Thanks to , Tokutske, Cat on the table and Praise's waterfall for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 70

The next few days were spent mostly resting. Lovino didn't even have time for books. His friends and family visited as much as they could, and those visits tended to tire him out. Not to mention the painkillers that the hospital made sure he had at almost all times. His father even allowed their family in Italy to talk to him. It was a bit tiring to tell everyone that he was alright, and until those three were properly dealt with he was not going to go out for a walk alone.

Not that he really could at the moment. The doctor suggested that he should take it easy for a few weeks, and he especially shouldn't do anything until the stitches could be removed.

The day before Christmas, Lovino was surprised when he received two visitors that he didn't think he would ever see. And Marcello smiled nervously on their behalf.

"Hello, Lovino," Ludwig greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"My stomach hurts, but given the circumstances, I'd be more worried if it didn't hurt," Lovino said. "Anyway… To what do I owe this… pleasure?"

He hoped he didn't sound rude or anything. But he didn't know how he should react to the siblings of two of his attackers. Then again, he was alright with Miguel, and he found that he wasn't afraid of these two. Probably because Ludwig had almost no resemblance to his brother, while Camille was smaller and, well, a girl.

"We came to apologise for our brothers' actions," Camille said. "And to give you a little something. It's unfortunate that this had to happen around this time."

Lovino accepted the square box she handed to him, and was surprised to see that it was one of his favourite brands of chocolate. Not exactly cheap stuff.

"This is from both of us," Ludwig said. "We had to ask Marcello about what you would like."

"Grazie," Lovino whispered. "Also, just so you know, I don't resent you. After all, you didn't do anything."

"But, if not for our brothers…" Camille said.

"It's their problem, not yours. I just feel sorry for you for being related to them."

"Right…" Ludwig said. "Let's hope the rest of the school catches on soon enough."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, things tend to spread like wildfire…" Camille sighed. "Which is why we tried to control it before it got out of hand. Some people feel sorry for us, but there are a few people who, well…"

"A few people who seem to act as though they expect us to come with an axe and hack everyone that gets in our way," Ludwig finished.

"It's stupid," Marcello added. "But, if I think about how things were after your suicide attempt…"

Lovino flinched. He didn't like to be reminded of that time. And he didn't want to know what everyone had said about him trying to kill himself.

"Let's hope it dies down soon enough," Ludwig said. "Anyway, how do you feel? Other than the pain?"

"Tired," Lovino sighed. "And I'm also getting really tired of eating food I need to drink!"

"Until the doctor says it's safe, you're going to need to eat that," Marcello said, smiling apologetically.

"I know…" Lovino pouted. "I would still prefer to not drink my food. Or at least to get something that tastes better. They can never get enough salt in the soup."

"Well, Feli suggested making you some pasta and then putting it in the blender."

Lovino was actually considering the prospect for a moment. It might be nice to have that pasta taste, but he had no idea how it would go down.

"Don't throw that idea away yet," Lovino said. "I'm considering it."

Camille looked angry for a moment, and Ludwig also seemed to be clenching his teeth. Lovino didn't know what this was about, but the anger seemed to fade soon enough.

"Do you have any idea when you'll be discharged?" Ludwig asked.

"Doctor said this Friday, if things don't go wrong," Lovino replied. "There was a bit of an infection during the weekend, so we're hoping that it won't happen again."

It was frustrating. The night after his friends had come to visit him for the first time since he woke up, he started to feel very hot. The nurse confirmed that he had a fever, and after some investigation, it became clear that there was a slight infection in one of the stab wounds. After some antibiotics he felt better, but if there was another complication, his stay in the hospital might be extended.

He wanted his own bed. He wanted to try out the candle that Gupta had given him (apple and cinnamon scented, which his father had taken home with him), he wanted to see his dog again. He actually felt guilty when his father told him that she missed him.

"Again, we can't apologise enough for what our brothers did," Ludwig said. "Did… Did you father tell you about the trial?"

Lovino shuddered but nodded his head. Well, it might still take a while. The police had yet to come question him about his side of things, since, well, he was in a coma, and after waking up he was given some time to recover (and to get some of the painkillers out of his system as the doctors and nurses tried to determine how much he actually needed), and now, on Tuesday, it was the day before Christmas, and he was sure that the police officers wanted to spend time with their families, and decided that hearing the testimony of a teenager who was stabbed but recovering in the hospital could wait a bit. So, it was possible that they might come sometime during the weekend.

"Don't hold back," Camille said. "While Francis is my brother… what he did is unforgivable, and if this is the only way he could learn…"

"The same with Gilbert," Ludwig said. "I really hope that you won't have to run into him. He's… He's not exactly willing to accept responsibility."

"Of course not," Lovino sighed.

Still, it helped to know that the family members of his attackers didn't try to shift the blame to him, and that they didn't try to ask him about taking it easy on them, or outright lying. Because he didn't want to make more enemies because he didn't want to show his tormentors any mercy.

…

"This is the most awkward Christmas ever," Lovino said.

Considering he spent a lot of time on his own during Christmas, that was saying something. They weren't able to have a feast or anything, but Feliciano did bring him some tomato soup with very small pieces of pasta included. And Feliciano knew how to salt the soup.

"At least we have a Christmas together," Romulus said. "We came too close to losing you. And I'd rather have Christmas in the hospital than arrange a funeral during Christmas."

Lovino flinched. Yes, he knew he was lucky, but it was still pretty scary to think about. He couldn't help but think back to that day on the bridge. How there had been pain, then heat, then cold, then nothing. If he hadn't managed to get in touch with his father… If his father didn't understand the urgency of the situation…

Of course, when he wanted to die, he always failed. But just when he finally managed to find joy in his life, friends to spend time with, and a dream to live for, something like this happened. At least it wasn't successful. And he sincerely hoped that there wasn't a next time. That he would never have to see the three of them again.

He didn't even know how the coming trial would go. Would he have to testify with them glaring at him? And if there was a break… Would they manage to slip past security and corner him? Would they try to scare him into being quiet? Would they try to finish what they started?

Those thoughts scared him more than anything else he'd ever thought before.

"Are you okay?" Feliciano asked.

"S-si," Lovino said. "I was just… lost in thought."

His father reached out to stroke his cheek, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't bottle it up, okay?" Romulus said. "Feel free to tell us if something's bothering you."

Lovino nodded.

"I was just… worried about the trial," he said. "If I testify… Will they be there?"

"I don't know," Romulus sighed. "The police still need to interview you, and then they can make a date with the court, which could take a while. I got in touch with my lawyer to ask him about the process. He only said that this will be complicated since everyone involved is still underage."

"He couldn't give advice?"

"Well, he's going to help you out when the time comes. Just be honest, alright? Remember, you did nothing wrong."

Lovino nodded, before glancing towards the gifts on his lap. He felt guilty that he couldn't give his family their gifts, even though he'd bought them more than a month ago. They were still in his closet and yet to be wrapped. He would have to give them the gifts once he got out.

In the meantime…

He picked up the gift with green wrapping, and he knew that this was Feliciano's handiwork. His twin was not a good wrapper of gifts. And when he saw his brother's face light up, he knew that he was correct. He carefully loosened the tape before pulling the object out of the paper.

Lovino felt his jaw drop. It was an illustrated collection of five of Shakespeare's plays. Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear and Hamlet. He opened the book, seeing the beautiful illustrations.

"Ve, do you like it?" Feliciano asked.

"I love it," he replied. "Grazie."

Feliciano beamed, and Lovino moved on to the next gift. He could clearly tell that it was Marcello's simply based on the way his youngest brother leaned forward. So he gingerly opened this gift and smiled at the content.

It was a notebook with the words Writing Journal on the front. Leafing through the book, Lovino could see things like 'daily goal' and 'thoughts of the day', and there was also an inspirational quote on writing on each page.

"Grazie," Lovino thanked his youngest brother.

Finally, he picked up the gift from his father. Based on the size, he knew that it couldn't be a book. Whereas he could easily slide the tape free with Feliciano and Marcello's gifts, he had to resort to ripping the paper. His father was not shy of using tape, especially after it became clear one year that the three brothers could easily see through the gaps what their gifts might have been.

Lovino's jaw dropped again. It was a silver watch, though he could tell that it was expensive. The last time he received a watch was when he was thirteen, and it was one of the cheap watches one could find anywhere except in a jewellery store. He also had a few other cheap watches.

"Wow…" Lovino breathed.

"I noticed yours was a little old," Romulus explained. "And it got a bit smashed during the attack."

That was the reason why he was actually okay with a cheap watch, and why he rarely tended to wear it. The number of times he was attacked would have resulted in a lot of broken watches and a lot of angry words from his father. And whenever he noticed that the trio was on the warpath, he would usually forego wearing it. There was one time he didn't pay attention to the warning signs, and he ended up being cut by the watch's glass.

But it should be alright now. He wouldn't get attacked again by those three. They would be locked up, and he wouldn't have to see them again. He was so close to being completely free from them.

Lovino slipped the watch onto his wrist, and was pleased to see that it fit him perfectly. Lovino smiled and thanked his father, who ruffled his hair.

"It might not be the ideal Christmas, but at least we're together," Romulus said, before he glanced towards the screen in the hospital room. "So, shall we see if we can find a good movie to watch?"

…

Antonio lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His parents had left for the family's Christmas feast, and he wasn't able to go along. Not only because his family was still angry at him, but also because the cuffs prevented him from leaving the premises. He was comforted by the fact that his parents said that they would bring something for him.

More than just regretting their actions, Antonio also regretted when they chose to do it. His thoughts kept overlapping, going between regretting doing it and regretted the timing of doing it. And whenever he realised he was regretting the when, he started to feel disgusted with himself.

Perhaps they were right about him. Perhaps he was a danger to other people. And perhaps… he deserved to be incarcerated.

That thought actually scared him. He didn't want to go to prison, or at least not a juvenile detention centre. The only thing the police and the lawyer could say was that, since he confessed and was cooperating, they could try to get a nicer place, and if the sentence exceeded the amount of time left before he was no longer considered a minor, then depending on his behaviour, it was possible to arrange for house arrest or community service.

He also couldn't find it in himself to blame Gilbert or Francis. Yes, Gilbert was the one that had the idea, but Antonio agreed to it. If he had any form of common sense, then he should have tried to persuade his friend otherwise. And he should have gotten Francis to agree with him.

His parents told him that Lovino had woken up, and there was a possibility that they could start with the trial in the following week. His fate lay in Lovino's hands, and he knew that he had given the Italian no reason to show him mercy. His begging still came to mind, and Antonio hated himself for not stopping when he saw Lovino crying. He hated himself for not having any mercy. And for that reason, he knew that he could never ask Lovino to have any for him.

And his thoughts kept flicking back towards their childhood. He couldn't even remember what it was that caused him to hate Lovino. He knew that they were once friends, and then they weren't. And the only explanation he could think of was that it had gone on for so long that it seemed normal. They were used to getting away with tormenting Lovino. And they would get angry for the times when they did receive punishment for what they did.

Everyone was right: Lovino did nothing to deserve what they'd done to him.

…

As Lovino predicted, a police officer came by on Friday morning to interview him about the attack. His father was there for moral support, and also because he was still underage, so he needed supervision for this.

"Is this the first time they attacked you?" the officer asked gently.

Lovino shook his head.

"No," he replied. "They… They've been bullying me for close to ten years. And no one believed me when I tried to ask for help."

"The attack last week…" the officer said. "Can you describe what happened?"

Lovino swallowed nervously as he tried to think back to that day.

"I… I was on my way to the bookstore," Lovino said. "My friends and I… we were going to have this party where we exchange small gifts. Just when I reached the shopping district, one of them – Francis – grabbed me from behind and put his hand on my mouth so I couldn't scream. Then Gilbert and Antonio came, and Gilbert had a knife with him. He… he threatened me, saying that I should go with them and not struggle or scream or run."

"Is that why you didn't call for help?" the officer said.

"Y-yes. And… I knew they would have gone through with it. They once broke my wrist because they got detention and they blamed me for it."

"So, harming you with a knife was in the realm of possibilities. Did you suspect they might try to kill you?"

"Not at that point. I just figured they'd beat me up, and maybe cut me. It's happened before."

"What happened then?"

"I… I went with them, and every time I said something they would hurt me. They took me to the bridge, and then… I-it became clear that… they wanted to k-kill me."

"What exactly led you to believe that?"

"They… they said that they were going to make sure that I would never bother them again, and that it was a good thing I didn't know how to swim. They threw me to the ground and kicked me, and when they pulled me up… I-I think they wanted to start punching me… I managed to pull away. I-I tried to call my dad as I ran, but… I-I think they threw a rock against my head."

"That's where the swelling in the brain comes in?"

Lovino nodded.

"I managed to tell my dad where to find me just before they dragged me back to the bridge," Lovino continued. "They hurt me again, before pushing me against the bridge's railing. A-and then they brought the knife out, and… s-stabbed me."

The officer wrote this all down, but he could see that there was a sympathetic look on his face. That already helped a lot. Finally, he smiled at Lovino.

"You've been through quite an ordeal, haven't you?" he asked. "Don't worry… We'll make sure that they don't get away with it."

"Will… Will they be there?" Lovino asked. "When I testify in court?"

"Unfortunately. The culprits have to be in the courtroom at all times while the trial is ongoing."

Lovino swallowed the lump in his throat. That meant that he would have to see them again, very soon.