Lovino accompanied Alfred to the hospital in complete silence.

The waiting room was filled with drunk revelers because oh yeah, it was New Year's Eve. Great. A frazzled nurse took one look at them and directed them to a couple of seats in the corner with instructions not to move, she would get them the paperwork, and an aggrieved "Alfred, you just left."

Lovino scowled as he surveyed the other occupants of the room. "This could take a while."

Alfred shrugged with one shoulder. "It's fine as long as I don't move it," he muttered. "You can go if you want, I don't need you to wait with me."

He didn't dignify this with a response, just settled into his uncomfortable chair and crossed his arms pointedly. Alfred huffed but didn't protest.

"Fuck," he said quietly after more stilted silence. "Insurance. Again." Pause. "Can I borrow your phone?"

Lovino handed it over wordlessly and watched as Alfred seemed to debate with himself before rapidly typing in a number and gingerly holding the phone to his ear like he was already anticipating the volume of whoever he was calling.

"Hey Iggy, it's me. Um. No! No, I'm fine. I mean, I'm in the hospital again. It's nothing like that, I just broke my wrist. Also maybe my nose again." He waited a while, tinny voice buzzing over the line before interrupting quietly, "Can you come...?" Then, softly, "Thanks. Same hospital. Uh, don't tell Franny or Mattie about it, I don't want to bother them." His gaze flickered sideways to Lovino and then away again. "Yet. It's not a big deal and I just don't. Think I can deal with everyone all at once right now." He waited through another long period of talking, quieter this time. "Yeah, I'm starting to get that. Yeah. Yeah, he's here with me. Uh-huh. 'Kay." He held the phone out to Lovino. "He wants to talk to you."

Okay then. "Hello?"

"Whatever you said to him, thank you," the dean told him with no preamble. "Thank you. I'll be there in fifteen minutes, stay with him until then?"

"Of course."

"Fifteen minutes," he repeated. "Thank you." And hung up.

Alfred was avoiding his eyes while he re-pocketed his phone, so he just sighed and settled in to wait. Fifteen minutes ticked by at agonizing speed. Just before Kirkland arrived, Alfred half-turned towards Lovino and muttered, "I think I may have actually lost a tooth this time." This managed to startle a short bark of laughter out of the Italian, and Alfred almost-smiled in response. Then Kirkland descended on them, already fussing, looking teary-eyed but adamant that Alfred was going to be "—just fine, you daft lunatic—"

Alfred nodded. "We will be," he told Lovino, again, over Kirkland's shoulder, and resigned himself to the attention of his dad.

As he left, Lovino noticed the clock on the wall. It was a new year.

By the time the start of the semester rolled around, Lovino was actually glad to be going back to school. For one thing, his family was driving him crazy. Antonio kept making obliquely threatening comments about having a "talk" with Alfred once he was out of the hospital, so Lovino had conveniently neglected to mention it when he was released. The longer that confrontation could be put off, the better. Meanwhile, Feliciano was attempting to straddle the line between supportive and protective, and kept falling on his ass into overprotective territory. Which was ridiculous, because Lovino was the older brother here and Feliciano, bless his heart, wasn't capable of holding Alfred off if he really wanted to come and see him and break his heart, or whatever.

The thing was, Alfred hadn't actually tried to come see him. And Lovino hadn't tried to go see him, either, because the idea that Alfred might turn him away just...hurt. He knew the idea was ridiculous, because Alfred wouldn't do that to him at this point, after everything. The idea still made him feel sick to his stomach. They were kind of talking, which was reassuring, but not in person. Alfred had called him from Matthew's phone on New Year's Day to let him know he'd been kidnapped and was temporarily—he stressed the word—staying with Kirkland and Bonnefoy until he was recovered. That was all he really said before they awkwardly hung up. Matthew called him every night, though. They chatted about small, inconsequential things, and it was nice. Lovino was grateful for the semblance of normalcy, but he was more grateful when he could hear Alfred chattering loudly in the background. "Alfred says hi," Matthew told him every night. So that was something.

He and Feliciano waited until the day before classes started back up to move back into the dorms. The room was just as they'd left it—messy enough to be noticeable but not enough to be worth cleaning up—so they lay in their bunks in companionable silence, each messing around on their laptops. Judging by the giggling, Feliciano was watching cat videos. Lovino decided to attempt to clean out his inbox, and braced himself as he logged into his school email for the first time since break started. Actually he didn't have that many unread messages, he realized as he scrolled. Probably because he still wasn't signed up for spring semester classes, after failing to show for his advising appointment. Speaking of which, he had an email from Bella.

Hello Lovino, Dean Kirkland arranged a make-up appointment for you so we can get your major decided and enroll you in some classes! You'll be getting last pick of what classes to take, unfortunately, but I think we can finagle with that some, too, since I'm sure many of the professors would be willing to make room for you. Drop by the advising building any time today before 4 or tomorrow before 5! I look forward to seeing you. Bella.

Holy shit. He scrambled out of his bunk and grabbed for his phone. He needed to—oh.

"Hmmmmm."

Feliciano paused his cat video. "Is something wrong?"

"I need to make a phone call."

"Okay?" Feli blinked at him. "Oh! I can put my headphones in, if it's. Um. Private?"

"It's not private, it's just..."

"It's just Alfred."

He sighed. "Yeah."

His brother considered this, then announced, "I'm putting my headphones in!"

"Good, fuck off, you are absolutely no help at all!"

Feliciano pointed to his headphones, then shrugged exaggeratedly to say Can't hear you!

Whatever, it wasn't like this was a big deal and he needed moral support or anything. He stared at his phone for a few minutes, but he could feel his brother glancing at him and eventually he just scowled at the floor, unlocked his phone and dialed.

"Uh, hello?"

"Hi!" he said, way too loudly. Try again. "Sorry. Hi, Matthew. Can I speak to Alfred?"

"One sec." After some muted mumbling, he returned. "Sure thing, here you go."

"Thanks."

"Hey dude," Alfred greeted, sounding a bit cautious but not pissed off. "What's up?"

"I need some advice," he admitted.

"Okaaaay. 'Bout what?"

"I need to declare a major either this afternoon or tomorrow and I don't know what to go with."

"OH. That's a big one! Um." God, was it just him or was this was a seriously stilted conversation? "Do you not have any idea at all?"

"I could go with something safe and easy and just switch later," Lovino told him, sinking into his desk chair so he could do some nervous swiveling. "Or I could. Go with my gut and pick something that's kind of out there, but I think I might actually want to do."

"That one," Alfred said immediately.

"Seriously?"

"Lovi if you wanted real advice you could talk to your brother or Toni or even Mattie. You gotta know I'd tell you to choose the crazy option! So if you wanted to talk to me, that means you wanted someone to tell you to just go for it. Right?"

"I—yeah. You're right. For once."

The half-hearted insult slid right off Alfred's back. "So? What do you want to major in?"

Lovino took a deep breath. "Astronomy."

"THAT IS SO COOL!"

He winced at the volume, but immediately his mouth started turning up into smile, helpless in the face of Alfred's enthusiasm. "Yeah it is. It's just that it's a lot of physics and math, and I like those things but I have to work really hard at them. And there's limited career options, basically research or teaching, and in most cases you have to get a graduate degree at least, and you end up teaching and researching. But I really want to try."

"You can do it," Alfred said, a simple statement of fact. Like he had no doubts.

"Thanks, Alfred," he said quietly.

"That's what I'm here for!" was the cheerful response. With an odd emphasis on the word 'here.'

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." He jumped up and strode over to the window, yanking the blind up to see—yep. Alfred and Matthew were outside looking up at him. Alfred's hand was in a cast, but he lifted it and wiggled his fingers in a wave.

"Heeeeey! Surprise! Is my timing great or what?"

"I'm hanging up now."

"Okay, but wait are you coming down—?"

He hung up. Of course he was coming down. He grabbed his coat and started running.

"Be careful!" Feliciano called after him.

Lovino was feeling a bit giddy, actually. He was going to declare his major, he was going to try and major in something intimidating but amazing, and Alfred was here. By the time he got outside, Matthew had disappeared with his phone. Alfred was rocking back and forth on his heels, grinning.

"Lovi!"

He stopped a few feet away and copied Alfred's movement, swaying, beaming. Relief and happiness made it impossible not to smile, and Alfred's grin grew wider in response. "How're you feeling?"

"Pretty good! It'll be another couple'a weeks before the cast comes off but the bruising's gone and I can breathe through my nose again. But it's a little bit crooked now, don't you think?" He leaned down to give a closer look, going cross-eyed as he attempted to stare at his own supposedly-crooked nose. Lovino laughed and ran at him.

Alfred caught him around the waist and easily swung him in a circle with one arm. They ended up just standing and hugging on the sidewalk. "I missed you, too," Alfred murmured. The giddy feeling in Lovino's chest expanded, rising up in a wave and in a minute he was going to start giggling or something equally embarrassing.

Fuck it, he decided. He leaned up and pressed a kiss to the tip of Alfred's nose. "Little bit crooked," he agreed. This close he could feel when Alfred's breath stuttered, and see how his eyes widened and cheeks flushed. "I also just wanted to say that I really like you, too." Alfred's eyes went even wider and Lovino realized exactly what he'd said. And decided he didn't care. "I mean, you said you really liked me in the back of that fucking police car, so now I'm telling you I like you, too. I mean, assuming you meant what I think you did? Which you better have, because I am a goddamn catch."

Alfred snorted and looked heavenward as if for guidance. "Looooovi I've been trying to like, confess for the last few weeks and then you just throw it out there like this? What the hell, dude? I was gonna try and be romantic and everything."

"So that is what you wanted to tell me? When I was mad at you?" He whapped him lightly on the arm. "You can't be romantic when you're covered in blood and bruises, idiot."

"I'm not covered in blood and bruises now," he pointed out.

"No, but your nose is crooked."

"So the romance is ruined forever? Darn."

Lovino did in fact start giggling at this point. Alfred smiled down at him.

"Hey, you wanna go get coffee? The campus place is back open again."

"Sure, but then I have to go declare my major."

Alfred bounced in place. "Astronomy is going to be so awesome oh my God, Lovi. Actually I was thinking about—well." His smile dimmed and he cut himself off, gesturing in the direction of the coffee shop. "Shall we?"

Lovino held out his hand and Alfred took it.

As they started walking, Alfred told him, "Just to be clear this isn't a date."

"No?"

"Nope, this is 'bout to be serious conversation time. Then maybe a date later this week?"

Lovino considered this, unsure where this 'serious conversation' was about to go, but Alfred just seemed nervous, not scared. "Okay. But just so you know that really was the least romantic way I've ever been asked on a date."

Alfred waggled his eyebrows. "Fa caldo qui, o è perchè ci sei tu?"

"The romance is dead and you killed it," Lovino bit out between suppressed giggles.

"I googled sooo many Italian pick up lines, dude, you don't even know."

"Don't."

"Ho perso il mio numero di telefono, potrebbe prestarmi il suo?"

"Ughhhh."

They grabbed coffee to go and headed to the library. It was practically deserted since the semester hadn't even started yet. They sat on the floor between the shelves for mythology and linguistics, facing each other, fiddling with their cups. Lovino's face was still flushed and Alfred still looked nervous, but determined.

"I was thinking about what you said the last time we got coffee. When you chewed me out, y'know."

"Yeah?" He took a drink to hide his own sudden nervousness.

"And I've been talking to other people, too. Mostly Mattie and my—my parents. And yeah, I think maybe I've been. Going about this wrong."

Lovino's heart was beating too fast. "Oh?" he choked out.

"But I also can't just, I don't know, give up on what I was thinking, and I know I didn't really explain what that was so I wanna try." He took a deep breath. "I didn't want...being homeless to be a thing. I didn't want to acknowledge it. I was doing okay, you know? I survived just fine, and it could have been so much worse. But it was a thing, and not to be cliché or anything but I felt like admitting I was in trouble made me weak. Yeah, I know, I'm not a young adult novel protagonist. And having problems wasn't what made me weak, it was trying to go it alone. Wow, that really is cliché, huh? But you were right. I have a lot of people who care about me. Somehow. God, Lovi, people care about me." His voice broke. "And I can do better. And I...could use the help."

Lovino was starting to tear up; the near-constant fear he'd been feeling like constant background noise for weeks was roiling, on the verge of either resurfacing or disappearing, and he hoped. Alfred was blinking rapidly, eyes shining.

"I talked to some people. Kiku and Toris agreed to help me study and I'm going to get my GED. In the meantime, Arthur and even Father Eduardo agreed to be references so I can get a job. Hell, Peter's dad Berwald—big scary guy—even said he'd lend me a suit for interviews! And everyone I talked to, everyone, from Peter's family to my parents, offered me a place to live. So."

Lovino set his cup down carefully so he could hide his face in his hands as the tears came, crying out the fears of the last weeks, pushed out by a tidal wave of relief. He felt Alfred's hands on his shoulders. "I'm just, I'm really fucking happy," he laugh-cried. "Sorry, I don't mean to make it a big deal or anything."

"S'okay, it's kind of a big deal." Alfred curled around him, protective, and Lovino allowed himself to be pulled into a tight hug. "And then, I'm going to go to college, and maybe when you're studying to be the next Galileo I'll start studying, too, and we'll both be physics experts. And learn all about the stars, and black holes and whatever the hell else is up there. There's a lot of possibilities."

Lovino nodded into his shoulder.

"And. What about Ivan?"

Alfred huffed a laugh. "You're not gonna believe this, but Toris thinks he has a lead on where Ivan's sisters went. I'm going to contact them and just, I dunno, go from there. But I won't go after him by myself. Promise."

Alfred was really holding him up at this point, because his limbs were basically useless right now. "No more getting beaten up and scaring the hell out of me," he muttered.

"Nope! Well, I mean I'm not going to go looking for a fight but sometimes a hero has to jump in to save the day, throw a few punches."

"I beat up some frat boys once," Lovino admitted quietly, face still hidden. "They called Feliciano...some things, when he first started dating the potato bastard. I wasn't in a great place at the time, and I hurt them pretty badly, and the only reason I wasn't expelled or arrested was because of my family." He sighed. "So long as we're getting into personal stuff, here. Now you know."

"I heard a version of this story from Mattie," Alfred admitted. "I'm glad you told me. I think you wanted to protect your brother and ended up going too far, and I think you wouldn't do it again, not the same way. But you'd still protect your brother. Pretty heroic, if you ask me."

"We're quite a pair, huh?"

"A superhero duo! Except now instead of using our fists we're using our brains and, uh."

"Drinking bad campus coffee?"

"Yeah!"

"This is a shitty premise for a superhero story."

"It's not bad, actually. A little bit anticlimactic, though? I feel like this is too easy."

"It's not going to be easy. But we'll be together. We'll be fine."

"Yeah."

"Know what the best way to end a hero's story is?"

"Are you gonna say a kiss?"

"Actually I was gonna say you should show off those juggling skills you told me about way back when? Oooh, or maybe a show-stopping pun? I'm pretty sure I could come up with a good one about what an aide you've been to me."

"Kissing it is, bastard." He leaned back to haul Alfred around and down for a short kiss.

Alfred hummed happily. "Just so you know, though. You've helped me a lot. And I like you. A lot."

"This story's romance sucks, let's get to the kissing."

The linguistics shelves could tell you: 'to kiss' in French is 'embrasser,' in Spanish is 'besar,' in German is 'küssen.' The mythology shelves could tell you stories of kisses between Cupid and Psyche, sleeping beauties and roaming princes. The kiss between Alfred and Lovino between the shelves for linguistics and mythology wasn't in any particular language or part of some impossible story; it was simple, but perfect. Even though things were nowhere near perfect, even though it would be complicated and difficult and sometimes painful.

It was real.

It was a start.

Okay. That's it. It's over. Not sure how I feel about this, because it is the FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of publishing this story and a loooot has changed since then. Man, I was in senior year of high school when I started this thing.

Yeah, even as I type this I'm not sure where I'm going with this. I'll just go ahead and say, the first pickup line is "Is it hot in here or is it just you?" and the second one is "I've lost my phone number, can I borrow yours?" Little to no proof-reading was done here.

THANK YOU for reading this, especially if you've been around for FIVE YEARS. I do occasionally post Romerica ficlets still, so I'll probably see you again. You can also find me on tumblr as piratecat. Reviews on this last bit or the story as a whole are greatly appreciated. I really, really appreciate you guys. Romerica FTW~