Thanks to Carina Sicily for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 23

Feliciano made his way to Lovino's homeroom class. He needed to tell the teacher about his brother being in the hospital. He needed to make sure that Lovino didn't get into trouble for being absent.

He could see the teacher, and he gave a small smile of relief. He made his way to the teacher, who paused when he saw him coming.

"Oh, Feliciano," the teacher greeted. "May I help you with something?"

"S-si," he said. "I came to say that Lovino won't be here today."

The teacher sighed, and Feliciano felt his heart freeze when he saw the cold look on the teacher's face.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Lovino's in the hospital," Feliciano said.

"What did he do?"

Feliciano felt angry. The teacher was so callous. Normally, a teacher should be concerned when hearing that a student was in the hospital. He just looked annoyed.

"Attempted suicide," Feliciano said.

The teacher looked startled, and Feliciano narrowed his eyes.

"He thinks that no one cares about him," Feliciano continued. "And you just proved him right."

"Feliciano…" the teacher started, reaching out his hand.

Feliciano jerked away, before rushing off to his own class. He didn't notice the crowd of students watching him.

…

Lovino was staring between the needle and the nurse. He had been given a drip due to how malnourished he was, along with the dehydration that followed the procedure they used to save his life. The only problem was, they didn't trust him enough to leave him alone. They were afraid that he would use the needle to harm himself, and so he was being monitored while the drip was attached. And, alright, considering the state of his body, he could understand why they would be worried, but it didn't help him at all.

There was a timid knock on the door, and Lovino and the nurse both turned their attentions to the entrance. Lovino narrowed his eyes when he saw his father walking in, carrying… was that a pizza box?

"How is he?" Romulus asked the nurse.

"He didn't want to eat," she said. "We're pumping nutrients into him, but…"

Romulus sighed.

"Well, all of my sons can be picky eaters," he said. "I brought pizza. Is it alright?"

The nurse eyed the box, before shrugging.

"If he eats, I suppose I can't complain," she said. "I'll leave you to it."

She left them alone, and silence fell over them. Lovino pointedly looked away. He didn't want to see his father. He didn't want to hear what the other was going to say, especially since Feliciano and Marcello weren't there.

"Mario sent you this pizza," Romulus said. "We went there for dinner last night. He looked really concerned about you. He also said that you turned down a job offer."

Lovino pursed his lips. He knew that the pizzeria owner was a bit concerned about him. He was just such a nice guy.

Ever since their disastrous tenth birthday party, Lovino always went on his own during Feliciano's parties. He knew that he wasn't welcome there, and would often walk around the town during those times. And when he was hungry, he would go to Mario's pizzeria. He went there for his favourite comfort food, a slice of cake, and for the restaurant staff to sing their corny birthday song to him. Because it was the only time that someone would sing 'happy birthday' to him.

Romulus sighed, placing the box on the eating area.

"I also found those books," Romulus said gently. "I'm sorry for every word I added to that book."

Lovino snorted.

"If you were really sorry, you would have apologised whenever you said them," he said. "But I was just too unimportant for you to remember that you said things that might have hurt me."

Romulus flinched at the words. He took out a plastic bag.

"I also brought you a few books," he said. "Why didn't you tell me that you enjoy reading?"

"Why didn't you ever notice?" Lovino shot back. "What do you think I was doing while you, Feli and Cello played on the beach? I mean, it wasn't as though you couldn't see what I was doing."

Romulus pursed his lips, before he placed the books on the table next to Lovino. Lovino's eyes widened when he saw an Italian edition of The Divine Comedy.

"I had these books lying around," Romulus explained. "If I knew that you enjoyed reading – and enjoyed the classics – I would have given them to you."

Lovino didn't quite believe that. But now he felt frustrated.

"Great," he muttered. "One hand is cuffed to the bed, and the other one is broken. No way to hold a book."

Romulus's eyes widened at that.

"I… I'll go call the nurse," he said. "See if we can make a plan."

Lovino didn't say anything as he watched his father leave. He stared at the box of pizza, which was also out of his reach due to the cuff. And then he looked towards the books. Asides from Divine Comedy, there was also an Italian edition of the Decameron. How did he not know that these were in the house?

His father returned with the nurse, who first checked the contents of the table before she took out a key, unlocking the cuff around his wrist. Lovino circled the wrist as he got used to not having it in a cuff, before the cuff was tied around his uninjured ankle. He sighed at that.

"Sorry," the nurse said. "But until we're sure you won't try to wander off and hurt yourself, this is how it's going to be."

Lovino rolled his eyes, before pulling the eating table closer. He opened the box and froze. It was his favourite pizza, but that wasn't what made him freeze. And it wasn't the fact that it was a large pizza. The tomatoes were arranged to spell the words 'get well soon'. It was enough to make tears spring to his eyes.

Romulus also noticed the arrangement of the tomatoes, but he was silent. It was almost a shame to eat it. Almost. Lovino needed the comfort from his comfort food, and so he took a slice.

"Why did you turn down that job offer?" Romulus asked softly. "He said it was a few months ago. Were… were you planning it for that long?"

Lovino didn't answer. He couldn't. He just continued eating as the first tears started to fall.

"…I need to get to work," Romulus said. "I'll see you this afternoon."

"Don't pretend that you want to be here," Lovino said. "You'll just end up yelling at me for ruining your day. Like I ruin everything. That's why you gave me this name, after all."

"What are you talking about?" Romulus asked.

"Don't think that changing one letter changes the meaning."

Romulus's eyes widened.

"You think…" he said. "Lovino, that is not why I gave you that name."

Lovino looked towards his father, not believing him. Romulus sighed, pulling a chair closer.

"I should have told you this story a long time ago," Romulus said. "Then maybe it could have saved you a lot of torment. You see, it comes from my days back in Italy. I was about seven or eight back then. It was a rainy season, and on the one day when it wasn't raining, all of us went to go play. The best place was near the river, and being the stupid kid that I was… I fell in."

Lovino listened to his father's story, trying to figure out why it was being told.

"One of the older boys jumped in after me, and managed to grab hold of me," Romulus continued. "He grabbed one of these huge rocks in the river and held me there until the adults managed to get to us. He pushed me to them, but he couldn't hold on anymore. He let go, and by the time they managed to get him, he had already drowned. He was a troublemaker, and was famous for playing mean pranks. He surprised everyone that day. We all knew him by his nickname: Lovino."

Lovino's eyes widened when he heard that.

"What?" he whispered.

"It had been my intention to name my first son after the boy who saved my life," Romulus said. "But I never told you this story. And I realise that it caused you more pain. I'm sorry."

Lovino burst into sobs, and Romulus hugged him. Lovino allowed it. When was the last time his father had hugged him?

He let out a particularly loud sob when Romulus placed a gentle kiss on his head. He couldn't remember the older male ever doing that.

"Your mother warned me about that name, but I guess I didn't listen," Romulus said. "Maybe we should have given you that middle name."

"What middle name?" Lovino asked.

"The name your mother wanted to give you. Romano."

…

Feliciano sat down in his seat, hearing the whispers around him. He realised that the others had heard him tell the teacher that Lovino had attempted suicide, and it was all they could talk about now.

What made Feliciano feel horrible was the number of snickers he heard. Apparently, Lovino trying to kill himself was funny. Did none of them care that Lovino wanted to die?

"Oh, Toni, did you hear?" Gilbert's voice reached Feliciano's ears.

Remembering what had happened on the bus, Feliciano focused on their conversation.

"Is this about Lovi trying to kill himself?" Antonio asked.

"Exactement," Francis said. "He couldn't even do that right."

"Man, how big of an idiot do you need to be at failing to kill yourself?" Gilbert said.

"I just think that he's trying to get attention," Antonio said. "That's just the type of person he is, after all. Acting like the world owes him something."

"You're right," Francis said. "And poor Feli and Marcello have to deal with having a screw-up like him for a brother."

"You're right," Gilbert said. "Lovi's the worst brother in history."

Feliciano felt something he rarely felt: rage. The more he listened to them, the angrier he got. And when he heard the last thing that Gilbert said, he snapped.

The sound of flesh against flesh, a shocked cry, and the class was silent. Feliciano clenched his fist, the knuckles painful. The doctor was right. Using your fists would have an impact.

Gilbert stared at Feliciano in shock. The Italian didn't realise that at that moment, the resemblance between him and his twin was uncanny.

"F-Feli?" Gilbert stuttered, more surprised than anything.

"Never talk about my fratello like that," Feliciano hissed, his voice cold. "Lovino's not an idiot. He's smarter than me. Or, are you saying that I'm an idiot too?"

"Mon ami, that's not what we meant," Francis said.

"Then what did you mean?" Feliciano snapped. "You say that Lovino acts as though the world owes him something. Well, it does. It owes him an apology for putting him through hell! All of you people laughing at him wanting to die… How would you feel if someone laughed at you?!"

Several of the other students looked guilty when Feliciano said it. No one was about to interrupt him, too shocked to see the normally cheerful Italian genuinely furious. Even the teacher was shocked at the sight.

"You said that Lovino wanted attention," Feliciano continued. "Then why does he shrink away? Tell me something, where does he spend his lunch hour?"

"Th-the roof," Antonio said. "E-everyone knows that."

"How's that possible?" Feliks interrupted. "The access door is locked at all times. There's no way that Lovino could go to the roof."

Feliciano glanced towards Feliks, his glare softening. Feliks was the only one that noticed the pain that Lovino was in, and had tried to help him. He was better for Lovino than Feliciano himself had been.

"Then where is he?" Gilbert challenged.

"Like, there's no way I'm telling you," Feliks spat.

"Point is, Lovino is on his own, trying to get away from you," Feliciano said. "And another thing. Those 'tattoos' on his arms? Not tattoos. Lovino's been hurting himself for years, but none of you even cared to think about it! Oh no. You want to make Lovino the monster. But tell me something: What has he done to any of you?"

There was silence all around. People were looking nervously at each other. Feliciano wondered if they were realising that they were wrong about his brother. That Lovino had done nothing to them to warrant their hatred.

"You also said that Lovino is the worst brother in history," Feliciano whispered. "But I'm the worst brother. I didn't even realise that my own twin was hurting himself – was starving himself – and wanted to die. Do you know what it's like to find your brother, and he won't wake up? After your father yelled at him? After he walked back in the rain after getting hurt? And in case you're wondering, Lovino couldn't have been in a fight yesterday, because his wrist was broken a few days ago. Tell me, was it you three?!"

The three jumped at Feliciano's words, and the looks they threw each other testified their guilt. But they themselves didn't look guilty.

"Are there any other complaints against Lovino?" Feliciano asked, this time looking around at the entire class. "Speak now, or shut up!"

No one dared to say a thing.

"I-I think we should start class," the teacher said nervously.

Everyone scrambled to their seats, and Gilbert gave Feliciano a confused and hurt look. He almost looked like a kicked puppy, but Feliciano refused to feel guilty. One of the things Lovino said he did to hurt him was think that those three were nice people. And hearing how they would speak about Lovino made him believe that. They didn't care about who heard them. Not even Lovino's brother.

As Feliciano sat down, he glanced in Feliks's direction. The Pole gave a small smile, which Feliciano returned. That's right. Feliks actually took the time to get to know Lovino. He was at Lovino's side. And, perhaps… he knew Lovino better than Feliciano did.

That thought brought an ache forth in his chest. Someone who knew Lovino for two weeks knew him better than Feliciano, his own twin. At the very least, he knew that Lovino was hurting. Something that Feliciano should have picked up on, but didn't.

And Feliks had been in much the same position as Lovino a few weeks ago. Perhaps that was the reason why he could see what Feliciano couldn't. Because Feliciano had never reached the point where he wanted to die.

There was also another thing that Feliciano realised: All of the things he had heard from the others about Lovino… just how much did Lovino hear?

…

Romulus sighed for the umpteenth time. He just couldn't focus on his work. His thoughts were on his son.

"That's getting seriously old," his partner said.

Romulus was the co-owner of a small art gallery. His partner was a Persian man named Amin. They were small, but they managed, and Romulus usually had the afternoons off, while Amin worked in the afternoons. However, the two of them were interviewing a potential new employee, so they both had to be there this morning.

"Sorry," he said. "My mind's on Lovino."

Amin sighed in frustration.

"What is it this time?" he asked tiredly.

Romulus couldn't blame Amin for his reaction, even though it made him feel a little annoyed and protective. Romulus had complained about Lovino enough times for the other to be completely bored with it.

"He attempted to commit suicide," he said softly.

Amin's head whipped towards him. Clearly, whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't that.

"Oh," the other male said gently. "I'm sorry. But, he's okay?"

Romulus shook his head.

"As it turns out, he wasn't fighting, he was being bullied," Romulus said. "And I dismissed him whenever he tried to tell me. He's in a bad state. Several ribs are broken, he has a concussion, his wrist is broken… And his mental state isn't much better, to be honest. Years of emotional neglect, belittlement… He's in the hospital, and it doesn't look like he's leaving anytime soon."

Amin looked down, his eyes reflecting his sympathy.

"So… All those times you were complaining about him…" he said.

"I had no reason to complain," Romulus said, nodding his head. "I realised that I was a horrible father towards him. I didn't even know what his favourite pizza was. Or his favourite colour. I just…"

They were interrupted when someone entered the gallery, and the two of them grew professional. They knew that this was their potential employee. The man swallowed nervously, before walking towards them.

"Sorry if I'm late," the man said.

"Don't worry," Amin said. "You're early. Shall we go to the office?"

The three went to the joint office, and the other's eyes immediately fell on the picture frame on Romulus's desk.

"Are these your sons?" he asked, looking towards Romulus.

Romulus felt a jolt when he realised that the photograph only contained Feliciano and Marcello. No sign of Lovino.

"Si," he said. "I also have a third son. He's… he's currently in the hospital. He got hurt pretty bad."

The man's eyes lingered, a strange expression on his face.

"Anyway, let's get started," Amin said, sitting down at his own desk. "Your name is Toris Laurinaitis, correct?"

Toris nodded his head, taking a seat on the chair placed between the two desks.

"What makes you qualified to work here?" Amin asked.

"Um, I've done some bookkeeping before," Toris said. "And I'm a hard worker."

"It seems like you've gone a long time without a job," Romulus said. "Care to explain why that is?"

Toris hesitated.

"I… I fell a bit on bad luck," he said. "But… Earlier this week, something happened that made me want to turn my life around."

"Oh?" Romulus asked. "And what was that?"

Toris glanced towards the picture frame.

"I think I met one of your sons," he said.

After thinking about it for some time, I decided to go on hiatus until the end of November. I'll finish the updates for this week. This applies to all my stories. I just need a bit of time. And with the exception of the time I went abroad and didn't have internet yet, I've been updating every week since my very first story in 2013. So, I think I could use a break.