La Carlota

Leaving

The sky had opened up sometime during the day and let loose a torrent of rain that soaked Milan to the bone despite the heat that lingered in the air. Lovino was sweating terribly with both effort and humidity as he carried his heavy suitcase to the trunk of his car. He'd never liked the rain, though it was common in the city, and it had been a relatively dry April until this day. The day he'd decided he'd had enough of this place and he just had to go.

He slammed the trunk closed, tossed his messenger bag into the back seat, and started the car. It rumbled unhealthily for a moment, but evened itself out soon enough. Lovino was sitting in the driver's seat, turning the air conditioning on to relieve himself, when the front walk suddenly lit up and the door to the house flew open.

"Fratello!" Feliciano wailed as he hurried across the stone walkway and over to the car. Lovino's letter was clutched in his trembling hand. The elder brother stood from his seat in exasperation.

"Feli, get back inside," Lovino ordered, frowning. He'd really hoped that Feliciano had been asleep. It was late, and his brother had class in the morning. Plus this just made the goodbye even more trouble than he'd wanted. Unfortunately, his life was just never that easy.

Feliciano sniffled and shook his head. "No, Lovino! I'm not going anywhere! Why are you going? I thought, I thought you were happy! I don't want you to go, don't leave Nonno and Babbo and me all alone…" The smaller brother wiped his arm under his nose as he cried.

Lovino huffed before pushing Feliciano's shoulder to turn him back towards the house. "It's in the fucking letter, stupid! You aren't alone. I just… need to get away for a while, alright?" He paused, listening as the air conditioning rattled behind him. "I promise, Feli, okay?"

There was another sniffle and Feliciano crossed his arms before nodding. "As long as you come back…" He reached up and unhooked a necklace from around his neck, then stepped forward and circled it around Lovino's. "For you, fratello, so that you'll think of us, okay?"

"N-no, I can't take this, Feli. This is yours, it's from Mamma," Lovino said quickly as he saw the golden cross laying against his chest.

Feliciano shook his head before finally backing away. "You just need time, right, Lovi?" he said, smiling, "I expect you to bring it back to me!" And with that, he rushed back towards the house, and the porch light went off.

Lovino released a long sigh, grasping the cross in his fist, then turned around to get back in the car. He sat for a moment to contemplate his promise to his little brother, knowing that Feliciano would keep his word to his grave. With a slight smile to himself, Lovino put the car in gear and was on the highway toward who knows where within minutes.

Lovino really didn't know where he was going. He'd just decided he needed to go, so he packed up as many clothes as could fit in his one suitcase and left. He had money, definitely, and his car, and that was all he really needed. His phone was turned off and stashed in the back of the glove box, and he'd left his laptop at home.

At the moment, he was on a main highway somewhere in the south of France, the coast rushing along beside him. The weather here was still warm, but with it being just past dawn and with the ocean air flowing past his open window, it was cooler and a lot less muggy than it had been back in Milan.

The thought of home made Lovino's chest ache and he took a sudden exit, following a road that carried him straight through to Perpignan. He yawned loudly. He'd been on the road since midnight, listening to late night radio stations for people to call in for relationship advice. It was amusing to say the least, especially since his French was still a little rusty so he only caught a few clips and phrases now and then. The general consensus was that whoever the woman on the phone was, she needed to take action and ask the guy she fancied out on a date to a restaurant if she wanted him to know that she was interested. Lovino laughed shortly and turned his car into the lot in front of a small motel. He contemplated booking a room so that he could get some rest, but decided against it and just pushed back his seat to lie down.

The car made a strange groaning noise as the seat was moved. He paused for half a second to make sure nothing sounded like it was falling apart before laying back and closing his eyes. The sound of birds and the distant ocean lulled him toward sleep, and Lovino was once again glad he had decided to do this.

All he'd ever needed was time, especially to himself. Sure the method in which he'd left had been quite unorthodox for their family, but he knew that Feliciano would cover for him to their father and grandfather, who were sure to be more than livid when Lovino returned home. Nonno had always been traditional in his ways, their father close behind. Both were very protective of the boys as well. Losing Mamma had been the breaking point for that.

It certainly wasn't anyone's fault she was gone besides the cancer's. She was among the unlucky few. Lovino had contemplated following her a couple of times, but he knew he could never leave Feli alone. Feliciano was his life after Mamma was gone, and he and his brother were all Babbo had left. They had to take care of him, as he had taken care of their grandfather after Nonna passed.

Lovino had been there, protecting them, keeping them loved, for as long as Mamma had been gone. He had taken the role of man of the house, with Nonno's old age and Babbo's sadness at losing Mamma. Feli wasn't as strong as Lovino in that respect.

And so, Lovino decided he'd needed a vacation. Years of running a household, making sure everyone was happy and taken care of because he had been the only one to step up and decide Mamma's loss wasn't the end of the world, had finally taken its toll on him, and he needed out.

Lovino's eyebrows crinkled in the middle as he tried to remember what Mamma looked like. The vision was blurry, but he could remember the feel of her skin, the warmth of her fingers as they brushed through his hair. A hand came up subconsciously to grasp the cross that Feliciano had given him; Mamma had given it to Lovino originally, but he'd felt no need for it as much as Feli needed that connection with her. Lovino had gotten three more years with Mamma than Feli had, it didn't seem fair. It had apparently made its way back around Lovino's neck, though, and he realized he had missed the weight of it lying against his heart.

The sun was beginning its descent into the horizon by the time Lovino was conscious again. His car had gotten particularly warm in the midday heat, and he realized he was hungry. He slid out of the car with a whine when his back popped unhealthily as he stood, then found his wallet and jogged across the street to a café he'd spotted while pulling into the lot.

After filling his stomach with decently good French pastries and a shot of espresso (not as good as his own but enough to wake him up), Lovino was back in his car, the engine turning with a loud rattle, and he was back on the road.

Within thirty minutes, he was in Spain, and Lovino suddenly knew this was where he wanted to be.

Hola friends! I am back with something that is -gasp- not a one-shot! I've had this fic on my mind for a couple years, and have had the first chapter done for a while. Started working on it recently and now it's just writing itself. Be prepared for several more chapters!

Hetalia and its characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya. I only own this fic. Reviews are appreciated, not demanded! Please enjoy!