Princess of China, Exec Flip, Love the Way You Lie, I Will Carry You.

I'm working through this story at a snail's pace, but I AM working on it. This chapter doesn't cover as much as I wanted to but IT'S BEEN TWO MONTHS I AM FED UP WITH YOUR FACE.

The Gay Brother

Sodom and Gomorrah

"Please turn the car around."

"No."

"Please turn the car around!"

After an hour of driving Lovino had to be getting sick of his whining! There was no way he would keep driving if Feliciano kept whining and crying to him! He'd have to stop and even if he didn't turn around and drive back to Rome, and then at least Feliciano would be able to jump out and try running back to the Italian capital! Anything had to be better than this!

"Calm the fuck down!"

"You married my ex-fiance's sister: I am allowed to panic!" Oh God, holy father in heaven please save and protect him. This had been a terrible idea, an awful idea, possibly even the worst decision of his life. "Lovino take me back! We'll spend a week in Rome instead or I'll just-"

"You're not going back to that fuckhead until we do what we fucking planned, now shut up!"

"Are you trying to make your wife a murderer?" Feliciano whimpered, and he wasn't ashamed of the sound either, not now that he knew what was waiting for him as Lovino turned off the highway and they began to move north through the mountains instead of cutting east. Oh God, oh God he'd be staying under Chiara Valenti's roof. He was going to be eating at her table. He would be dead by tomorrow morning: rat poison.

"You're over-reacting, damn it." No. He. Was. Not. "Let me handle Chichi, you just worry about Mama Valenti."

"She lives with you..?" No, no no no…

"Signore Valenti passed away last year, so I live with them." The Valenti family only had two daughters, no sons to inherit the winery and land. It would make more sense for the older girl to bring her husband to live with her sister and mo-

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Forget stopping, maybe if he threw himself over the car door he'd hit his head and die on the hot gravel. The asphalt was slowly giving way to country road, the car complaining loudly before Lovino shifted it into the proper gear.

"Feliciano you were engaged, stuff happened, and now Chiara and I are married instead so it works out the same way." No it didn't, none of this was the same as how their mother had planned it. Lovino had already inherited Grandpa's restaurant and Feliciano had been destined to marry Alice Valenti and inherit their father's growing winery. The plan had been to increase the wealth of their family through all three sons, not just one, and create a stronger unit. But instead of taking business in school like everyone had planned, Feliciano had fallen in love with art history. And instead of coming home and marrying the girl he had always known would be his wife, Feliciano had fallen in love with a man…

"Is she married?" Please please please-

"No." Any second now, Feliciano was going to start crying.

"Why not?" He covered his face with his hands and slumped down in his seat, suddenly terrified of the winding road with its warped metal guard-rail. Even the wild olive trees reaching out of the dry cliffs above them were threatening. He could hear the distant roar of the cascades as the river that ran by the town came into view below them. He didn't want to look out and see the sun-drenched fields of wine grapes and local produce, he was terrified of seeing the red-tile roofs of the beautiful little town he'd grown up in and dreamed of seeing again for years.

Lovino didn't answer his question, or if he did then it was only with a shrug and Feliciano peeked out from behind his hands to check.

"Lovino?"

"It's complicated." Which was an evasive code for:

"What did Grandpa say?" Because… as head of the family he must have said something… Feliciano didn't have the power to formally break off an engagement, at least he hadn't before he'd left. Lovino and Chiara's marriage was probably- "Lovino, I have to know."

"I know you do."

"Then tell me."

Lovino wasn't looking at him. He was staring at a road they both knew like the back of their hand, focusing on it like they were still back in Berlin trying to figure out which way would take them to the super-market or museum. He rubbed his upper lip, a sign that he was uncomfortable, and Feliciano wished the car would just slow down so they could talk about this, because it was probably something that should have been discussed last night on the train.

It couldn't be that bad though.

Lovino'd invited him to come home.

It couldn't be that bad if his brother was willing to do that…

"He said there was a girl up in Berlin." Oh no… "She was pregnant and didn't want to get married, but Grandpa told you you'd shamed our mother and the Valenti family anyways." Mama… no, he'd never wanted that… "So you left, and you aren't talked about."

"So I'm an adulterer…?" He hadn't been married when he'd left, but Feliciano had bought the ring himself and proposed before he'd left for college. He'd done it because Alice was a kind, beautiful girl, and they'd always been friends, and they'd always known they'd get married. And then they hadn't. "Is Gomorrah that much better than Sodom?"

"…It's a sin either way." Lovino only said the words loudly enough for him to hear them over the wind, it was a cold whisper that cut him under the warm sun. "But you can say you're married now, it's up to you." It was up to him how much of a lie he wanted to tell. It wasn't as if he had a ring to prove it though, or a spouse back in Berlin waiting for him. There was no marrying another man, it didn't matter how much Feliciano always told himself he loved Ludwig: two men could not get married.

"Thanks…" Whether he took the truth or the lie, it was still three years of sin. "So, I guess it's Gomorrah for me then..."

Seven years ago, the transition from Home to Berlin had been a huge shock to Feliciano's system. Berlin was Berlin and Home was a town of less than five thousand people, so really it was more like a village. They were an island of red roofs and narrow roads floating in a sea of green fields, the rolling hills crested with shady trees and ancient stone walls. Fruit groves dominated the landscape, the terrain too mountainous and tall for rolling fields of cereal.

Feliciano wasn't even sure what the name of the village actually was, it was so small. He'd always just told Ludwig and his friends that he lived outside Rieti, because it was easier than trying to work out where exactly they were. Home was Home, and even all the bitterness and unhappy feelings couldn't stop Feliciano from sitting up high in his seat when they mounted the last hill in their car, because there it was.

And more importantly,

"Hey, you recognize him?"

"Is that-?"

More importantly, there was someone Feliciano hadn't seen in a long, long time. He was walking slowly between the fields towards the main road, his shoulders slumped under the white outline of his teeshirt, feet scuffing the gravel path. He had his head down, hands in his blue jean pockets, his strawberry-blonde hair glowing in the sun as the convertible sped down the hill. Feliciano stood up in his seat and gave a loud, sharp whistle with two fingers in his mouth, and Lovino tapped the horn twice as the engine roared and then calmed down dramatically. They rode the brakes down the hill and kicked up a cloud of yellow dust as they went.

"Carlino!"

The person who looked painfully like Feliciano's little brother looked up, and before Lovino actually dragged the machine to a stop Feliciano was up and vaulted the side of the still-moving convertible. His shoes hit the gravel with a loud crunch, and the stunned youth took two, three seconds to come up with a response before the exhausted traveller was on him.

"Feliciano!" Oh, good, it was actually the right person. That would have been embarrassing!

The backpack hit the gravel path and Feliciano locked his arms around his little brother, laughing through the tired, gross feeling of travelling for two days and all the exhausting conflict ripping him apart. He just squeezed his brother as tight as he could, feeling Carlino return the favour with both arms locked around his chest, a breathless laugh and a full grin pressed against his neck.

"You're so tall!" He couldn't believe it was him! "What happened?"

"I grew up?" There were three years between Lovino and Feliciano, but even more between Feliciano and Carlino. He'd been six when his little brother was born, so Carlino had only been twelve when Feliciano left for school…

His baby brother was nineteen years old…

"I don't understand, you used to be such a cute little kid!" Letting the words trip and tumble off his tongue, Feliciano let go and just stood there for a moment to look at him. Mama's green eyes were sparkling under a sun-bleached mop of Feliciano's copper hair, sun-spots kissed his brother's long Roman nose and his grin was gawky over straight white teeth. But it was him, it was Carlino.

Feliciano hugged him again, and he knew that this moment justified everything.

They were only in the car for another two minutes before Carlino openly accused Lovino of lying to him and everyone else.

"You said you were going to Berlin to visit him!"

"And I did."

"But now he's here!"

"I'm right here, actually." There would be enough people talking about him like he wasn't in the room, Feliciano pushed his way into the conversation to keep his brothers from talking around him. "We didn't plan it, if that's what you mean. It just kind of happened." Kind of. Feliciano had tossed Carlino's bag into the front seat next to Lovino, so the two of them were in the back now with the youngest brother practically bouncing in his seat.

"Wait, so does grandpa even-?"

"You let me talk to grandpa." Lovino cut in, and Feliciano noticed his brother pulling them off the main road and down a country lane between the fields and hills. The streets in town were narrow and winding, so he told himself that was why they didn't try driving through it properly. Besides, they both needed to clean and rest up right now, not make rounds to the neighbours. "And hey, if he tries running away, Carlino I want you to tackle him."

"What?"

"You assume he could catch me…" Feliciano grumbled, an old stone bridge coming into view as the road opened up again and the fruit-trees and their shade gave way to low grape vines and rose bushes. They could hear the river bubbling by over the sound of the engine, the ancient landmark welcoming them to the Valenti family's extended property. A few more acres and they'd be at the winery…

"Hey," hm? "Hey, Feliciano. Do you have more luggage?" Oh…

Feliciano made himself smile at his little brother, refusing to look sad after being back for less than an hour.

"I didn't bring a gift if that's what you mean. Sorry." That wasn't what Carlino meant, and Feliciano just wanted to repeat the apology. His little brother was giving him a worried look when Lovino took the issue out of his hands,

"He's only here for a week." The disappointment on Carlino's face was crushing… "He's gonna be working with you at the restaurant, so give him hell if he's slow."

"Wait, really?" Feliciano'd almost forgotten about that, actually. It perked his sibling up right away and the middle brother just relaxed a bit in his seat, one arm draped over the open window to catch the breeze speeding by them. "You're gonna come work in the kitchen again? Or out in front? You still speak English right?"

"He's fluent in potato now too."

"I'm right here!" Feliciano kicked the back of his older brother's seat and grinned at the glare that came around at him, then answered the younger one's question. "My English is a bit rusty, but my German is very good and I have some French now too."

"Show off." Lovino accused, and this time Feliciano stuck his tongue out at the rear-view mirror. What? He'd always been the best with languages.

"So you'll work the front of house, I guess." The last time Feliciano had been home, Carlino hadn't thought twice about working full time in the restaurant, now he was almost talking like he owned the place. He was still disappointed though, lowering his eyes to the side of the road whipping by them, lost in the grape vines and dappled shade. "It's more fun in the kitchen, but we keep getting lots of tourists from other countries." Really?

"We're actually on a couple of the local wine-tasting routes now." That was incredible! So the Valenti winery…? "We've started serving their label in the restaurant, so it's building a better reputation for itself."

This made him happy. It wasn't a show of good-cheer or a thing that made him think he ought to smile: hearing about their success made him genuinely happy. He was grinning and watched his brothers talk business to each other and painted a picture of the restaurant's successes and faults since he'd left. But then he thought of something, and just before they arrived Feliciano put one more desperate question to Lovino:

"Hang on, does she know?" And before either of them could ask what he meant, he thought of an even better one: "Does he know?" Grandpa had come up with a story, but was that for outside the family or inside of it too? Sodom and Gomorrah, Feliciano tried not to think about why it took him so long to wonder which story his brother had been given. Lovino slowed the car when they were still well away from the turn, and he sort of stammered trying to get the words out, fumbling with the gear box as an excuse.

"Grandpa told them. Grandpa told everyone." So, that meant it was just Lovino, Grandpa, Grandma, and their uncles… He should have kept asking questions on the road because Carlino was giving them both a curious and confused look now. Feliciano should have asked all possible questions while they were still on the highway.

His little brother didn't say anything, but he felt his gaze resting on Feliciano's left hand as Lovino made the last turn and the house came into view through the sunlight.

No wedding ring…

I AM SO DONE WITH THIS CHAPTER I SWEAR T O FOGD CO AD IDONT" WATN TO SE EI T EVER AGAIN.

I don't know when I'm going to make any significant progress on chapter 6, but I finally got this gosh-darned chapter done after so many months of fighting, so here you go.

I'm going to go lay down…