AN: Hello everybody! I think I got this chapter out earlier than I did last time… sorry for these long update times! Anyways, this chapter… well… hope you like this…

…

"Feli! Get your ass down for dinner!"

...Lovino listened intently, waiting for the customary response…

"Si, si, Lovi! Ve, lemme just…" The sound of his little brother hurriedly standing up and rushing out of his room down the hall was clearly audible from Lovino's stance from the kitchen.

Feliciano quickly ran down the hall, but in his haste, he bumped into Lovino as he came out of the kitchen!

"Oof! Ve, Lovi, mi dispiace!" he giggled a bit nervously before darting out of the way to wash his hands and sit down to eat.

Lovino sighed and shook his head.

Fucking Feliciano, can't even come out to eat without being a clumsy little shit.

He walked back to the dining table where a happy Feliciano sat and all-too-gladly stuffed his face with pasta, pasta, and more pasta that Lovino had whipped up. How the damn kid managed to shove all that food down his throat while still staying as skinny as a toothpick went unbeknownst to him. But he sat across from him anyways to enjoy a meal too.

Still, seeing Feli shovel forkful after forkful into his mouth…

"...eat your damn food properly, not like a hungry motherfucking savage!" he grumbled to Feliciano.

Maybe if Lovino wasn't always so grumpy with his little brother, Feliciano may have been a bit frightened by the tone of his voice (and choice vocabulary). But, Lovino was always cross with him.

He giggled through his mouthful of pasta (very rude, Feliciano, very rude) and nodded.

However, he still continued to devour the pasta, if only a little bit slower.

Rolling his eyes at him, Lovino just chose to remain silent, because he knew by now that nothing would stop his fratellino from getting his pasta. Oh, he knew that a little too well for his liking.

But apparently, even the promise of more pasta didn't stop him from running back down the hall to his room after he was done.

Lovino was only halfway done with his food when Feliciano (who, by the way, had eaten 3 plates of pasta in 10 minutes) washed his dishes and stashed them away.

"Thanks for the food Lovi!" Feliciano called back while racing back down the hall and into his room, where he… what? Did more homework?

But then again, when Feli came home Kiku's house, he said they already did all of the homework for that day. So why was Feliciano so eager to stay in his room all of a sudden? (and dammit, Lovino had whipped up so much pasta that he thought Feli would eat… now they were going to have leftovers…)

He walked to Feliciano's room down the hall. Standing outside, he tried to eavesdrop on whatever Feliciano was doing.

He could only hear the clicking of keys being typed on Feliciano's computer.

Lovino cracked open the door just a smidgen and peeked through it.

Feli was smiling at his computer for some reason, and kept pausing for a moment before typing again eagerly.

Damn those tiny laptop screens.

Whatever, I'm just going to get up and go to him to see what he's doing, whether he likes it or not!

Pushing the door open completely, Lovino went in and asked (more like yelled), "Feli! What the hell are you doing that is so fucking important that you can't even sit down to have dinner with me for more than 10 minutes?" He leered over the smaller boy, meaning to intimidate Feli.

But we have to remember that this is Feliciano Vargas, who has lived (and put up with) his bad-tempered brother for all of his life.

Eventually, he had just learned to smile his way through his brother's fury. And that's exactly what he did in this situation.

Giggling nervously, he replied, "Ve, I'm just texting a friend…?" A shaky grin was plastered on his face as he tried to look his brother in the eye.

Lovino raised an eyebrow.

"Who?"

Feliciano shifted under Lovino's seemingly-knowing stare.

"Ve, um, just… just Kiku!" Feliciano tried to laugh it off easily, but unfortunately, Lovino (as anyone else would) was able to see through his flimsy lie. Especially since Feliciano tried to keep shifting so that the computer screen was blocked by his body.

Lovino rolled his eyes, sighed, and pushed his brother out of the chair, causing Feliciano to yelp and land on the floor.

"Ve-" Before Feliciano could finish his statement, his eyes widened in fear for what might happened to him because Lovino was looking down at him with such an annoyed suspicion…

"Feliciano. Why did you lie to me?"

Oh no, and he was using that tone of voice too…

"...ve, I just didn't want you to find out…?" Feliciano was so done for. So done for.

Lovino pressed further.

"And why did you not want me to find out?"

Feliciano guiltily looked away from Lovino's unusually hard, unwavering gaze and chose to just remain silent.

Lovino crouched all the way down to Feliciano's level on the floor and quietly asked (more like quietly demanded), "Feli… tell me who's Ludwig, right now. This fucking instant."

Feliciano sat up and slightly shifted away while playing with his fingers, still trying to avoiding Lovino's eyes.

"Ve… I told you. I was just texting a friend. Ludwig is just a friend." he cautiously said.

"Tch. When did you meet him, then?"

He didn't buy that. But… Ludwig was a friend. One that, yes, he had just met, and yes, currently has a crush on, but still a friend, nevertheless...

"At s-school yesterday…" Feliciano answered.

Lovino gave an incredulous look.

"THEN WHY AND HOW THE FUCK DO YOU ALREADY HAVE HIS NUMBER?!"

Feliciano flinched and replied, "V-ve, Lovi, I always get my friends' numbers!..." Trembling a bit, he attempted to inch away, but Lovino would have none of that. He grabbed Feliciano's wrist and gripped it tight, preventing Feli from escaping.

"Fratellino…"

"...you "like" this potato fucker Ludwig, don't you…?"

Feli's head snapped up at that. Eyes wide (and albeit a bit fearful), he rambled on, "No! Fratellone, whatever gave you that idea? Of course I don't like Luddy-... Ludwig! We're just friends, ve!"

Lovino gave Feliciano a scrutinizing look.

Then, he leaned back and stood up.

And sighed.

"Whatever, you bastard. Just go on with all of your goddamn friends and forget about me, the one who's taken care of you since you were born. Fucker. I don't care. Go ahead and leave me. I don't care."

Shocked, Feliciano watched his brother brood and storm out of the room.

"...wait, ve, fratellone, per favore, per favore, non volevo farti impazzire, mi dispiace, mi dispiace, per favore, I'm sorry…"

Feliciano heard Lovino pause outside in the hall for a second before he shouted back, "Smettere di mentire e 'zitto! Bastardo, non mi importa quello che fai…!"

Feli tried yet again to soothe and calm his brother down.

Lovino was so upset, why was he so upset, please fratellone, stop being so mad-

"...Ti voglio bene, Lovino… per favore, fermo, non volevo farti arrabbiare... perché sei arrabbiato?"

"FORSE È PERCHÉ SEI UN PO 'DI MERDA MENTIRE CHE NON SARÀ NEMMENO PASSARE DEL TEMPO CON ME PIÙ!"

And then he broke

Feliciano was in tears just crying in plain sight on the floor at this point, confused, wounded and heartbroken from the sudden, cruel words and actions of his brother.

"...Mi dispiace, fratellone…"

A broken sob shook through his body as Feliciano curled in a ball, on the floor.

Why are you doing this, Lovi… what have I done...

Ding, ding!

His computer sounded.

Two new messages from: Ludwig Beilschmidt

…

Toss, turn.

Toss, toss, turn.

Lovino stayed awake all throughout that night.

Because without his fratellino at his side, the bed felt empty and cold.

Too cold and lonely to be able to sleep in.

Lovino rolled over, exasperated with himself.

Why did I do that?

Why?

Why can't I do anything right?

Now he's gone.

Because after their little dispute, Feliciano had asked Kiku to stay over at the Honda's place for the night.

Goddamn Yao for not caring. I'm his caretaker, not them!

Lovino sighed.

He knew that he had overreacted quite a bit (correction: way too much) at Feliciano's texting and lying, but he couldn't help but be jealous at the notion that his little brother, his fratellino, his Feliciano had even more friends and goddammit he was never going to come back to Lovino why won't you come back just come back please just come back.

Come back.

But he had to let Feli go for one night, just one night, one night of countless nights spent at the Honda's.

It was okay. It was always okay. Feliciano was always taken good care of.

But it wasn't. This was one night, one night that Lovino needed Feliciano by his side. He needed the warmth and comfort for his own selfish reasons, because Feliciano, sweet, naive, innocent Feliciano just didn't get it, did he.

Lovino loved him, in more ways than one.

Lovino cared for him, in more ways than one.

Lovino needed him, in more ways than one.

…

Feli-chan…

…what happened.

They were sitting on Kiku's bed as Feliciano silently wept into his shoulder and whimpered.

"...Kiku, I just don't know what to do, I don't know what happened, it was just a small lie, Lovino's so mad at me for some reason, and I don't know what will happen and it's all just so weird and complicated and now I have no idea what to do-" Feli rambled confusedly on and on and on, and meanwhile Kiku was thinking of ways to murder Lovino.

Murder Lovino.

Murder Lovino.

Murder that little tawagoto no sakuhin.

As he thought over it more and more, it sounded increasingly appealing to him with every time he repeated it.

No.

You can't do that.

Feli-chan would be heartbroken.

Murder is wrong.

You could get caught.

Murder is wrong.

You would be found out eventually, and be fined, be stuck in prison, and never see Feli-chan again.

Murder is wrong.

Why am I even thinking these type of thoughts.

Murder is wrong, no matter how tempting it sounds right now.

Murder is wrong.

Murder is always wrong.

Murder is never the answer.

Stop thinking these thoughts.

Stop. Stop. Stop. Yameru.

This will all settle down and everything will be okay.

It will be fine.

It will be fine, and Feli-chan will be happy again.

Feli-chan will be happy again.

Feli-chan will be happy again.

He will. He needs to be.

He's not my Feli-chan without it.

"...Kiku?"

That tiny voice piped up, jerking him out of his thoughts.

Startled, Kiku flinched slightly, but then realized it was just Feliciano speaking.

"Ah… yes, Feli-chan?" he questioned.

Feli wrung his hands together as if he was nervous or on-edge before asking, "C-...can we go to sleep early today? I know it's kinda early and all, ve, but I'm just so tired n-now…"

Kiku nodded before responding, "Of course."

Kiku let Feliciano wash up in his shower while he straightened out the bed.

A few minutes later, Feli came out completely ready to just sink into that mattress and sleep.

Kiku couldn't really say the same, but he definitely wouldn't say no to Feliciano's needs. So they climbed in the comforting bed together and rested their heads on the pillows.

As they started to doze off, Kiku noticed that Feliciano was squeezing his eyes tightly shut and curling into a fetal position from worry.

His hand reached out and carded his fingers through Feli's soft, soft auburn locks.

"...don't worry Feli-chan, everything will be okay… hai?"

"...H-hai, Kiku…"

Feli's last response was but a whisper that escaped his lips.

Kiku watched Feliciano fall asleep into a slumber. It wasn't a comfortable one, either.

"Aishiteru, Feli-chan. Please don't be worried anymore…"

But those quiet words went only heard by Kiku himself that night.

As they always were.

…

AN: Translations ;)

Italian: fratellone, per favore, per favore, non volevo farti impazzire, mi dispiace, mi dispiace, per favore - big brother, please, please, I didn't mean to make you mad, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please; Smettere di mentire e 'zitto! Bastardo, non mi importa quello che fai - Shut up and stop lying! You bastard, I don't care what you do anymore…; Ti voglio bene, Lovino… per favore, fermo, non volevo farti arrabbiare... perché sei arrabbiato - I love you (familial way), Lovino… please, stop, I didn't mean to upset you…. Why are you upset?; FORSE È PERCHÉ SEI UN PO 'DI MERDA MENTIRE CHE NON SARÀ NEMMENO PASSARE DEL TEMPO CON ME PIÙ! - MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE A LYING LITTLE SHIT WHO WON'T EVEN SPEND TIME WITH ME ANYMORE!

Japanese: tawagoto no sakuhin- piece of shit

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR STICKING WITH ME! Special thanks to my beta, sctwilightvampwolfgal, for correcting my mistakes! Reviews are always welcome!