Thanks to MonalisaRomano17, Yaoi-Is-Life-and-Love and an anon for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 36

Romulus checked everything one more time. He'd gone earlier to fetch the puppy, which was sleeping peacefully in the kitchen. Feliciano and Marcello were making arrangements, and Feliks had also come to help. Gupta and his friends would be coming soon as well.

"Is everything okay?" he asked one more time.

"We can manage," Marcello said. "We'll send you a message when everything is ready. Until then, spend the time with Lovino, and don't you dare make him sad again."

Romulus nodded his head, before he grabbed his keys.

"Alright," he said. "I'm counting on you."

"Have fun," Feliciano called out. "And good luck."

…

Lovino's eyes scanned the room one more time. It felt strange, not wearing pyjamas for the first time in over a week (his father had been kind enough to bring him new pyjamas when it became clear that he would be staying there for some time, though he would have appreciated it more if they weren't summer pyjamas). He also felt an immense sense of terror.

He wasn't a fool. Things would never change. It would be fine, for a while, but everything would eventually return to normal. He would be left in the darkness again, without anyone to comfort him.

His arm was at least removed from its sling, though he was wearing a splint. He would need to take it easy with his right hand. He was also advised to use a crutch for his left ankle, but he didn't really want to look like someone that just came back from war. At least his head was no longer bandaged.

He checked the bags at his feet. One was full of books that had been brought and bought for him over the course of the week, with some being finished. He had a lot of time on his hands, after all. The second bag was filled with the schoolwork that had been brought. This bag was considerably lighter, and he at least managed to get most of it done, with the exception of CS. And the last bag was filled with the necessities, such as his pyjamas and toothbrush.

Lovino tensed when he heard footsteps approaching. By now, he could recognise the nurse's footsteps, and he knew his father's footsteps very well.

Some would think he was crazy, if he said that his stay in the hospital was like a dream he didn't want to wake up from. Because for the first time in years, he had been cared for. But now the dream was ending. It was time to return to the harsh reality that was his life.

He turned around when the nurse and his father finally reached the door.

"Everything set?" the nurse asked.

Lovino nodded his head, and his father took the bags at his feet, grunting a bit when he picked up the bag of books.

"I can take one of those," Lovino offered weakly.

"No, it's fine," Romulus said. "Besides, we don't want to cause unnecessary strain for you."

His injured wrist meant that he would only be able to carry something with his left hand, which was the same side as his injured ankle, and the extra weight might prove problematic. Especially if he took the bag of books.

Lovino followed his father to the entrance of the hospital, feeling nervous as he went. He nodded and smiled to the hospital staff that he passed, who were all wishing him good luck and saying that they didn't hope to see him again soon. When they finally reached the entrance, Lovino winced when he stepped into the sunlight.

"You okay?" Romulus asked.

"Si," Lovino said. "I've just been cooped up inside this whole time."

Romulus nodded in understanding, before he looked towards the sky.

"It's a beautiful day," Romulus remarked.

Lovino shrugged, and the two made their way to Romulus's car. After loading up all the bags, the two got in and started to drive off.

Lovino stared out the window. A part of him wanted to return to his room, and to his own bed, even if the bed was uncomfortable. But he didn't want to return to the way things had been before. Though the thing he probably missed most was…

"So, what's the first thing you're going to do when we get home?" Romulus asked.

"A bath," Lovino said. "Stupid hospital only has a shower."

"What? They didn't give you a sponge bath?"

Lovino made sure to put as much ice as possible into his eyes when he turned to regard his father.

"I made it very clear that I'm not good with physical contact," Lovino said coldly. "Or did you not notice that either?"

Romulus flinched, eyes having slid to Lovino, but now turned back to the road.

"…I noticed," Romulus muttered. "I also managed to figure out a few reasons why. I was just… trying to joke with you. Lighten the mood."

Lovino instantly felt guilty, and the old fear returned. The fear of not being able to do anything right.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's alright," Romulus dismissed. "I just… forgot you're not used to having people joke with you."

No, he was used to being the centre of the joke. Like the time the trio convinced Bella that the only reason why Lovino was trying to be her friend was because he wanted to get lucky with her. She got angry at him, the friendship ended, and the trio were laughing about it for days.

"…Did they ever make a joke at your expense?" Romulus asked.

Lovino nodded his head. He didn't want to go into detail. He didn't want to give examples.

The times when he went to the hospital were few – ironic, considering the number of times he'd been injured – so he didn't really know the route. Which was why he didn't realise that they weren't immediately going home until his father stopped in the middle of town.

"Huh?" Lovino voiced his confusion.

"Come on," Romulus said, opening the door. "I thought we could go out for ice-cream first."

Lovino blinked a few times in confusion, before he climbed out as well. He didn't really mind, to be honest. If it meant that he could delay the inevitable for a little longer, then he was fine with it.

"So, what would you like?" Romulus asked as soon as they reached the counter.

Lovino took a moment to examine the ice-creams. He'd never really gone to a place like this before, and he had no idea that there were so many choices. Or that some of the choices could be so… strange. He finally made a choice.

"Toffee," he said.

Romulus ordered two toffee ice-creams, and once they received and paid for their order, they went to find a placed to sit down to enjoy it.

"Have you ever been here before?" Romulus asked.

Lovino shook his head.

"It's a bit depressing to go somewhere like this alone," Lovino said. "It's already weird going to Mario's for my birthday."

Romulus froze.

"Is… that where you go?" he asked.

Lovino hesitated, before he nodded.

"Their cake is surprisingly good," Lovino said.

Romulus pursed his lips, averting his eyes.

"I'm really sorry about all of this," Romulus said. "I should have paid more attention to you."

Lovino's throat started to ache, and he quickly took a bite of his ice-cream.

"This ice-cream's pretty good," he said.

Romulus nodded, and he looked relieved to change the subject.

Several minutes passed in tense silence. Lovino had no idea what to talk about, and he suspected that his father was afraid of saying something that might upset Lovino again.

Lovino's eyes shifted to the side when he heard his father's phone chime, and the older Italian quickly checked it. He saw his father type a message in reply, before putting the phone away.

"You know…" Romulus said, "you could have always come with Feliciano or Marcello to this place."

Lovino snorted.

"Until two weeks ago, Cello was scared of me," he said. "And Feli… Knowing him, the moment he saw one of his friends, he would have invited them over here, or he would have told them about it if we made plans. And most of them… hate me."

Actually, he was pretty sure that the only one of Feliciano's friends that didn't mind him was Kiku. But even then, if wasn't as though the Japanese male was friendly with him. Just civil.

"Oh," Romulus said.

They remained silent as they finished their ice-creams. When it was time to leave, Lovino did so with a heavy heart. He could already see how he would be forgotten in his room. How he would be left to suffer alone, like before.

The moment he stepped outside the ice-cream parlour, he froze. Walking on the other side of the street was Francis, accompanied by his sister. He didn't know what they were talking about, but Francis was thankfully not looking in his direction. But he could still picture the moment when Francis would look to the side and see him. And what then?

"Are you okay?" Romulus asked.

Lovino stiffly nodded, and he climbed into the car as swiftly as possible. Several seconds later, his father climbed into the car. He turned to Lovino, a worried look on his face.

"What's going on?" Romulus asked.

Lovino shook his head. He wanted to go home now. Seeing one of them… He needed to get away. He wanted to return to his room and wrap himself in a blanket.

He wondered why he was suddenly so scared of them. He thought that he was used to them. But perhaps it was the fact that he'd experienced freedom from them, and there was the possibility that he wouldn't have to see them anymore. So now, this little dose of reality made him realise that there was no escape. He would never be free.

Romulus stared at him for a long moment, before he started the car. Lovino sighed in relief when they put some distance between them and Francis. And that was only one of the three. What would happen if he saw all three, and he wasn't able to instantly flee?

"What happened back there?" Romulus asked.

Lovino didn't think that he could answer. He wasn't even sure that he could sense his voice. He curled up in the car seat, wrapping his arms around himself.

"Lovino, please," Romulus said softly. "Don't shut me out. Let me help you."

Lovino was quiet for a few moments. He didn't know if he could or should answer. He also didn't know if he could trust his father with something like this. But, seeing the older male look at him with earnest…

"I… I just saw one of… one of those…" he started, before his throat closed up.

His father was silent for a few seconds.

"One of the boys that bullied you," he finished.

Lovino nodded his head, trying to calm his breathing. He jumped when his father placed his hand gently on his arm.

"Doctor Williams said that you're suffering from PTSD," Romulus explained. "There's no need for you to feel scared or embarrassed. After the things I've heard, I don't blame you. And I'm going to guess that I haven't heard everything yet, right?"

Lovino flinched, closing his eyes. It was true. There was a lot that had been left unsaid. When it came to the pain he experienced – all that had been done to him – they had only scratched the surface. And he was terrified of finding out what would happen if they managed to reach the core.

Romulus smiled when they finally returned home. Lovino, on the other hand, just sank into his seat.

"Home sweet home, huh?" Romulus said. "You must be happy to be back after all that time in the hospital."

If only his father understood what the house symbolised for Lovino. It was a return to normalcy. A return to the way things had been. A return to the shadows.

Lovino went towards the back of the car to remove his bags (or at least one of them), but his father immediately stopped him.

"We can do that later," he said. "Come on. Feliciano prepared some lunch first. We don't want his efforts to go to waste."

Lovino couldn't quite understand the logic behind the words, but he was in no mood to argue. And now that his father mentioned Feliciano, he found it strange that neither of his brothers accompanied him to the hospital. Feliciano made lunch, but did Marcello make other arrangements with his friends?

His chest ached. He was barely home, and already, things were returning to normal. That was what happened when he had even the smallest amount of hope.

He allowed his father to lead him inside, but when he tried to go up the stairs towards his bedroom, his father nudged him towards the living room. He looked back in confusion, but went along with it. And when he entered the living room…

"SURPRISE!"

He jumped as several voices called out to him. He could see his brothers, Feliks, Gupta, Vlad, and two others that he didn't recognise. He also saw various things that weren't normally in the room, which included the large banner that said 'Welcome home, Lovino'. It took him a moment to realise what this was, and even then, he couldn't allow himself to believe it.

"W-wha… What's this?" he whispered.

"It's a party!" Feliciano said, bouncing up to him. "Your party, Lovino."

The weight of his brother's words dawned on him, and his eyes scanned the room. All of this… this effort, was made for him. Only him. The realisation caused tears to brim in his eyes, and he tried to wipe them away.

"Like, please tell me those are happy tears," Feliks said, leaning closer to Lovino as well.

He couldn't say anything, so he just nodded. These were tears of both joy and sorrow. Joy, because of what they were doing for him. Sorrow, because this was most likely going to be the only time they would do something like this for him.

Feliks carefully wrapped him in a hug, and Lovino clung to him. A sob escaped his throat, and he felt Feliks rub a comforting hand along his back. He knew that times like these would be rare as well. He was going to a new school, and he was leaving Feliks behind.

…

"So, how's school?" Antonio's grandmother asked.

The teen jumped at the question. Everyone in the family was gathered around the table, already enjoying their lunch. He was sitting across from Miguel, who didn't seem as bothered by the question as Antonio. Not unexpected, since Miguel wasn't currently the target of what could essentially be called a witch-hunt at school.

The word 'murder' had worse ramifications than Antonio would have expected. The fact that Feliciano – good, kind, naïve, innocent Feliciano – was turned angry and hostile made the other students give credence to the claim. And when Feliciano wasn't angry or hostile, he was sad. And he blamed Antonio, Francis and Gilbert for this.

Feliciano was very popular, due to how cheerful he was under normal circumstances. Nobody liked the change, and that caused them to lash out at Antonio and the others.

A tiny voice at the back of his mind kept whispering that he now knew what Lovino felt, but in Lovino's case, he didn't deserve it. Antonio made sure to silence that voice whenever it tried to speak up.

"Well, we're getting a new student on Monday," Miguel said.

"Oh, a new student," their grandmother said. "Do you know him? Or, is it a 'her'?"

"It's a 'him'. One of my friends was asked to help him adjust, and the rest of us are going to help him too."

"Is there a reason why he needs help adjusting?" Antonio's mother asked.

Miguel solemnly nodded his head.

"He was bullied pretty badly at his old school," Miguel said. "So much so, that he ended up in the hospital. There was a good chance that he could have died because of those bullies. My friend says that he tends to get scared if someone moves too fast or gets too close to him."

"Oh my goodness!" their grandmother exclaimed. "Well, that's certainly a good thing you're doing."

Antonio froze. The timing… No, it couldn't be. Was Lovino…?

He recalled Feliciano saying that they were looking for a new school for Lovino. What were the odds of it being the same school that Miguel was attending?

"I could never understand people like that," Antonio's mother said, clicking her tongue. "Does the pain of others mean nothing to them?"

"Honestly, it takes someone really twisted to hurt someone like that," his father agreed.

If it was Lovino… then it was only a matter of time before Miguel knew… and what would Antonio's parents say then?

…

After calming down, Lovino was introduced to Heracles and Yao. He didn't know how he felt about Miguel not being able to attend. On the one hand, he was disappointed, but on the other, he was relieved that he could delay the inevitable meeting with the half-Spaniard.

"Hey, fratello," Marcello suddenly said, "do you mind taking a seat?"

He threw a confused look in his brother's direction, but sat down nonetheless. That was when Feliciano came into view with a bundle in his arms.

"You… got a puppy?" Lovino asked.

"Correction," Feliciano said, "we got you a puppy."

Lovino's eyes widened as Feliciano deposited the Husky puppy to his lap. Now he understood why he was asked to sit down: he wouldn't be able to hold the puppy with his broken wrist.

"What are you going to name her?" Feliciano asked.

Lovino thought about it as the puppy proceeded to lick his face. What would be a good name for someone that would never abandon him, and who would love him unconditionally?

"Chiara," he said at last. "Her name is Chiara."

It wasn't easy, trying to figure out what breed of dog Lovino's puppy should be. I did consider a Labrador, particularly a black one, and a Dalmatian was also a possibility. I dismissed Boxers and German Shepherds because I didn't think he'd appreciate German breeds (of course, I still love my Boxer!). I also wanted to keep it a medium breed. Eventually I looked at pictures of Husky puppies, and that's what convinced me. Huskies can sometimes look like mean dogs (just the facial markings), but looks can be deceiving. With Lovino having suffered from a lot of people judging his exterior, I figured having a Husky would be beneficial. I wanted it to be female for the name, but I also checked female vs. male Huskies, and saw that the females apparently housetrain easier, mature sooner and are less dominant than males, and for someone who has his first puppy, it might be a good thing. Plus, Huskies are one of the breeds I've always wanted, but with the heat here, it might be too cruel.