Thanks to cAnd13ThEheTaLiaN and Carina Sicily for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 31

Saturday night and Sunday had gone without further incident, and before they knew it, Monday had arrived. Neither Feliciano nor Marcello was happy with that, as they wouldn't be able to join their father for his morning visit to Lovino.

"We should be there for him," Marcello stated.

"And we are," Romulus insisted. "He won't blame you if you missed a visit because of school. He didn't on Friday, and he certainly won't now."

"But, what if you say something bad to him again?" Marcello asked.

Romulus flinched. Of course, that was something that he would never be able to live down. He knew that it was a well-deserved comment, but it still hurt. And it didn't help that Feliciano and Marcello had discovered the books, and when they weren't with Lovino, they were poring over what had been said to their brother without their knowledge. This only served to convince them that Lovino needed to find another school.

"How did it go on Friday?" Feliciano asked, seeing the tension between his father and brother.

"Well, I found out that all these years, he'd been under the impression that his name is an altered spelling of 'rovino'," Romulus sighed. "It's not. I told him the true story. He was named after the boy who saved me when I was still just a boy."

Marcello halted in the process of bringing his spoon to his mouth. Feliciano's jaw also seemed to drop a bit at the admission.

"Wow…" Feliciano said. "Why didn't we hear the story before?"

Romulus chuckled.

"I'll tell you tonight, alright?" he said. "But for now, you have school."

…

Lovino sighed, placing the copy of Candide aside. It might have been by a French author, but he wasn't about to let the nationalities of his three tormentors keep him from enjoying a book.

It was a bit difficult to work with only one hand, but he managed. He'd had about a week to practice, after all.

He was searching through the thinner volumes for another book to read when there was a knock on the door. He looked up, seeing his father standing there with a hesitant smile on his face.

"Hey," Romulus greeted. "How are you feeling?"

Lovino shrugged. In truth, he was still a bit wary around his father. He noticed that when his brothers were visiting, his father was mostly absent. He didn't quite know how to interpret those actions.

"I might have found a school," Romulus said, nervously walking inside. "It's in Cordoa. Is that alright?"

Cordoa was the next town over, about ten minutes away. There was still the risk of Lovino running into someone he knew, but at least he wouldn't run into them.

"Why not somewhere farther away?" Lovino asked.

"Why?" Romulus asked. "Do you want to be farther away?"

"Don't you want me to be?"

Romulus sighed, taking a seat beside Lovino. The other two hospital beds had been moved to their proper places, and the hospital had chosen to stick to their rules the previous day, much to Feliciano and Marcello's dismay.

"I can't apologise enough for making you think like that," Romulus said. "But I promise you, none of us want you to go away."

Lovino averted his gaze. His father was saying it now. But what about in a few weeks? In a few months? What about when he felt that everything had returned to 'normal', and that Lovino was no longer at risk of trying to commit suicide? How long before he snapped at him again for something that wasn't even Lovino's fault?

"…I think it might be good for you to take part in afterschool activities," Romulus said. "One of the reasons why I decided on that school is because it still has a book club. It's sad that there aren't more of them."

"One of the reasons why I went to the library was because no one else went," Lovino said.

Romulus nodded his head. There was silence between them, neither of them having much experience with civil conversations with each other.

"I meant to ask you," Romulus said. "Toris came to apply for a job. Is it alright to have him?"

Lovino had to try to remember who Toris was, and when he realised who it was, he nodded his head.

"Si," he said. "But why are you asking me? He asked you for a job."

"But he didn't hurt you, did he?" Romulus asked. "Didn't threaten you or anything?"

Lovino couldn't tell his father that the first time the two of them had met, the older man was wearing a mask and had a gun pointed at his head. So instead, he simply shook his head. In the end, the older male had a chance to hurt him, but didn't. And he admitted to Lovino that he had made him re-evaluate his life. Lovino knew that he was most likely trying to make things better for himself, so he wasn't going to ruin the other's chances.

"By the way, do you want me to bring you some more pizza?" Romulus asked.

Lovino looked towards the empty box. It was either he accepted his father's offer, or eat the hospital's food. He decided that he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, and nodded his head.

"Alright," Romulus said. "I'll bring it to you this afternoon."

…

Feliciano was busy with a pencil and paper, one of Lovino's bookmarks by his side. During the day they'd spent together, Feliciano managed to learn Lovino's favourite animal (wolf), favourite colour (green), and a few other things that he never knew about his brother. But he decided to focus on the favourite animal, and was working on the design, which wasn't as easy as he'd hoped it would be. He was used to working on a larger canvas, and considering it was meant as a gift, he couldn't risk for things to go wrong.

"Hey Feli," a familiar voice greeted.

Feliciano glanced up, seeing that it was Elizaveta, smiling uncertainly. Feliciano greeted her back, not as cheerfully as he normally would have, and returned to his drawing.

"So… what are you working on?" she asked.

"Bookmark for Lovino," he said.

"Right, he likes books…" She said it so uncertainly. As though she still couldn't believe it. "So, when's he coming back to school?"

"He's not."

There was a moment of silence, and Feliciano knew that the entire class was listening to their conversation. Well, let them hear.

"Why not?" Elizaveta asked.

"You're seriously asking me that?" Feliciano asked, looking up at her. "People were laughing at him for trying to kill himself. They kept calling him stupid and useless for failing. And it's clear that everyone hates him. Why would I want my brother to come back to a place like this?"

Elizaveta winced, and Feliciano turned his attention back to the paper.

"…For what it's worth, I'm sorry," she said.

"Why are you apologising to me?" Feliciano asked bitterly. "I'm not the one lying in a hospital bed. If you want to apologise to my brother… Actually, I was going to say that you should do it yourself, but I've heard about some of the things that everyone's been telling him, so there's no way I'm letting any of you near him."

"You know, you shouldn't believe everything he says," another familiar voice said, and this one actually made Feliciano tense. "He's just lying to get attention."

Feliciano whipped his head to face Antonio, who looked a bit annoyed. Seeing the Spaniard reminded him about what happened on Friday and Saturday.

"The doctor didn't lie," Feliciano said. "And the psychiatrist didn't lie. Lovino's hands show that he didn't get into any fights, or should I say, he didn't fight back. Where are your wounds, Antonio? Because Lovino has a broken wrist, a sprained ankle, a concussion, several broken ribs, and that's not even considering all of the bruises. Bruises you put on him. I finally started paying attention. Anyone with even one eyeball and half a braincell would know that you, Francis and Gilbert are the ones usually involved whenever he gets in a 'fight'. But those aren't fights, are they? So it means that you're the ones that broke all of those bones."

The others were watching the scene, completely silent. Perhaps they were too curious to even whisper amongst themselves. Antonio flushed at the unwanted attention.

"You don't know that," he defended. "He could have… could have…"

"By the way," Feliciano said. "If he managed to succeed, then it would have made you a murderer. And even if he didn't try, the doctor said that if we didn't take him to the hospital when we did, then all those injuries he got – injuries that you gave him – would have killed him. So, either way, if Lovino died, then you would have been a murderer, Antonio."

This time, there were whispers. Antonio looked as though he had been slapped, and Feliciano felt a small burst of pride when he saw that he could hurt Antonio in some way. After everything he'd said and done to Lovino, he deserved it.

"One more thing," Feliciano continued, "I know about what happened at our tenth birthday party. You hear that? Our! My party, and Lovino's. But you ruined it for him. You made it so that he missed our next six birthday parties. He doesn't even go to Marcello's! And in case you forgot why that is, let me remind you. You told Lovino that it was supposed to be a birthday gift to me. That… what did you say again? Oh, right. That I 'would no longer have to suffer the embarrassment of having Lovino for a twin'. Remember that?"

Antonio's eyes widened, and some of the other students seemed to understand the implication of what Feliciano said. There were gasps all around them, but Feliciano refused to look around. His gaze was focused solely on Antonio. Tears were streaming down Feliciano's face, but he knew that they were tears of rage.

"This wasn't the first time that you, Francis and Gilbert almost murdered my brother," Feliciano said. "Did you know that he still has nightmares about what you tried to do to him? And do you know what happens when he has a nightmare like that? Lovino hurts himself. He slammed his broken wrist against the metal part of the bed. Do you have any idea how someone has to feel to do that?!"

There were a few hisses of pain, and Feliciano wondered how many of these students had had a broken bone before to be able to feel the phantom pains.

He realised that there was a risk that he was making the situation worse by confronting Antonio like this, especially with everyone watching. But he actually had a plan in mind. He specifically used the word 'murder' to make the message sink in. There were whispers. And with whispers, came rumours. And no one would be able to resist the rumour of potential murderers. Lovino would no longer be attending this school, so the rumours wouldn't bother him. But Antonio, Francis and Gilbert would still have to suffer the weight of what was said. Some might not believe, others would have doubts. But there was no escaping this. If everyone believed false rumours, then what would happen with rumours that were true?

"I… He's just…" Antonio stammered. "Feliciano, no offence, b-but… Well, you are a bit… um…?"

"Stupid?" Feliciano asked. "Gullible? Naïve? Which word were you going to say? But if you still have doubts about something… Well, you could ask Mr Zwingli about the state Lovino is in. He actually saw him. And Mr Zwingli would have no reason to lie about it. Unless you're going to choose the other option and call him gullible or an idiot too?"

One would have to be a suicidal idiot to even suggest it.

Mr Hedervary cleared his throat, and Feliciano realised that the teacher was most likely trying to get the classroom in order. But at the same time, he was probably curious as well.

"I think it's time for everyone to settle down," the Hungarian man said. "Feliciano, could I have a word with you outside?"

Feliciano felt his stomach drop. He wondered if he had perhaps gone a bit too far, but what was done was done. He nodded, going to follow the teacher. His eyes locked with Feliks's, who was also worried. But he would have to take responsibility for what happened.

And perhaps he would see what detention was like. Well, it would certainly bring him one step closer to properly understanding his brother.

The teacher closed the door behind them, and Feliciano glanced around. They were completely alone, and he never thought it could be so quiet.

"I can understand how you must feel," Mr Hedervary said, "but you can't go around accusing anyone of attempted murder."

"But they've tried it before," Feliciano said. "And they got away with it. Because no one would believe Lovino, or didn't notice that anything was wrong. I… I'm guilty of both, to be honest."

Mr Hedervary sighed.

"How can you be sure that Lovino didn't lie about that?" he asked.

"Because I remember seeing him at the party, before he left," Feliciano said. "Do you think, if he was lying, he would have spent his birthday at the graveyard instead of at the pool? He didn't even take a slice of cake."

Mr Hedervary at least looked uncomfortable about it. Putting it into perspective, he probably couldn't deny that it was a valid point.

"Still… accusing someone in front of so many students…" he said.

"Lovino had to live for years with everyone believing he's a delinquent," Feliciano responded. "Everyone believed that he has tattoos, and that he smokes, and that he's the one that gets into fights. Besides… I know of at least one law those three had broken."

"And that would be…?"

"Assault. If they're willing to commit one crime, how many others are they willing to commit?"

Mr Hedervary shook his head.

"I suggest… You try to ignore them as much as possible," he said. "It could not only cause problems for them, but for you as well."

Feliciano pursed his lips.

"Lovino is hated by everyone," he said. "And he tried to commit suicide. I'm alright with committing social suicide, especially if it helps them realise that they were wrong about Lovino."

"You say that now," Mr Hedervary said, "but if you play with fire, you better be prepared to get burned."

…

Lovino was reading yet another book, this time The Epic of Gilgamesh. First, he was impressed that his father had managed to find this book. Second, the complexity would keep him busy for a while.

"Am I interrupting?"

Lovino's head came up at the sound of the therapist's voice, but his attention was immediately drawn to what was in Matthew's arms.

"Why do you have a dog with you?" he asked.

"This is Kumajiro," Matthew explained, beaming. "He's a therapy dog."

Matthew brought the white bundle of fur closer, and then he leaned close enough for Lovino to pet the dog. He placed the book on the table, before he scratched the dog behind the ear. He smiled when he felt the dog lick his wrist.

"Did you ever have any pets?" Matthew asked.

"No," Lovino said. "Though, I always wanted one. Dog or cat, didn't matter. Anything that could…"

Lovino cut himself off, averting his eyes.

"Anything that could show you love?" Matthew finished.

Lovino nodded his head, staring into the dog's black eyes.

"Si," he said softly.

"…Are you okay to hold him?" Matthew asked.

Lovino looked down at his injured wrist, still held against his chest with a sling. He learned that the sling was mostly to prevent him from doing what he did on Friday again.

"This thing is in the way," he explained.

"Right," Matthew said. "I suppose that's not an option."

Matthew adjusted his hold on the dog, making it possible to bring him closer to Lovino. The Italian had a smile on his face as he petted the dog, even feeling thrilled when he would lick his hand. He didn't have a lot of experience around dogs, but he knew enough. He knew that they were better than people, at least. A dog would never spread rumours about you. A dog would never tell you to die. And if it was your dog, then the dog would always be happy to see you.

…

Romulus was waiting anxiously. And many flashbacks from school returned to him. Strange how one would always be nervous about meeting with the principal.

He was also surprised by the fact that he could make an appointment in such short notice. Perhaps luck was on his side. Perhaps the universe decided that he owed Lovino a lot, and would give him as many opportunities as possible to help his son. And getting him out of that toxic environment was the first thing he could do.

He asked Feliciano and Marcello if they would like to switch schools as well, but they both declined. In the first place, they still had friends at their school, while Lovino's only friend was Feliks (and he couldn't help but wonder what they would do in regards to this). In the second place, the two of them felt that it would be best if Lovino entered a new environment without them. Not that they didn't want to give him moral support, but they felt that it was better for him if they didn't go. If they didn't go, then Lovino's new peers wouldn't know them, and if they didn't know them, then he wouldn't be compared to them.

"Mr Vargas?" the secretary called to him. "You may go in now."

He took a deep breath, before following the path to the principal's office. He only hoped that this would change his son's life for the better.

The books I mention are mostly books on my own bookshelf. Even if I hadn't gotten around to reading them yet, I can at least tell how thick they are, and whether or not they can be held comfortably with one hand (Candide = yes; War and Peace = no). I've actually got so many books to read right now that I don't even know where to start, but I usually have one of the thinner books in my handbag (reading when you're standing in line at the bank, for example) and one of the thicker books is to read at home. And many of them are classics – I've been meaning to read the classics, partly because of DK's Literature book (it's a good reading list, and it gives you an idea of the different eras, genres and sub-genres). The classics, at least in paperback, are also cheaper than some of the newer books, and books in South Africa aren't really cheap.