Feliciano walked back through the now-empty school. His shoes clicked on the shiny floor, matching his heartbeat. He wandered through the corridors, smiling slightly at the somehow forbidden thrill of being alone. No matter how old he was, it still felt strange to wander through the school when everyone else had left.
His feet took him to the office without realising, until he stood in front of the door. To his surprise, Lovino was standing outside, leaning against the wall with his usual bored expression. Feliciano couldn't resist running up to him and grabbing him in a fierce hug.
"LOVI! You're done already? How did it go? Was it all ok? How come you're out already? Where's grandpa? And Antonio? Are they still in there?" He peered over his brother's shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of the room through the tiny window.
Lovino let his brother hold him for a moment, then shook him off roughly. Annoyed, he replied "Its fine, you idiot. They shoved me out to finish things up. Paperwork, or something. Who cares."
Feliciano looked at him worriedly. He grabbed hold of his arm again, shaking it. "But it's all alright, si?" he asked in a small voice.
His brother looked at him for a long moment, debating whether to answer sarcastically or not. Eventually, he sighed. In a surprisingly calm voice, he answered "yes. It's all sorted."
"YES!" Feliciano hugged him again, tears of relief coming to his eyes.
"Get off me, you bastard!" Lovino yelled, now fed up with his brother's enthusiasm. "What's so great about all this, huh? I'm not gonna get expelled, sure, so now I have to put up with that stupid tomato bastard for a whole term. And I still have a stupid suspension for two stupid weeks. How is that great, huh?"
Feliciano simply giggled, releasing Lovino. "'Cause you're alright! It's great! Everything's great now!" he chirped happily. Lovino looked at him sideways, his eyes narrowing in suspicion, but didn't say anything further.
They both turned around at the sound of the door opening. Roma stepped out, Antonio behind him. Roma laughed, seeing his grandsons.
"I thought I heard you, Feli. How was practice?"
"Grandpa!" Roma caught Feliciano as he hugged him. "Practice was good. I messed up a lot 'cause I was so worried about Lovi so coach wanted to talk to me after. But then I explained it all to him and now everything's fine! So now I'm gonna work really really hard so we can win!"
Roma chuckled. "You do that. I'll be proud of you no matter what. Both of you." He looked at Lovino, who returned his grandfather's gaze with an expression that seemed torn between distrust and reluctant hope.
Antonio spoke up. "Feliciano, it's good to see you again. Roma, I'll get the paperwork sorted soon, but there shouldn't be any problem. Lovi, I gotta go now, but I'll see you in two weeks. Do not be late!" He waved to them all cheerily, then set off down the hallway. Lovino scowled, staring after him with an inscrutable expression.
"Well, if that's everything, gentlemen, I think we can all leave. I hope you all have a good weekend. Oh, Vargas junior. Is the team doing well?"
The three turned around to see Arthur exit his office, a briefcase in one hand. Feliciano nodded at the headmaster's question. "Yes sir! Coach says we could even win this year!"
"Well, that would certainly be something. Jolly good luck to you. One more trophy would certainly look good on the wall, wouldn't it?"
"Si!" Feliciano laughed happily. Arthur smiled kindly, then turned his attention to the other Vargas.
"And you, Lovino, just…remember what we've said. I don't expect a full change overnight. Just listen to what Mr Carriedo has to say and I have high hopes that you can be a perfect student by the end of year. Chin up, eh?"
Lovino looked like he wanted to say something, but muttered "yes sir" quietly. Taken aback at the lack of outburst, Arthur smiled tersely.
"Well, if that's everything, I'll be off. Best of luck with the games, Vargas. Now I'd better go and find my sons. No doubt they'll be wanting a ride home."
"They're outside, sir. Alfred wanted to play basketball." Feliciano chipped in helpfully.
"Oh really? I hope he's not done any damage. How I've manged to keep the house intact with him around, I do not know. Thank you for telling me, Vargas." He shook Roma and Feliciano's hands, nodded at Lovino, then walked off in the direction of the courts.
Roma turned to the two boys. "Well, boys, now that everything's sorted, let's go get some lunch, hey? We'll go out. A treat for my wonderful grandsons!" Feliciano laughed delightedly, then threw his hands up. "Yay! I love you, grandpa! Ooh, can I have pasta? Please? Please?"
Roma patted Feliciano's head. "Of course. Whatever you want, Feli." He turned his head to look at his elder grandson. "And you, Lovino? What would you like?"
Lovino looked faintly disgusted at his brother's childish behaviour. "I don't care. Whatever" he muttered.
"Lovino. Don't start now." Roma cautioned. Lovino simply rolled his eyes, but didn't talk back to his grandfather. Grudgingly, he followed him and his brother two as they made their way out to the car lot, tuning out Feliciano's usual pointless chatter during the drive.
In the end, they went to a fast-food place that served Italian, situated on the edge of town. To no-one's surprise, Feliciano immediately chose a table next to the window and sat swinging his legs and staring out. Now that he was back to his usual cheerful self, he kept chattering inanely to Roma, musing aloud about school and the upcoming games. At one point, he made an inadvertent comment about Ludwig, causing Roma to raise an eyebrow at him, but as Feliciano didn't seem to mean anything by it, he let it slide. Lovino noticed too, but kept quiet. If Feliciano wasn't willing to admit his feelings for his coach to himself yet, then he wasn't going to press the matter. He sat with his hand on his chin, staring aimlessly out of the window.
Their orders arrived, and even Feliciano stopped his stream of words to eat. Lovino didn't really pay attention to his food, his thoughts flying to the weeks ahead of him. Roma noticed his grandson's distraction.
"Lovi? Are you all right?"
The teen snapped out of his stupor to face his grandfather. "Uh, si, nonno."
Roma understood Lovino's faraway mind, however, and smiled kindly. "I know you have a lot on your mind right now, Lovi. Don't worry. The hardest part is over now. Just take the next week to relax and everything will be fine."
Lovino simply sighed and rolled his eyes. Why was everyone insisting on repeating that so often? He wasn't stupid, although he had certainly done some stupid things in the past, but even he knew that this opportunity was a big deal. Despite his attitude, he was genuinely grateful to be offered a chance to repent and redeem himself. He just wished everyone would stop acting like it was some kind of goddamn miracle. It just made it sound fake.
He toyed with his food, not really hungry. Eventually, he looked up at Roma, an unspoken question in his eyes. Roma simply nodded at him, making no comment as Lovino got up and walked out of the restaurant.
Feliciano looked confused, staring after his brother. "Grandpa, why did Lovi leave? Did his food taste bad?"
Roma chuckled. "No, Feli. Your brother just has a lot on his mind right now. Remember, it took a lot of courage to have that meeting with the headmaster. It took a lot of humility for him to accept help like. Let's let him have some time to think it over on his own, yes?"
Feliciano tilted his head, then nodded in uncharacteristic understanding. Then, quietly, he asked "he will be ok, though, right?"
Roma nodded and reached over to ruffle Feliciano's hair. "Si. Lovi will be fine now. As long as he actually listens to Antonio, that is. I'm very glad he agreed to come back." Feliciano tilted his head again. "Come back? What do you mean?"
Roma's mouth twisted, debating whether to reveal the truth to his grandson. In the end, he decided to tell him. His voice was serious as he answered.
"You mustn't tell Lovino this, alright?" Feliciano's face fell for a moment, then he nodded seriously. "Alright. You might not know this, but Antonio and I have kept in contact occasionally since you were little. I had heard from him that he was starting a child psychology course, and reached out to him. It was a long shot that he would agree to come here, when he was preparing to stay in Spain after he graduated. But I knew that your school was looking for a new counsellor, so I decided to take the chance." His face darkened slightly. "I must say he agreed rather quickly. I guess he was closer to Lovi when you were little than I thought. But anyway, that's the gist of it. Now don't tell him, remember? Your brother hates to accept help from anyone, and he wouldn't thank me for asking for help on his behalf, even if I am his grandfather. You know how stubborn he is."
Feliciano's face quirked in a smile. "Si. I had to hit him to agree to this." His face flushed as he realised what he had said. "I'm sorry, nonno. I forgot that."
Roma, however, looked faintly amused. "You did, huh? I did think Lovi's face was a little red. Well, no matter. It worked. I'm sure he'll forgive you."
"Will he?" Feliciano looked worried. Roma chuckled again. "I'm sure he's already forgotten. Now, finish your food."
"Si, nonno!"
They finished their meal together, then ordered dessert. Luckily, the restaurant allowed leftovers to be taken, meaning that they could order something for Lovino as well. Feliciano took great delight in ordering a slice of something richly indulgent and covered in chocolate. Despite his brother's rough attitude, Feliciano knew Lovino shared the same sweet tooth as he did.
Outside, Lovino was oblivious to his family's discussion. He walked across the car park, kicking a pebble along, until he reached a small, grassy hill at the edge of the lot. He sat down on a small tuft, his head in his hands, staring moodily out into the distance. He could hear the faint sound of traffic coming from the road, mixed with the music blasting out from the restaurant's entrance.
"You ok, kiddo?"
The voice startled Lovino out of his reverie, and he looked up to see who had addressed him. The guy leaning over him looked to be a few years older, with startlingly pale hair and almost violet eyes. From the uniform he was wearing and the cigarette he held loosely in one hand, he was obviously a worker, on his own lunch break presumably. Lovino didn't answer.
"Hey, kiddo. It's not nice to ignore people. Especially people as awesome as me."
Lovino raised an eyebrow, his temper rising again. He could feel a scowl forming again. The pale haired man laughed it off, however.
"Don't worry, kiddo, I'm not a creep. Just a bummed-out kitchen worker escaping the daily grind to have a fag break. What's got your goat?"
Despite himself, Lovino was intrigued by the man's rough speech. He looked down at the floor. "School trouble" was all he said.
The pale man laughed. "School, huh? Tough shit. Whaddya do, get yourself expelled?"
Lovino shook his head.
"That's good. It's not a good idea, kiddo. Trust me. Do stupid shit that gets you kicked out like I did and it'll only get you ending up like me. Stuck out here in a dead-end job with no prospects. Course, I got kicked out waaaay earlier than you. How old are ya, kiddo? 16? 17?"
"17" Lovino answered quietly. He was interested despite himself now. He looked up at the man. "What did you do? Not that I care."
The man laughed again. He took a deep drag on his cigarette before replying. "Tough guy, huh? That's cool. What I did wasn't, though. Started out with dumb stuff like talking back, playing hooky, generally acting up. I was also accused of 'sexual harrassment', but that's only 'cause Lizzie was a stuck-up bitch and refused to go out with me. So I turned to worse shit. Theft, arson, you name it. Got caught with pot more times than I'd like to admit. Probably spent more time off my face than sober sometimes."
Lovino's eyes widened, and he stared at the cigarette curiously. The man noticed, and laughed again. His laugh was quite annoying, Lovino thought. It sounded more like he was coughing, making a little sound that he could only think of as 'kesesese'.
"Don't even think about it, kid. This shits only tobacco. Anyway. I guess I fucked up one too many times, 'cause I got my ass handed to me by the cops. Got sent to juvie – brilliant place by the way, don't ever go there – and voila! Stuck in a dead-end job out here in the sticks, serving pizza and washing dishes. Life's great, in'it?" he grinned down at Lovino.
"So how about you, kiddo? You said you weren't expelled, so why the long face?"
Lovino's scowl deepened. Normally he would have told the stranger to leave by now, and in rather vulgar language, but for some reason the man's blunt manner and coarse way of speaking was actually incredibly refreshing. If he was honest with himself, he was rather amazed by the honesty the man had shown, telling Lovino the sordid details of his life without any reservations. He decided to do the same, matching the stranger's honesty with his own.
"For a start, my name isn't 'kiddo', it's Lovino. My brother calls me Lovi, but don't even think of it. Anyway. I didn't do half the crazy shit you just said. I just messed around and cut class and stuff. At first they'd send people to find me and I'd get dragged to the headmaster, but I guess no-one really cares after all 'cause they stopped after about a month or so. So I kept cutting class more till I missed more lessons than I was in. But no-one cares about me. Not when there's Feli to think about." His voice turned bitter, as if he were holding back tears, and he kept his glare stubbornly on the ground. To his great relief, the strange man didn't say anything, just stood and let Lovino continue, occasionally taking a drag of his cigarette.
Lovino continued. "Do you know what that's like? To have everyone think that you'll never be good enough, that you'll never amount to anything because there'll always be them next to you, being a bright shining fucking light like some kind of goddamn angel." He gave a bitter laugh. "But guess what? It turns out someone does care after all, 'cause I got sent a fucking letter by the school saying that I have to agree to a bunch of stupid terms or I'm gonna get fucking expelled for real this time. Except they didn't even bother to fucking send the letter to me. They send it to my grandfather instead, and he calls them and arranges a fucking meeting without even telling me. So now I gotta have fucking sessions with the fucking counsellor, who by the way is my old fucking babysitter, and a tomato bastard to boot, the damn Spaniard, so now I'm stuck seeing him three times a fucking week for a whole fucking term, at which point the school will 'evaluate my fucking progress' and decide if I get kicked out for good. So yeah, shoot me for having a fucking 'long face".
He stopped his rant abruptly, red in the face and scowling deeply. The stranger looked at him impassively, waiting for Lovino to regain his composure. He gave a sigh, taking one last drag of his cigarette, then dropped it on the ground and stubbed it out, grinding it with the toe of his ratty, worn-out sneakers. He glanced at Lovino side-long, then stared across the parking lot. His voice was measured and calm as he spoke.
"First off, my name's Gilbert. Call me Gil. Or the awesome me. I'm Prussian, by the way. Anyway. I'll admit that's pretty tame compared to the shit I got myself into, but that's pretty messed up. But hey, at least your school cares enough to think about a counsellor, ja? Mine just called the cops on me." A thought seemed to occur to him, and he looked down at Lovino, his eyes wide in surprise.
"Hey, hey, hey, hold up. You said your name is Lovino, yes?" The boy in question nodded slowly, his face showing immediate distrust.
Gilbert burst out laughing. Lovino stared at him, his radiating anger. "What the hell is so funny, you albino bastard?!" he said.
Gilbert didn't reply, but wiped a tear away from his eye. "You said this counsellor of yours is Spanish, ja? Is there any chance his name is Antonio? Antonio Fernandez Carriedo?"
Lovino looked startled, but nodded. Frowning, he asked "What? You know him or something?"
Gilbert laughed again. He laughed too damn much, Lovino thought. "Hell yes I know him. He got me into half the crazy shit I did!" He finally stopped laughing, and looked at Lovino seriously. He sighed.
"Me, Toni and other guy, Francis, we were always together. We were kinda outcasts at school, didn't really fit in, so we were like our own little gang. We even had a name. people called us the 'Bad Touch Trio', 'cause we seemed to break everything we touched – 'cept it was also partly 'cause the girls hated us and were always claiming we'd touched them or some shit – don't look at me like that, anything that happened was purely consensual, well, mostly, Francis went too far occasionally, but he's French, so what do you expect?"
Lovino was still looking at him distrustfully. Gilbert coughed. "Anyway. Like I said, we got into a bunch of stupid shit, and eventually it caught up with us. Francis got off 'cause his dad was some high flyer or some shit, but me and Toni weren't so lucky, and got hauled to juvie. Toni seemed to actually feel guilty or something, 'cause he threw himself into studying and shit, even finished high school, got his fucking diploma and all, and he was outta there in like a year. Me, however, being the dumb fuck I am, kept messing around, so I got a longer sentence. Got out after 3 years, give or take, and slapped with a bunch of terms, as you put them. Course, mine came with an ankle bracelet and community order, you get my drift. I got this job 'cause the boss was all into the whole 'helping people' and 'second chances' and shit. So here I am. Stuck washing plates and serving people pizza and shit while I supposedly work on 'turning my life around". Sob story, ain't it?"
Lovino raised an eyebrow. "Boo hoo for you, bastard. What the hell has that got to do with me?"
Gilbert coughed again. "Right, sorry. So Toni and me, we kept in touch, ja? He probably felt like he wanted to help or something, since he was all 'changed' and the 'good guy' now. So after he'd been out like a year or so, while I'm still doing time, he tells me that he's gonna do a degree in child psychology or something, so he can help kids like him. Cliché, ja? Anyway, he calls me up like a couple of months ago and rambles about how he's got a call from some old Italian guy called Roma who's kid he used to look after. He tells me the kid's in trouble with his school and on his way to doing exactly the dumb shit we got into, and there's miraculously a job offer for a counsellor, and can he help? So he says he's gonna do it even though it means moving back over here – he lives in Spain, went over after he graduated, but you knew that, ja? – so he's gonna get that all settled and shit. So he rushes all the moving stuff and all that shit, and I didn't really think about it all that much, except that it would be cool with him living here, even though it's a total dump. So he moved over like a couple weeks ago, says he's gonna start the job in a week and starts sessions with the kid after he's done a suspension. Point being, guess the kid he's on about is you, huh?"
Lovino nodded, dazed. He sat in silence, blinking in surprise as he absorbed everything Gilbert had said. So Grandpa had rung him to ask for his help, even though he lived in a different country, just to see if he could help him? And Antonio had said And Antonio had said yes? On what basis? Yes, he had been close to him as a child, but he doubted that was enough to make Antonio decide to up and move all the way here just to accept an offer at a school in a city he didn't even live in, just to try and help one student who didn't even know help was being offered? It was too suspicious. Why had Antonio agreed at all? What had made Grandpa decide to call him? An awful suspicion hit him. Gilbert had said Antonio took a degree in child psychology in order to help what he had called 'kids like them'. Was that all anyone saw him as? A 'troubled child' to whom intervention was necessary only to stop them from committing dangerous, possibly criminal behaviour? Was he simply a charity case, one that Antonio took on for the sake of helping a friend? Was he just a way for Antonio to feel good about himself, knowing that he had 'saved' a kid he had barely any connection to?
The mixture of thoughts was making him dizzy. He hadn't even realised he was crying until he felt Gilbert kneel down next to him and place a hand on his shoulder.
"Shit, kid, are you ok? Fuck, I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"
Lovino blinked angrily and wiped a hand across his face. He shook his head fiercely. Gilbert seemed to understand though, and stood up again.
"I get ya, kid. You wanna know why it seems like everyone is suddenly bending over backwards to help you. You feel, I don't deserve this. No one cares about me, so why are they even bothering to try? Then you start to think they're just in it for some goody-two shoes shit, like they're the fairy fucking godmother. Well, guess what? You can't just wave a fucking magic wand and fix everything. Life doesn't work that way. It takes time, and effort, a goddamn ton of effort, to even start to think about changing yourself. And all the time you're thinking, and doubting that anyone means it when they try to help. So you compare yourself to everyone around you, thinking that they're all fucking judging you, waiting for you to slip up or some shit and land you back at square one. So you think about giving up, 'cause if no one believes you can change, why should you even bother? Better to sink back down into their bad expectations and live as a failure, since that's all they're ever gonna see you as. Even more so when have someone there who seems like they're gonna outshine you no matter what you do. You're never gonna match them, so why the fuck would you even try?"
He stopped speaking and looked down at Lovino. The teen stared up at him, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Gilbert gave a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.
"yeah, kid, we're in the same boat. I got a little brother. He's a year or two older than you, and a right golden boy. Top of his year, pick of any college he wanted. He does sports psychology now, even coaches a kids team on his days off, he tells me. And at the same time I'm both so damn proud of him for not getting into the shit I did, even if it does mean we barely speak, and I hate him for how everything just seems to come naturally to him. Hell, the guy even looks a thousand times better than I ever will. He's got the whole blond-haired, blue-eyed thing going for him, courtesy of our dad, while get this-' he tugged a lock of his short white hair. "Albinism, kid. This is coloured contacts" – he pointed to his eyes, made violet by the natural pink tone, Lovino realised- "Point is, I know what it's like to think bad about yourself, probably a hell of a lot more than you do. That said, you're a lucky one, kiddo."
Lovino raised an eyebrow quizzically. Gilbert looked at fully. His voice was truly sincere as he continued "Antonio really does want to help you. He was practically crying when he rang me the first time. I don't know how you know each other, but he seems like he really cares about you, kid. Let him help. From the sounds of it, your brother – I'm guessing that's who meant by this Feli person, ja?' Lovino nodded, 'is the same as Luddy – my brother-. You want to think that no-one cares about you personally, that your nothing more than a statistic to them. That probably is true with most of the fuckers that do that counselling shit, but not Toni. Getting sent to juvie really changed him. He realised what a mess he'd made of his life, and he genuinely wants to make sure no one else has to go through that if he can help it. So suck it up. I'm not gonna lie, it'll be the hardest fucking thing to walk into that office the first time. But stick with it. Don't end up like I did. You're young, you've made a couple of mistakes, but it's not worth giving up over. Give it the term, stick to the rules the school's given you, however shitty you think they are, and give it your all. And if anyone tries to judge you for it or make out that you're not good enough, just stick it to 'em and use show 'em. Spite is one of the best things you can use as a motivator. And if you get a day when you can't deal with them and their dumb hypocrisy, 'cause no-one's fucking perfect, you get Toni to drive you here and we'll all sit and laugh at them, ja? How does that sound?"
Lovino had listened to this in stunned silence. How had Gilbert been able to voice his deepest thoughts, his insecurities, his feelings of guilt and lack of self-worth? He felt a strange sense of solidarity with this strange man, and not just from their shared experience. Somehow, in knowing that someone else had gone through the same things as him, only much, much worse, he had managed something that Grandpa and Feliciano would never have been able to. He was suddenly amazingly thankful for whatever had made him come out here, and meet Gilbert. He started laughing, the relief bubbling up in him uncontrollably.
Gilbert raised an eyebrow at him. "Fuck, kid, you're not supposed to laugh when someone gives you damn life advice, you know?"
Lovino kept giggling, eventually calming down and wiping the tears from his eyes. "I-I'm sorry, bastard. It's just, no-one else would have said something like that. Normal people don't go around telling their fucked up life story to a random kid they meet in a car park." He stood up and looked at Gilbert, his face suddenly serious. "But thank you. I really needed to hear what you said. I'll try to believe in the tomato bastard. I won't promise anything though." He flushed in embarrassment, clearly unsure with what he had just said. Gilbert chuckled and reached out to ruffle his hair, somehow avoiding Lovino's curl.
"That's ok, kiddo. And I know how much that means. Guess you're the type who doesn't like to thank others, or say sorry. So thank you too for listening to my shitty rant. Buddies?"
Lovino nodded, hesitantly. "Buddies." He tilted his head to the side, his face curious. "What about the other guy though? The French one. What happened to him?"
Gilbert raised his face to the sky in thought. "Francis? Lemme think. Last I heard he had moved to states to 'find himself'. Got shacked up with some chick he met there. Then when she was killed, car crash I think, he moved back to France, leaving his kid. I think he got adopted by his aunt or something. Anyway, he lives in France now. I'm sure he's just as much as a ponce as he was when we were kids. But as far as I know, he's not in trouble or shit like that. Why?"
Lovino frowned. That sounded incredibly familiar. He blinked in surprise as he realised why. Curiously, he asked "do you know what his kid's name was?"
Gil matched his expression of surprise, thinking. "God, I don't know. Wait, actually. He did say once, rang me gushing when he was born. Matt something, I think? No, wait, he insisted it be French. Mattieu? Yeah, that was it. Mattieu. He got called Mattie. Why d'you wanna know?"
Lovino frowned. "He's in my year at school. He's the headmasters' son. And if 'Luddy' is short for Ludwig and your surname is Beilschmidt, then your brother is my brother's football coach. And mine, till I got kicked off the team."
Gilbert let out a bark of laughter. "God damn! Holy shit, its true what they say. The world really is really fucking small after all." He laughed again. "That's so crazy!"
Lovino looked pensive for a moment, then joined in. Both of them laughed happily, amazed at the coincidences.
Their laughter was interrupted by the arrival of Roma and Feliciano, who had finished their meal and come to find Lovino.
"Lovi? It's time to go. Who is your new friend?" Roma asked politely, but with a thread of danger. He took in Gilbert's scruffy appearance and the cigarette but lying at his feet.
"Don't get huffy, old man. I'm a friend of Toni's. I was just giving Lovino here some advice."
Roma furrowed his brow and looked at his grandson. "Is this true. Lovi?" Lovino nodded. "He was really helpful." Roma raised an eyebrow in surprise. If Lovino said that so unreservedly, then whatever this stranger had said must have been truly amazing. He held out a hand to the man.
"Roma Vargas."
Gilbert looked at him in surprise, but shook the offered hand.
"Gilbert Beilshmidt. Call me Gil. And it's true, I've known Toni for years." He somehow doubted Roma would be pleased to know exactly how he knew him.
Feliciano had gasped at hearing the name, however, and was staring at Gilbert delightedly.
"You have the same surname as Coach! He said he had an older brother! Is that you?"
Gilbert laughed at his enthusiasm. "Yeah, that's me. Tell him I said hi, would'ya?" Feliciano nodded happily. "Si!" he turned to Lovino, holding out a packet of something. "Here, Lovi. You left before dessert, so I got you something. It's cake." Lovino took the packet from him, muttering a thanks.
"Boys, go wait in the car." Roma startled the two, handing the keys to Lovino. He took them cautiously. He looked between the two. He guessed what Roma wanted to talk to him to, and took hold of Feliciano's arm, dragging him towards the car.
Roma waited until the two were safely out of earshot, then spoke. "I suppose you are the 'Gil' that Antonio mentioned sometimes?"
Gilbert nodded. "And I guess from your tone that he must have told you about me?" Roma tilted his head. "Bits and pieces. Enough to know that you are the not the type of person I would want my grandson to associate with. However," he stopped, seeing Gilbert's twisted smile "Whatever you said to him, I have not seen him laugh like that on his own for a very long time. Thank you."
Gilbert seemed taken aback by that. Ruefully, he replied "Actually, I was telling Lovino how bad I fucked up when I was his age, and that no matter how bad he thinks things are, he had a chance to change. I tried to convince him that Toni really does want to help him." He looked away, a self-deprecating smile on his lips. He's a much better person than I'll ever be. I'll admit that in a heartbeat."
Roma looked at the other man in surprise. Gently, he said quietly "I think Antonio cares for you deeply too. From what I gather, he wants to help you too."
Gilbert looked at him sharply, then laughed. "yeah, I guess he would. Well, when you see him, tell him we can meet up sometime. I work most days at this place, so you know where to find me." He smiled quickly, then looked down at his watch as a thought hit him.
"Shit. My break ended like fifteen minutes ago. Crap, I gotta go. Maybe if I tell my boss I was talking a kid out of being a delinquent he'll let me off. He totally digs the whole second chance thing. That's how I got hired, anyway. Tell the kid I'll see him around, ja?" He shook Roma's hand quickly, then sprinted across the parking lot, hurriedly tidying his hair and straightening his clothes as he ran.
Roma quirked a smile at the strange man, then shook his head. Despite the little he had heard from Antonio regarding his exploits in his younger years, now that he had met Gilbert he sensed that the man had truly left that life behind him. He was even willing to let Lovino talk to him more, knowing that his experience with crime and the mark it had left on him would allow him to talk to Lovino on a far more even keel than he would. As long as Antonio vouched for him, of course.
He walked back over to the car, finding Lovino and Feliciano fighting over what to play on the radio. He answered their argument by sliding into the driver's seat and changing the channel himself. They drove home peacefully, for once Lovino actually joining in with his brother's chatter. Roma smiled at his grandson's in the mirror. Everything was looking up.
Lovino was joking at something Feliciano said, their faces flushed with laughter. He caught his grandfather's eye in the mirror and smiled tentatively. He held on to something Gilbert had said. With the meeting gone and agreed, the worst was over. Now to get through the next two weeks and start turning his life around. He could do it. With Toni's help, he would get through this.