looked at him with confusion before realisation hit, and he snorted.

"Please," he said. "My father doesn't touch me to hug me. He doesn't beat me."

"And… what about his words?" Feliks asked.

Lovino gave him an annoyed glare, and Feliks knew that he needed to drop the subject fast. He then looked around the room.

"Like, why don't you decorate this place a bit?" Feliks asked.

"I don't see what the point is," Lovino said.

It was then that Feliks saw the picture frame resting on the bedside cabinet. Lovino was busy taking things out of his bag, and so Feliks went closer. He saw that it was a photo of a boy that looked a lot like the Italian brothers being held by a woman that had a strong resemblance to the boy.

"Is this your mother?" Feliks asked.

Lovino froze, before he looked up. He hesitated for a bit before he nodded.

"Si," he said. "She… She died a week after the picture was taken. It's the last photo I have of her."

Feliks nodded his head.

"And… who's the boy with her?" he asked. "Is it Feliciano or Marcello?"

"That's me," Lovino said firmly.

Feliks whipped his head towards Lovino, before he turned back to the photo. The boy looked… happy. It was probably the reason why Feliks hadn't recognised the child as Lovino. They were worlds apart.

"…I don't want to talk about it," Lovino said. "Please, just let it go."

Feliks felt a pang in his heart when he heard the broken note in Lovino's voice. There was some deep-seated pain. Feliks couldn't help but wonder if Lovino considered the time this photo was taken as the last time he felt genuinely happy. Again, he couldn't help but wonder how no one else noticed this.

"Let's just start working on the project," Lovino said.

Feliks nodded his head, taking a seat on the bed. Only to yelp in surprise, quickly jumping up. Lovino stared at him for a moment.

"Oh, I forgot to mention that some of the mattress's springs broke," Lovino said.

"Like, why don't you get it replaced?!" Feliks demanded.

Lovino just shrugged.

"I'm used to it by now," he said.

"…Like, does your dad know?" Feliks asked, a bit worried.

"No. And I'm not going to bother him with something like this. It's really not an issue."

"But, like, doesn't your back hurt?"

"Like I said, I'm used to it."

Feliks wasn't so sure about it.

…

Romulus was in the kitchen, preparing snacks. Even though Feliks had said that he didn't want anything, he was still going to take them snacks. He knew that he couldn't count on Lovino to be a good host.

As he went to get something from the fridge, he replayed the scene from earlier in his mind, and he froze. He was pretty sure he'd insulted his son in front of his friend, with Lovino there. However, neither of them said anything, so maybe it was just his imagination. He shook his head, before he heard the bus arrive outside.

Feliciano was also bringing a friend to work on a project. He and Marcello were riding the bus. Now that he thought about it, why didn't Lovino tell his friend to ride the bus? Did they demand that one of Feliks's parents drop them off?

If so, he hoped that Lovino didn't embarrass him. He hoped that Lovino at least had the decency to thank whoever it was for dropping them off.

Romulus smiled when he heard Feliciano chattering as he entered. Marcello was right behind. At least he knew that Feliciano would think to ask his guest if he would like a snack, and Marcello would help himself. Romulus would just have to take them up to Lovino and his guest.

Taking a tray with snacks and two glasses of drinks, Romulus made his way up to the room.

…

"So, like, do you think we should add pictures or something?" Feliks asked.

"We can, if you want," Lovino said. "It might make things a bit more interesting."

Lovino had opted to sit on the bed while Feliks sat on the desk. They were each working on the project, writing down their share of the notes. Lovino had chosen the bed due to the fact that he knew where all the delicate areas were. He knew how to sit on the bed without dropping down.

They looked up when the door opened, and Lovino frowned.

"Knock!" he shouted.

"Is that really how you speak to your father?" Romulus scolded, coming into sight.

Lovino shrank back a bit, seeing that it was his father and not one of his brothers. Romulus turned his gaze to Feliks and smiled.

"I know you said you didn't want anything, but I still fixed you guys something," Romulus said.

Feliks looked surprised, but nodded his head. He quickly went to get the tray, and Romulus flashed him another smile, before leaving. Feliks placed the tray on the desk before turning to Lovino.

"…I don't agree with the way he treats you," Feliks said.

"You're the first," Lovino said.

The two lapsed into silence as they continued with their project.

"So, like, why did he say I could call him Rome?" Feliks asked.

"His name is Romulus," Lovino said. "His parents were obsessed with Ancient Rome. In the myths, Romulus was one of the founders, along with his twin brother Remus."

"So, like, does your dad also have a twin?"

"He used to. Remus died a few days after being born."

"Oh… Sorry about that."

"Why? My dad can't remember anything like that. And it's not like we knew the guy."

"Still… So, like, how are we going to put it all together?"

"I could rewrite everything, if you want," Lovino said. "I think I have the better handwriting between the two of us."

Feliks smiled sheepishly.

"Like, thanks, Vino," Feliks said.

Lovino paused, before he looked back up at Feliks, the conversation not having been so serious that he needed to look up.

"What did you call me?" Lovino asked.

Feliks winced.

"Like, since you don't like 'Lovi', I thought 'Vino' would be a better nickname," Feliks said. "Do you hate it?"

Lovino was silent for a moment.

"You're calling me 'wine'," Lovino said.

"But do you hate it?" Feliks asked.

Lovino was silent for a moment as he processed the request.

"No," he said at last.

"Then I'm calling you Vino," Feliks said, smiling in victory.

Lovino couldn't understand why Feliks wanted to call him by a nickname, or why Feliks asked whether or not Lovino hated it. Of course, Feliks wasn't the first person to have given him a nickname, but he was the first person to ask Lovino about his opinion. And Lovino could tell that Feliks's nickname for him wasn't mocking in any way. He also couldn't understand why Feliks seemed so pleased about it.

There was a timid knock, and the two looked up to see the door open again. This time, it was Marcello, who nervously poked his head in.

"Ciao, fratello," Marcello said. "Um, could I borrow your phone charger? Mine broke."

Lovino stood up, before he bent down next to the bed to grab his charger. He handed it over to Marcello, who gave a small smile.

"Grazie," Marcello said, before rushing away.

Lovino closed the door, before he sighed. He made his way back to the bed, and Feliks was looking between the door and Lovino. The Italian groaned.

"…He's afraid of me," he explained. "I don't remember what I did to make him scared of me, but… it happened."

"Have you tried talking about it?" Feliks asked.

"I already know that it won't do anything."

"You won't know unless you tried."

Lovino shook his head, and Feliks sighed.

"So, like, what are we going to do about the pictures?" Feliks asked.

"Do you have a laptop at home?" Lovino asked.

"Tak, why?"

"You can look them up and start putting them all together. I'll work on the writing. If all goes to plan, we should finalise it on Monday."

"Like, why do you want to finish it as soon as possible? I mean… We still have time."

"You sound exactly like Feliciano," Lovino sighed. "I want to make sure we have everything done. I don't want to give them another…"

Lovino stopped, biting his lip. He almost told Feliks that he didn't want to give them another reason to call him lazy, or stupid. Feliks looked at him imploringly.

"Another what?" he prompted.

"Forget it," Lovino said, shaking his head. "Let's just get this done."

It scared him how comfortable he was starting to get around Feliks. It would make the inevitable betrayal even worse. Lovino had to end it before Feliks did. But he didn't want to.

…

When it was around five o'clock, Romulus went up to Lovino's room to check on them again.

"So, Feliks, would you like to join us for dinner?" Romulus asked.

"No thanks," Feliks said, glancing towards Lovino. "I think I should call my mother to come pick me up now."

Romulus nodded his head, but he didn't miss the look that Feliks had given Lovino. He knew that he should probably scold his son later, but honestly, he was getting tired of it.

"Alright," he said. "Why don't you come down while you wait?"

"Sure," Feliks said, smiling nervously. "I think I'll do that."

Romulus turned his gaze to Lovino then.

"Go with him," he said firmly, before he closed the door.

He made his way to the living room, where Feliciano was working with his own project partner. Kiku, Romulus thought. A quiet boy from Japan. Seeing him and Feliciano together created a shocking contrast, but Romulus just thought that it was proof that Feliciano could make friends with just about anyone.

"How's the project going?" Romulus asked, ruffling Feliciano's hair.

"A bit slow," Kiku sighed.

"Ve, do you know how Lovi and Feliks are doing?" Feliciano asked.

"Not really," Romulus admitted. "It at least looked as though Lovino was working, though. So it looks like Feliks might be a good influence on him."

Kiku looked a bit uncomfortable, but Feliciano beamed happily.

"I'm glad to hear that," Feliciano said. "Ve, Feliks seems nice. Just a little shy."

Romulus blinked a bit in surprise, but before he could ask further, he heard the two teens coming down the stairs. Hearing that Feliks was shy made Romulus wonder if Lovino didn't perhaps bully him into being his partner. If that was the case, then he knew that he would have to have a little chat with his eldest son.

Lovino and Feliks entered the living room, and Lovino came to a sudden stop, his eyes focused on Kiku. The Japanese boy looked nervous, but he gave a courteous bow. Romulus frowned at his son's attitude.

"Hello, Lovino," Kiku greeted. "And Feliks, right? I don't think we've met yet. I'm Kiku."

"Hi," Feliks greeted shyly.

The two of them sat down with Feliciano and Kiku, and Romulus watched them intently. Eventually they heard a car pull up, and Feliks jumped to his feet.

"Oh, like, that's my mom," Feliks said. "Bye Vino!"

"Go with him," Romulus said darkly.

Lovino signed, before he followed after Feliks. Romulus moved closer, seeing an attractive woman hugging Feliks. She bid Lovino goodbye, before leaving with her son. Lovino turned around to face Romulus, and his eyes narrowed.

"What are you going to yell at me for now?" Lovino demanded.

"Don't assume that I'm going to yell at you," Romulus said.

Lovino clicked his tongue, before going up past Romulus. Romulus turned to him.

"I better not find out you bullied him into being your partner," Romulus said.

Lovino turned back to him in annoyance.

"You really don't know anything," he said lowly, before rushing up the stairs.

…

Lovino sighed as he finished writing down the day's verbal abuse. His father had been particularly harsh that day.

He rubbed his arms, before going to retrieve the knife. He rolled up both sleeves, and carefully made three cuts on his left arm. He stared at them for a moment, before he started to transfer the knife to the other hand. However, it was at that moment that the door opened.