The warm summer sun was sinking below the horizon, casting golden beams of light into the house as Feliciano skipped into his kitchen with his less enthusiastic brother in tow. The young man slid along the counter in excitement despite his brother's scowl.

"Where am I putting this?" Lovino demanded as he waved a bottle of red wine in the air.

"Just here~" Feliciano singsonged and patted the kitchen counter.

Lovino huffed and reached for some glasses, only to be cut off by his twin.

"I already got everything set up, Lovi," Feliciano chirped and gestured to the dining table by the window which had been set for the night. "I wanted to impress you! Are you impressed?"

Lovino glowered as he noticed another bottle on ice and two tumbler glasses refracting the sun his way. Even if his typically airheaded brother put an uncharacteristic amount of thought into planning - which didn't go unnoticed by him - Lovino's annoyance was toned down for no one.

"Then why the fuck did I bring wine?" He snapped.

"Ve, we can have that later! Who would say no to more wine?"

Lovino sneered but didn't dispute the true statement. Feliciano shrugged off his unstained apron, telling of a talented cook, and hung it before grabbing some pasta bowls. He placed them in front of the steaming pot of pasta and handed Lovino a forked spaghetti spoon, which Lovino took with a reasonable amount of force. He scooped a healthy amount of pasta before trading the utensil for a bowl of finely grated cheese. He moved to the table and poured the glasses while he waited for his brother to join.

Feliciano flopped down with a portion that would rival their grandfathers but was comically large for his skinny frame, looking quite content. After saying their prayers, they ate as Feliciano described how his week had been and Lovino complained about his. Even with his mouth running nonstop, Lovino thought his brother was slightly quieter, less exaggerated than usual.

"Oi, what's wrong with you?"

"Oh, I just have a little headache. Anyway-"

Lovino glowered as Feliciano brushed it off.

"Take some painkillers then dumbass, don't live in pain if you don't have to."

"Oh it's fine Lovi, it's only a small one. I don't wanna take pills unless I really have to."

Lovino usually didn't back down from an argument, but even he knew when to pick his battles. His brother was too thick to win against. He obliged him in the change of subject and spoke about how their grandfather was doing, though a bit redundant when their Nonno would be meeting with the grandson that left the nest tomorrow.

They talked until the pasta was gone and their glasses empty. Lovino beat his brother in collecting the finished plates, fixing him with a look that said 'stay right there or else' and dumped them in the sink to take care of later. Because he damn would be taking care of them later, Feliciano can fucking forget about it. He turned on the kitchen radio, tuning it to his favourite station before slumping back in his seat and pouring more wine into their glasses until the bottle was empty.

"Feli, do you really like living alone?" Lovino sighed as he asked the same question he'd asked every visit. He missed his brother, not that he'd say it out loud. Not that he needed to.

"Well, it's okay. I don't really mind." Feliciano exclaimed before adding the same suggestion he did every time. "Why don't you move in Lovi? There's lots of space here and then we can eat dinner like this every day!"

Lovino missed his brother, but Feliciano was the only reason he could step foot in this house. It was no longer their dead parents, but his carefree brother who roamed the halls of the house haunted by memories of a broken family.

"But then Nonno would be all alone," he said once again out of obligation. "And moving is such a fucking hassle. I don't know how you did it." Or why. Why did he leave their family behind? Feliciano just shrugged and in his signature tone-deaf ways, changed the heavy subject to something else.

As usual, they chatted for hours and their hands went everywhere as they talked, but they never spilled a drop of wine. At some point after the last of the sun's light no longer lit the kitchen, they migrated to the lounge room and continued their conversation on the soft couches. Lovino could be just as talkative as his brother on a good day. On a bad day 'talkative' was 'argumentative'.

However, he knew there was something wrong when he noticed he was leading the conversation and somehow out-chatting his brother. Feliciano looked tired and was squinting more than usual.

"Oi, what's up with you?" Lovino demanded. No need to elaborate for his twin who knew him so well, and hopefully knew that avoiding answering wouldn't be a good idea.

"Ah, my headache got worse. Sorry Lovi," Feliciano apologised sheepishly and Lovino wanted to facepalm.

"Why are you apologising to me, dumbass? You should've taken painkillers when I said so idiota! You did that to yourself, apologise to yourself!"

"Well I'm sorry cus you noticed and that means I wasn't being a very good host!"

Well, you can't argue with stupid, Unless you're Lovino.

"Damn right you weren't dumbass! Fine, don't listen to me! If you don't want painkillers then you'll have to deal with it naturally. I'm putting you to bed!"

"But Loviiiii," Feliciano whined. "I don't want you to go! We still have so much to talk about and the night's still young and-"

"And there's always tomorrow! Next week take painkillers idiota if you wanna be a good host!"

After some arguing back and forth and some manhandling, Lovino finally got his brother in his bed and forcibly tucked him in.

"I'm sorry Lovi, I just miss you so when you come over I wanna spend all the time with you. Is that so bad?"

"No dumbass. And you're a good host. Now goodnight and I'll see you next week!" Lovino growled as he pried his twin's skinny fingers off his arm.

"Goodnight Lovi~" Feliciano sang back as he wriggled under the covers. Lovino quietly shut the door and was walking down the hall when an idea clicked. He ducked into the bathroom and after a quick search snuck back into his brother's room and placed the painkillers beside his lamp.

"These are here idiota. Now goodnight."

"Thank you Lovi," Feliciano whispered back. Lovino had no idea how he could stay so pleasant when he was suffering from a headache. But it sure made it harder to snap at him without feeling guilty.

He did the dishes that he forced his brother to put off, because he may have been the guest but he'd pull his own damn weight. He left them to drip dry on the rack before turning off all the lights and leaving.

Feliciano didn't hear when his brother left. His heartbeat was thumping thickly inside his skull and even when lying down the nausea didn't go away. He probably should've taken painkillers when Lovi said, but he didn't want his brother to worry about him or leave early because Feliciano wasn't feeling up to it.

He lay there, willing himself to go to sleep, but then his headache morphed into a migraine. He turned on the lamp and fought the vertigo as he sat up and grabbed the painkillers. He'd never been able to take them dry before, and he didn't stand a chance now when his mouth was so dry. With great reluctance, he staggered from the warm embrace of his bed, undoing Lovino's loving sheet tuck and down the hall to the kitchen. He didn't turn on the lights, he was going to be quick and he could walk around the house blindfolded and not bump into anything. He moved down the hallway and stepped into the kitchen, but he hesitated. Something felt off, the shadows just didn't look right. He went rigid when one of them moved.

The shadow lunged at him and hands squeezed his throat. Feliciano frantically fought to get the hands off but couldn't. He couldn't even make a sound as his lungs burned and his eyes bulged. Something smacked into his head and his migraine exploded with scorching intensity. The room was getting darker as a strange pressure gave out in his stomach, again and again. Like something was being ripped out of him and his guts were spilling out. He was terrified. Where was Lovino? Feliciano didn't hear him leave! Was that because something happened to him too?! His heart was pounding so hard he thought it would fall out too, but then it stopped.

Suddenly nothing mattered much. It was like his brain was disconnected and he was in a bed made out of clouds. Feliciano wondered if it had all been a dream? He couldn't feel anything and he wasn't cold anymore. Maybe he fell asleep after all, but it was too dark to see if it was his room. He must be in his bed because he was on something solid beneath him. But why was it wet? Maybe he got the water and spilled it everywhere? Oh, Lovino wouldn't be happy about that. While he was glad Lovino wasn't here to be disappointed in him, something ached in a way that screamed at him that nothing was right. He was hollow and aching and he wanted his brother to come back and tuck him back in. He didn't know what was happening as his head filled with soft soapy bath bubbles, but he knew that something was wrong and he wished Lovino or Nonno was here to make it right.

Augustus knew there wasn't really a reason to worry, but when it came to Feliciano he just couldn't help it. He would always worry about his boys, to Lovino's annoyance and Feliciano's joy. The boy was a ditzy free spirit, often distracted and in his own little world, but he wouldn't miss breakfast with his grandfather. He never has before.

So Augustus went to the boy's house to see what held him up. Maybe the clock just needed batteries again and his grandson had lost track of time. But when he stepped up to the house he was hit with an eerie feeling. Something that snagged him with apprehension and nagged that something wasn't right. Augustus wasn't about to ignore his gut feeling.

He didn't knock, instead he just let himself in.

"Feliciano!" He called out. His voice seemed to echo around the house. With a frown, he stepped in further. He turned the corner when his shoes squelched in a puddle o-

A coldness swept through him as he took in the scene, his brain automatically taking apart the pieces to reach an understanding. There was no way he could convince himself that his baby boy was sleeping. Not when he was so violently and unnaturally ripped apart and still on the floor. Augustus swayed and stepped back as he tasted bile. He was a strong man. He will do what needs to be done before the grief overwhelmed him and shut him down.

He grabbed the landline from the wall with steady hands and called the police. Even with his throat threatening to tighten and cut off his air, he persisted. He owed Feliciano that much. When he hung up, the world was too quiet. His breathing was laboured as he sat beside his boy to keep him company while they waited.

A/N One more chapter to go!