Thanks to estonian. and Yaoi-Is-Life-and-Love for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 62

"So, any plans for the holidays?" Yao asked.

"Like, not really," Feliks said. "Like, my family members are either dead or not talking to each other."

"Do we want to know about the reasons for the last case?" Miguel asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Probably not."

"We're going to see family in Italy," Lovino said. "We leave in a week."

"That sounds like fun," Heracles said. "I hope you take a lot of photos."

"Da," Vlad said. "So, at least one of us isn't going to be here for the holidays."

"Which means we need to make a plan," Gupta said. "Friday perhaps?"

"I have no problem with that," Heracles said.

"Okay, I'm confused," Lovino said.

"We spend a night together every year around the holiday season," Miguel explained. "It's pretty neutral, and the only things that make it seem like traditional holidays are the food and the gifts."

"We buy something small for everyone," Yao explained. "The group's a bit small to make a Secret Santa work."

"Well, we could do that this year," Gupta mused. "We did get two other people along."

"No," Lovino said. "I think I'd prefer buying something for everyone."

"Like, me too," Feliks agreed.

"Alright," Miguel said. "So, whose house this year?"

"We'll be spending the night together, so I guess it wouldn't matter much," Heracles said.

"Not at my house," Vlad said. "We have a bit of a mouse problem."

"And we're having tiles put into our house," Gupta said. "So, that's not going to be a good idea."

"What about you two?" Miguel asked, looking between Lovino and Feliks.

"I'll ask my dad if he's okay with it," Lovino said. "But knowing him, he probably won't have a problem with you guys spending the night."

"And it's fair this way. You guys are always coming over here, so I think it's better if we do the same."

"I'll help with snacks," Yao said. "So, Lovino, if your dad says yes, you don't have to be the only one that worries about the snacks."

Lovino nodded gratefully, a small smile on his face. He could also see if he could manage to convince his father to allow Feliciano and Marcello's friends to come as well. That would just be fair, after all.

…

"Free at last!" Gilbert exclaimed as he stretched out on Antonio's bed.

All three of them were finally released from their grounding, and while they were eager to make Lovino pay, they had no desire at that moment. They wanted to have one day of relaxation before they got to work.

"And just in time for the holidays," Francis said. "Do you think we should wait until after that, or should we see if we can get Lovino this week?"

"I think we should see if we have a chance," Antonio replied. "Since he doesn't go to our school anymore, it's going to be tricky seeing him. I mean, did any of you guys have a chance, before we were grounded?"

"I only saw him once, when I got sick," Gilbert replied. "He was at the hospital too. I caught him in the bathroom."

"Please tell me you at least got to hurt him a little," Francis pleaded.

"Ja, and hopefully I managed to get him sick."

"Well, we know where he lives," Antonio said. "I went there a few times. He takes his dog for a walk on most days, but there are some days when he goes on his own."

"Ja, I don't want to hurt a dog if I can help it. So, we should probably see if we can get lucky and get him on a day when he's on his own."

"So, how are we going to go about it?" Francis asked. "I'm going to assume that simply beating him up isn't going to work."

"You're right. So, I was thinking that we get him to go with us to the bridge…"

"How are we going to do that?" Antonio asked. "I don't think he's just going to come with us. And if he decides to make a scene…"

"Well, we'll need to persuade him to come along. I've got this old hunting knife at home…"

"So, are we going to get rid of him for good?" Francis asked.

"Ja. It's the best thing we can do. And if we do it right… Well, we can always make it look like he was mugged, or that he was hurt by the rocks in the river. The last thing we need is for us to get in trouble again."

Antonio's mother had gone out shopping, so there was no one around that could hear their plans. And any reservations they might have had were quickly erased when they each looked at their two friends. They had been hurt by the Italian, and Lovino had managed to convince everyone that he was the victim. It was time they were finally free of the other male.

…

"That's exciting to hear," Matthew said. "So, which are you looking forward to the most: the vacation in Italy or the night with your friends?"

Lovino smiled. He was glad that someone was excited on his behalf.

"I've been to Italy a few times," he said. "But it should be better this time, since my family now knows that I'm not some delinquent. This is the first Christmas I get to have friends. So… I'm looking forward to that the most."

Matthew smiled and nodded.

"I understand," he said. "And since it's the last time I'll be seeing you for a while, I got you a gift."

Lovino widened his eyes as his therapist pushed a small rectangle wrapped in gift paper towards him. He hesitantly took it and delicately opened it, seeing that the rectangle contained a pen and matching mechanical pencil.

"W-wow," Lovino stammered. "I… I didn't think to get you anything."

"No need for that," Matthew said. "I actually buy all of my patients something small during this time. I figured that this is something that you would appreciate. So, how's that book of yours coming along?"

"It's going great. I'm working on the ending. I'm hoping to finish it before we leave for Italy. Some of the advice I saw was that I need to leave it alone for a while before I start to edit it, so I'm hoping the two weeks would be enough time."

"That's great to hear. So, I'm guessing you decided to see if you can get it published?"

Lovino shrugged.

"Maybe," he said. "More than anything… Writing that book helped me get some closure. I think… I'm ready to put all of the things in the past behind me."

…

"Padre, can I ask you something?" Lovino asked.

Romulus swallowed his mouthful of food and nodded.

"My friends were discussing getting together on Friday before the holidays," he explained. "Kind of like a Christmas party, with food and gifts. We were wondering if we could hold it here. Yao already offered to help out with the snacks, and we could invite Feli and Cello's friends too."

Romulus glanced towards his other two sons, who perked up at the thought. While it was relatively short notice, they still had a few days to sort everything out. And besides, his sons seemed to be looking forward to a Christmas party with their friends.

"Alright," he agreed. "As long as you three do the cleaning before and after."

The three brothers grinned, and they excitedly started to discuss the evening. Romulus smiled when he saw the light in Lovino's eyes. He knew that this evening would be especially special for him, and Romulus wasn't going to stand in the way of something like that.

…

"Now then, pick something you would like to read during the holidays," Arthur instructed.

On the table in front of him was a mountain of books, and the teens took the invitation and each retrieved a book for them to read during the holidays. They wouldn't be seeing each other for the next three weeks, which meant that they had ample time to read another novel and plan a discussion.

Lovino chose a book titled Omerta, written by the author of The Godfather. He figured that it would be ironic to read something like this when he was on his way to Italy. Arthur saw the book he chose and smirked.

"I had a feeling you'd go for that one," he said. "So then, is everyone settled?"

One by one, the teens nodded. Lovino turned towards Feliks, who had The Host by Stephanie Meyer. Feliks was still a bit hesitant when it came to reading the classics, so more modern works were fitting for him. He'd actually embraced becoming a member of the book club, and he was also doing well in the drama club. He was asked to perform in a production of Sorry, Wrong Number, which was originally a radio drama. Lovino was curious about seeing a radio drama performed on stage.

"Alright, so let's do something else as well," Arthur said. "I would like all of you to keep a diary about your holidays. Start the moment school lets out on Friday, and end it on the Sunday before we all return. It's an exercise in writing as well."

Ever since they returned from the workshop, Arthur was keen on having them do writing exercises every now and again. Lovino didn't mind, since he was moving closer and closer into that direction, and appreciated the practice. He'd sent a few of his stories to Winston, who gave him great reviews and who informed him that he was eager to see him in the course.

"And I guess we're going to have a better time remembering everything when we get back," Miguel said.

"Must be fun to have plans," Yao sighed, to which Vlad nodded.

"Like, if you want, you can spend a day with me and my family," Feliks said. "We're going to the Rose Dome."

"Seriously?" Vlad asked, eyes sparkling. "I heard they have this amazing bookstore. Are you sure it's okay?"

"Like, I know my parents won't mind," Feliks replied.

"Well then, looks like everyone has something to look forward to," Arthur said. "And with that, I believe our club meeting is over. Enjoy your holidays."

…

The trio had spent a huge chunk of their Tuesday afternoon crouching behind the car of Lovino's neighbour that lived across the street. They were a bit nervous about being discovered by whoever lived there, but they really wanted to get a chance to get back at Lovino.

They saw him arrive back home by bus, and an hour later he took the dog out for a walk. Seeing what kind of dog it was made them reluctant to go near, and even though they didn't like Lovino, they felt extremely uncomfortable with attacking his dog. And so Tuesday was without success.

On Wednesday, however…

They arrived at more or less the same time the bus did, and so they waited for a while. This time the wait was short, about half an hour, and to their immense pleasure, they saw that Lovino went out on his own.

"Awesome," Gilbert whispered. "It's about time."

"We should be quiet," Francis whispered. "And we should probably wait until we're far enough away from his house. We don't want Feliciano or Marcello noticing us, especially close to their brother."

"Right," Antonio agreed. "Let's try to catch up first, and we should try to do it without him realising we're following him."

With that in mind, the trio followed after their prey. They had every intention of making sure that this was the last time they would have to deal with the Italian that ruined their lives.

…

Lovino waited for Wednesday before he set out to the shopping district. He had every intention of buying gifts for each of his friends – something small – and he knew just the place to go for that.

Bookmarks were small and not too expensive, and they could be used by his friends on a regular basis. Considering his own collection, he figured that it would be a great gift for them. And it's been a while since he'd gone to the only local bookstore.

He didn't want to take Chiara with him when he was out shopping. He felt uncomfortable with the idea of tying her leash to a pole as he went inside the store. He'd already arranged with Feliciano to take her for her walk later in the afternoon.

He smiled when he saw the edge of the shopping district, just across the street. He paused to check for any oncoming traffic, but just before he could take a step forward, he felt a hand on his mouth as someone pulled him closer from behind.

There wasn't a single word invented in any language to describe the fear he felt when he heard that familiar chuckle, nor what he felt when two familiar figures stepped into view.

"It's been a while, Lovi," Gilbert said, red eyes flashing dangerously. "We've still got something we need to discuss with you."

He tried to struggle in Francis's hold, but the blond only tightened his grip. His second hand had grabbed onto Lovino's wrist, and the Italian tried to reach up with his free hand to at least loosen the grip over his mouth so that he could call for help.

He froze again when Gilbert raised an object that gleamed in the sunlight. An object that was quickly pressed against his throat, and when he swallowed, he could feel the sharp edge of the object scraping his skin.

"Don't make this hard for us," Gilbert said in a low voice. "Come with us, and don't scream, struggle or run. Understand?"

Lovino whimpered and nodded his head. He had a feeling that this time wouldn't be as simple as a beating. He also knew from experience that they were more than willing to seriously hurt him, even kill him. If he could just convince them to put the knife away…

Francis removed his hand from over his mouth, before he started to drag Lovino off. He stumbled a bit, and considered attempting to make a break for it, but Antonio grabbed his other arm. He winced when the Spaniard's hands dug into his arm, and he glanced towards Antonio.

And for a moment, he felt disgusted when he was reminded of the resemblance Antonio bore to Miguel.

"Where are you taking me?" Lovino asked as he was dragged along.

"Shut up," Gilbert snapped. "You don't get to open your mouth, got it?"

Lovino shuddered. He knew that he wasn't going to come out of this unharmed. But did they just intend to rough him up, or were they planning something worse? Why did they even bring a knife with them? He didn't think that this was random. Why now?

The answer came to him soon enough: they had been grounded. That was it. They were finally free of their punishments, and true to form…

They blamed him for them being punished, and they intended to make him sorry that he'd gotten them into trouble.

His eyes darted around, desperate to find anyone that could see what was going on. But this was the literal edge of the shopping district, and the buildings on this side weren't very popular. Few people were around to see what was going on, and none were looking in his direction.

"Please…" he whispered.

He cried out in pain when Gilbert punched him on the back of the head. Antonio also not-so-accidentally stepped on his foot.

"What did I say about your mouth?" Gilbert snarled. "It's because of your big mouth that we were grounded for months. It's because of you that my brother no longer respects me."

"And Camille wants nothing to do with me," Francis spat.

"And my entire family treats me like some kind of criminal," Antonio added. "I even attacked Miguel because of you."

"W-what?" Lovino gasped.

He yelped when Francis grabbed him by that errant curl, and his entire body seemed to lock as the pain shot through it.

"Once again, you prove to be too stupid to learn," Francis said, before he released the curl.

Tears stung at Lovino's eyes. He wanted desperately to point out that what they were saying was false. That they were the reasons for all of this. But he knew that they would only hurt him more. And if possible, he wanted to avoid any more unnecessary pain.

They continued to drag him along, and the further away they went, the less signs of life they could find, until they were at the very outskirts of town. And they continued along. They continued until Lovino could hear the sound of rushing water. And with a sinking feeling he realised where they were taking him.

The bridge over the river.

This bridge wasn't very popular to use, not since an earthquake a few years ago caused cracks to form. Pedestrians could still use the bridge with no problem, but vehicles were advised to stay away. This place was isolated, and no one would be able to help him.

He gulped when he saw the waters below. It had rained recently, making the waters deeper and more turbulent, and being with those three at this location was not helping his nerves.

His phone was in his pocket, but if he couldn't get an opportunity to use it, then it might as well have been dead weight.

Francis and Antonio released his arms, and Gilbert shoved him forward harshly. Lovino braced for impact, but still hissed when his hands were scraped against the ground. He cried out in pain when someone kicked him in the back, sending him down again.

"We're going to make you pay for all of the humiliation you put us through," Gilbert said. "And then we're going to make sure that you'll never be able to bother us again."

"It's a good thing you don't know how to swim," Antonio taunted.

Lovino's eyes widened as he realised what they intended to do with him exactly. And as he realised that, the river below seemed to grow louder.

Gilbert himself has pet dogs, so he's not exactly eager to hurt one, even if it's the pet of someone he hates. Everyone has some standards.

Omerta is another recent acquisition. I've got quite a few books to read now. The provincial borders are open, and the closest place that's worthwhile to go to is just across the provincial border. Friday was the first time I've been out of town since late March, and we also went exploring on Saturday. The result: more than R1 000 spent on books. Nine books, to be exact.

The Host is one of my sister's favourite books, or at least it's very special to her. It got her into reading in the first place. Before that, she wasn't interested at all. Then I gave her my copy to read and bribed her. For every chapter she read I would pay her R2. I think she's read it four times by now, and even though it's my book… Well, she herself promised to get me a new copy. Still waiting.

When I was in high school, we performed Sorry, Wrong Number, which is originally a radio drama. It was interesting to figure out how to decorate the stage. And a lot of lines to memorise. I was the lead, and the only one who wasn't scolded for not learning my lines after a certain period of time. I think you can listen to it on YouTube, if you're interested (not my version, the original radio drama).

Unfortunately, the BTT's attitudes are pretty common in South Africa, even among primary school kids. There are instances where kids would be hunted down by their peers for even the slightest offence. And some of these instances can prove fatal.