Feliciano

"Looooooviiiiii!"

…

"Looooooovviiiiiiiiiii!"

…

Feliciano huffed, drumming his fingers on the kitchen counter. What was taking his older brother so long?

"Loooooovii—"

"I heard you the first time, idiota!"

Feliciano smiled. Typical Lovino. "But I really need you! It's really important!"

"I highly doubt it!"

Feliciano just shook his head, still smiling. Sure, Lovino could be the most pessimistic, angriest brother on the planet, but that was what made Lovi special.

A man entered the kitchen, still stuffing his rosy-red shirt into his black slacks. "Feli, have you—"

"I'm already ready, Grandpa!" Feliciano interrupted, now grinning. "You don't have to worry about a thing! I'm just waiting for Lovi, and then we'll be ready."

His grandfather smiled almost as widely as Feliciano. "That's great, Feli! But I was about to ask if you've seen my apron. It wasn't in the bathroom."

Even though he was already a grandpa, Feliciano's grandfather could've been mistaken as the father. He was technically sixty-one, but he didn't look a day over forty; whenever he was asked, 'what's your secret?' he only replied with a reply along the lines of 'Mediterranean food and no smoking' and a wink.

"Um…" Feliciano looked around the kitchen, his eyes soon landing on the coat rack. "I think it's over there."

His grandfather followed his line of sight, beaming once he saw the black apron. "Ah! Thanks, Feli!" He ruffled his grandson's hair and strode over to the apron, checking pockets and putting it on.

There was a loud, irritated sigh, and both Feliciano and his grandfather faced the source, already knowing full well who it was.

Lovino shouldered his backpack, his characteristic frown on his face. "Feli, you said you needed me for something?"

"Yes!" Feliciano hurried to the refrigerator and pulled out two medium containers. "I forgot to ask you last night, but… Fettucine or pizza? I wanted you to choose first, since yesterday I chose first!"

Lovino blinked. "Wait… Seriously?"

"Yes! Although, I really want the fettucine—"

"No, I meant seriously, you said this was important! Choosing what lunch I want isn't even remotely important!" Lovino interrupted, rolling his eyes as he pushed past Feliciano onto the kitchen table. "… Just give me the damn pizza."

After handing him the pizza, Feliciano took the container of fettucine and shoved it in his green and red striped lunchbox, grinning. "Ready! Let's go, Lovi!"

Lovino scowled, zipping up his own blue lunchbox. "How are you so cheerful about school? It's nothing to get exciting about, it's just a place for us losers to be picked on by other bastards—"

"Language, Lovino," their grandfather chided, pinning on a small name tag labeled 'Romulus' on his apron. "Now, you take care, okay boys? I'm going to the café now."

A tired voice popped up before either of the boys could respond. "Grandpa? Feli? Lovi?" They all turned towards the voice. "Did someone make leftover breakfast? I'm hungry."

"Sebastian?" The grandfather chuckled, walking over to his youngest grandson and ruffling his already messy bedhead. "What are you doing up early? I thought you wanted to rest for the swim meet."

"I know, but…" Sebastian plopped himself on the kitchen table, rubbing his eyes. "Going to bed early just made me want to wake up early."

"Yeah, no duh," Lovino snapped, and then opened the door. "Come on, Feli. You're the one who's actually happy about going to school."

"Is high school really that bad?" Sebastian piped up as Feliciano and Lovino were about to leave. "Because if so, can I stay in middle school?"

"Lovi's just being a sourpuss!" Feliciano replied, balking at the door to answer. "High school is actually really fun!"

"No, it isn't!" Lovino's voice called out outside. "It sucks!"

"It's not that bad!" Feliciano replied, and then turned and waved at Sebastian. "See ya!"

Sebastian waved back, and Feliciano walked out the door. Feliciano's and Lovino's voices were then heard in the kitchen, the two chatting loudly (well, chatting on Feliciano's side, arguing on Lovino's side) as they walked to high school.

The city of Blackview was of a medium size, compared to other American cities. The high school, however? Tiny.

That fact is largely evident when you walk in the courtyard of Blackview High School. No student is allowed inside the school before seven forty, which meant that large amounts of students, grade nine to twelve, are always seen milling around the commons area in front of the school.

This was the perfect time to hang out with friends, since lunch had a strict assigned seat policy (due to the amount of spontaneous food fights last year) and teachers and staff shooed kids away after school unless they had a club. It was also a great time to talk about school and compare homework answers or just copy them, depending on how 'busy' you were last night.

But for Feliciano, it was just a time to mill around and look busy, making sure to be close to others. Lovino would always leave to talk to his own friends, leaving Feliciano alone. He didn't have many friends to begin with, and his only friend always arrived after seven forty. It wasn't because he was antisocial, or he never tried; quite the opposite, actually.

It was more of his… eccentric personality.

He glanced up, and then brightened at the sight of a single, lone girl. She was sitting by the fence circling the school, looking bored at her phone. No one was beside her, and it didn't look like she was expecting someone.

Perfect to make friends with!

Feliciano quickly skipped towards the girl, not at all trying to keep discreet. The girl kept her attention on her phone, and he couldn't tell whether if she was deliberately ignoring him or if she actually wasn't aware of him. Nonetheless, he slid up next to the girl and he put on his charming smile.

"Hello there! The name's Feliciano, but everyone just calls me Feli! How's your day?" He had had plenty of practice talking to girls. After all, his grandfather regularly encouraged all of his grandsons to always be ready to make conversation, whether with a boy or a girl.

The girl paused in her texting, looking up at Feliciano. "Hmm?"

Feliciano struck out a hand. "Call me Feli!" He repeated, still grinning. "Want to be friends?"

She blinked once, not returning the hand and instead shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "… Oh. W-Well… I guess so."

"Really? Great!" He retracted his hand (he was used to it not being shaken, after all) and made himself comfortable on the grass. "I don't think I got your name, though! What is it?"

"It's… Um…" She glanced back at her phone, tapping it a few times before saying, "Ah, my boyfriend is here, I need to meet him…"

"Boyfriend?" Feliciano repeated, slightly surprised. No inviting her to tea, then…

Flustered, the girl hurriedly shoved her phone into her pocket, scrambling up. "It'd be best if you'd leave now. Bye." She walked away quickly, fixing her hair.

Feliciano watched her leave, frowning. The girl left in such a hurry, he didn't have time to strike a full conversation with her. What a shame. Sighing, he stood up, dusted of his trousers, and walked towards the middle of the commons, where other people were—

He bumped into someone, and he stumbled backwards.

"S-Sorry! I wasn't looking—"

The collar of his shirt was suddenly grabbed, and Feliciano's apology was cut short as he felt himself being lifted up slightly, coming face to face with another boy much older than he.

"You were the one who was hanging out with my girl!" The large boy yelled in Feliciano's face, absolutely steaming.

"I-I'm sorry!" Feliciano cried, putting up his hands in surrender as he tried to wiggle out of the boy's grip. "Please don't hurt me! I-I didn't do it!"

"I saw you, don't deny it!" He yelled back, bringing Feliciano closer to his face. "You were chatting up with her, when she was obviously not enjoying it! Not to mention, she's taken! How dare you!"

"B-But I didn't know! I'm sorry! D-Don't hurt me, please let me go!"

The boy snorted. "Like hell I'd let you go! You're gonna have to pay for your crimes—"

"Hey dudes!"

Both Feliciano and the guy turned towards the voice, facing another boy around Feliciano's age.

"Bro, just let the guy go," the boy cut in, pushing up his glasses as he walked towards them. "I've seen him in class, he's practically harmless."

The other two were silent, staring at the boy. In the back of his mind, Feliciano recognized the boy as one of his classmates. He couldn't put a name to his face, though…

The older boy gritted his teeth. "And why should I—"

"Okay, yeah, he is a gigantic wuss," the younger boy interrupted coolly, "but seriously. He's harmless. Just let him go."

There was another moment of silence. Feliciano was wondering if the older boy would just ignore the younger one completely and just whale on Feliciano when the older boy roughly threw him down. He fell on the ground, landing awkwardly on his backpack.

"I see you with her again," the older boy threatened, staring down at Feliciano, "you're beyond dead." And with that, he stomped off in the other direction.

Feliciano rubbed his sore bottom, shifting his backpack so he wasn't sitting on it. He was about to stand up by himself before a hand stuck itself in front of his face; the hand from the boy who rescued him. Taking it, Feliciano was lifted up to his feet.

"Didn't the same thing happen yesterday too? Just with a different twelfth grader?" The boy asked with an exasperated tone, also picking up Feliciano's backpack and handing it to him. "Seriously, you need to learn how to man up."

Feliciano took his backpack gratefully, grinning. "It's usually not my fault, though—"

The boy's attention was already elsewhere, and he brightened when he saw someone. "Oh look, there's Artie! See ya, dude!" He took off, heading towards a cluster of arguing boys.

"— I'm just really… Flighty…" Feliciano trailed off, smile still persisting as he watched the running boy. He stood still for a moment, before shouldering his backpack.

A teacher shouted, and the school doors opened. Masses of kids started towards the door, and Feliciano went along with the flow of the students.

Two weeks into his tenth grade of school, and he hadn't made any new friends.

Feliciano had barely sat down in his desk before he was yelled at by the teacher. Again.

"Feliciano, where is your assignment from Thursday?" The teacher shouted, staring down Feliciano as he held his burgundy binder menacingly.

He whipped around, then smiled sheepishly. "Um… The one about frogs, right?"

"What else could it be?" The teacher snapped. No doubt, there was a foot tapping underneath that desk.

"It… It may or may not be done…" Feliciano kept smiling nervously, but inside he was absolutely freaking out. Oh geez, please oh please I hope he doesn't flip out—

The teacher slammed down his binder, which gained the attention of the other students in the room. "I gave you the whole weekend to finish it! A whole weekend! How come it's not finished? Doing something teenager-y and idiotic?"

Feliciano had a perfectly legitimate reason why he hadn't made up his work. There was his other homework, playing soccer with his brothers, chatting with the female customers in his grandfather's cafe, and so much more! He didn't do anything idiotic! Well, the soccer did go somewhat awry when Sebastian accidentally kicked the ball and it hit Lovino square in the chest…

Before Feliciano could explain, the school phone beside the teacher's desk rang loudly. With an annoyed sigh, the teacher snatched the phone and drawled, "Mr. Esquino's class."

A moment later, he raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He asked, his gaze briefly flickering towards the students. "Him? Are you sure?" He bit his lip, eyes narrowing as he heard the next bit. "Alright, fine." He hung up the phone, glaring directly at Feliciano. "You're needed at the principal's office. Now."

A few students pulled off an "Oooohh…" as Feliciano stared back at the teacher, confused. He could've sworn that he hadn't did anything wrong. Breaking from his teacher's gaze, he started to heft his belongings up before the teacher interrupted.

"Leave your stuff here."

Feliciano muttered a quick "sorry" as he set his belongings back down on his desk. He quickly walked out of the classroom, reentering the class to quickly grab a wooden pass before actually walking down the hallways.

Kids were still walking down the hallways, as class had not officially started. He stiffly ran through the halls, wooden pass hugged to his chest. The others ignored him, and he didn't pay any attention to them either.

Thoughts about the office filled his head. Feliciano was absolutely sure he wasn't in trouble; missing homework assignments couldn't warrant a visit from the principal! And he doubted the principal knew about this morning's incident, it was still quite too early. It had to be something else… But nothing came to Feliciano's mind.

Well, whatever it was, it couldn't be that bad…

The door to the office was closed. Feliciano opened the door carefully, poking his head through.

The secretary looked up from her computer at the sound of the door opening, smiling at Feliciano. "Feli!" She greeted, pausing in her typing to look up at the boy. "It's nice to see you! Come in!"

The secretary, Miss Hadelina, was a good friend of Feliciano's, to the point in which she fondly called him by his nickname, unlike other adults. He had often gone to the principal's office last year for many reasons, and the two had grown fond of each other. After all, it was him who suggested to keep a bowl of lollipops on her desk for students, and whenever Feliciano was around, she would always gladly offer one.

Feliciano gave a little wave, entering the room. It served as a waiting place, a lobby of sorts, for children waiting for their turn with the principal. "Hi, Miss Hadelina!" He greeted back cheerfully, although he still kept his nervous face. "Do you know why I'm here?"

"Yes," she said simply, returning back to her computer. "I'm not allowed to say, however. Sit down."

Feliciano obliged, sitting down on one of the four chairs along the wall opposite of Miss Hadelina. "Oh? Why's that?" He asked, even more nervous. The last time she didn't tell him was when he was called in and asked if he wanted to switch schools because of his 'trouble' with the other students.

She didn't respond, continuing with her work. Feliciano didn't push the topic, even though he desperately wanted to. He just held the wooden pass in his lap, eyes wandering.

The door to the principal's room opened, and Feliciano looked up. His eyes widened, slightly surprised at what he saw.

The principal, a man in his forties, wasn't mad. He didn't even look concerned, which was what he usually looked when meeting Feliciano. No, he was actually happy. And with the principal, that was rare. Beside him was a boy, talking softly with the principal. The boy, a black backpack on his shoulder and multiple papers in his arms, looked about Feliciano's age, despite being quite tall and too spiffy for a student, from the gelled blond hair and clean white shirt with a tie.

He couldn't possibly be a student. No, he had to be a strict teacher who would yell at Feliciano just for his casual wear and messy hair. And maybe missing homework.

Definitely the missing homework.

The principal turned to Feliciano, and he beamed. When was the last time the principal had beamed at him? "Ah, Feliciano! I'm glad you're here, I'd like to introduce you to a new student that's going to attend tenth grade with you."

The boy stepped cautiously towards Feliciano, and then looked back at the principal, unsure. The principal nodded, sending an encouraging smile. Feliciano was about to question it in his mind before the boy stuck out a stiff hand.

"Ludwig," the boy said tersely, blue eyes looking away as he tensed up. "Ludwig Beilschmidt."

Feliciano stared at Ludwig, gulping. This guy scared him, with how formal and stiffly he talked! But not wanting to look rude, he took the hand and shook it.

"Feliciano," he replied, giving his own smile. Maybe if he acted friendly, this boy would loosen up a little. "But call me Feli, if you want. Most people do, anyway. It's sort of a thing, except for teachers and other adults, since they like to be all formal and stuff-"

"Anyway," the principal cut in, before Feliciano could ramble further, "Ludwig has been homeschooled for most of his life, before joining here in the same high school his older brother attends. You might have heard of Gilbert Beilschmidt…?"

"Oh! I have," Feliciano said, grinning. "My brother talks about him a lot." Truth be told, Lovino complained about him a lot, along with two others named Antonio and Francis. But despite his complaining everyday after school, Lovino seemed to be in good terms with the trio, especially Antonio.

"Fantastic! You'll hit it off great then!" The principal beamed. "Your schedules should mirror each other's, so go off to your first class! Off you go!" He shooed them out of the office, both of them exiting, but not before Feliciano grabbed two lollipops, Miss Hadelina sent him a joking smirk as he passed the doorway. Once they were both out, the door shut behind them.

Feliciano held up the two lollipops, inspecting the wrappers. Cotton candy and green apple. He grimaced; green apple was his least favorite.

"So…"

Feliciano yelped, hiding the lollipops behind his back. He relaxed when he found it was only Ludwig, but tensed up again under his steely gaze. Did he always look so serious?

Ludwig shifted the papers in his arms around, as if he would rather not be holding them. "Are we going to science first?"

"Yeah," Feliciano nodded, feeling awkward. He pointed down the hallway. "It's this way. Um… Follow me."

He started walking, and Ludwig followed.

No one was in the halls other than the two, so the silence was suffocating. Desperate to break it, Feliciano said the first thing that popped in his mind: "Want my lollipop?"

Ludwig paused. "What?"

Feliciano whirled around and held out the green candy. "I don't like green apple much, so you can have it. And don't worry, I already have a lollipop."

Ludwig glanced at the stick, before hesitantly taking it. "Um, sure."

Feliciano took out the cotton candy lollipop, unwrapped it, and stuck it in his mouth. "Come on," he said around the lollipop, continuing his walk, "the teacher doesn't like me much, so we have to hurry."

"You're already eating it?" Ludwig asked, walking faster to catch up. "Won't the teacher yell at you?"

"He might, but I have to eat it now, or else I'm going to forget about it." He grinned. "You can eat yours too."

Ludwig looked down at his lollipop. "... Maybe later." He was about to put it in his pants pocket, but changed his mind and instead shoved it in a side backpack pocket, making a mental note to eat it later.

Rounding a corner, they soon stopped by a door. Feliciano put a hand on the handle, but didn't open it. Instead, he grinned at Ludwig. "You know, you should meet my other friend! I think he'd like you!"

Ludwig looked through the door window. A man was pointing at visuals on the blackboard. "Is he in this class?"

"No, but he runs an amazing club after school tomorrow! You should come!"

Feliciano kept smiling, holding his breath for the yes. But instead…

"I… I don't think I can come," Ludwig replied, looking away. "My father or brother might want me after school."

Feliciano's face fell. "Oh, okay." He then smiled hopefully. "Maybe next week? I really want you to know him."

Ludwig paused, thinking. "... Maybe."

"Great!" Feliciano exclaimed, smile widening. "I'll tell him tomorrow. I really think you'll enjoy the club!"

Smile still there, he opened the door to the class.

Feliciano - N. Italy

Lovino - S. Italy

Romulus - Ancient Rome

Sebastian - Seborga

Ludwig - Germany

In which half of the characters introduced here are unimportant OCs. Except Miss Hadelina. She's somewhat important.

I'm really sorry about how late this is! I got a bit of trouble finishing this, since it's a bit long. Not sure if the next chapter will be quite as long, but it just might. You never know when I'm writing.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave any type of feedback down in the reviews! Can't wait to see you in the next one~!