A/N: Goodness me. I didn't expect the warm reception for this story. Thank you to those who reviewed!

I don't Hetalia Axis Powers, its characters, and other recognizable figures in this story. The only thing I own is the plot and my OC.

AU, OOC.

Rare were the moments when Lovino and Feliciano's mother, Carlita, actually acted like a parent. So when she surprisingly stayed home one morning and assured Lovino that she would be taking care of the household, the older Vargas brother took this as an opportunity to have time for himself. He was a bit apprehensive, considering his mom's track record of disappearing, but Carlita mentioned that her childhood friend, a woman from Germany, was coming to visit the apartment. The woman would be bringing her own son, a young boy almost the same age as Feliciano. Therefore, Carlita would be acting responsible for a while.

Since the music store was closed and Lovino's shift at the diner starts at two in the afternoon, he had the morning all to himself. He decided to take their old, battered Chevy and drive to the part of the town he knew all too well. It was a short drive, almost ten minutes, and soon Lovino found himself parking in front of a very familiar and welcoming one-storey house.

The house looked cozy and well-kept, with whitewashed walls with blue trim. There were beds of hydrangeas under the windows, and a small sampaguita near the door. Lovino spent a lot of time in this house when he was younger, doing homework, listening to Tchaikovsky or Bruch. He had a lot of fun times in this house, back when he was younger and still carefree.

Back when Mom cared for us and had a decent job and Dad was still with us and we were all happy and all I had to worry about was getting good grades…

Lovino shook his head, driving away the thoughts as he bounded up the steps to the mahogany front door. He could hear the faint strings of a violin softy humming the opening theme from Princess Mononoke inside the house. The Italian smiled at the familiar melody, letting himself into the unlocked house.

As he stepped inside the living room, he found the person he was looking for, fully occupied with her violin. Her slim build moved and swayed in time with the music, and her eyes were closed in her concentration. Her short, black hair was held in place by a barrette. Lovino smiled at the sight.

"You know, Maan, you'd sound even better if you let your body sway more to the music. You're still too stiff," he said, making the girl jump. She sighed in relief when she saw that it was just him.

"That's some advice coming from a person who'd never played a violin before." She said in a singsong voice, as she stopped playing and placed her violin back in its case. "Besides, I perfected that piece a long time ago. There's no way for me to sound even better because I already sound the best."

Lovino scoffed at her, but in a joking manner. Maan was his best friend, an aspiring musician just like him. They went to elementary and high school together, forming a close bond because of their mutual love for classical music. They always played in duets, she with her violin and him with his piano. They both have dreams of being famous musicians, gaining recognition around the world. Lovino was drawn to her because of her kind and sweet demeanor, which made up for his hot temperament. They were inseparable when they were younger.

But now she received a scholarship at the National Center for Performing Arts for her music. The two of them auditioned at the same time, just before their high school graduation, but only Maan was going to attend. Lovino was happy for his best friend. He really was. She would be leaving in the afternoon, so Lovino stopped by and decided to hang out with her before she catches the bus.

The two of them hopped into Lovino's Chevy and drove to Kundiman's. it was a small, cozy café fifteen blocks away, famous for its hot chocolate and pastries. But what made the place special to the duo was not the food, but rather the electronic keyboard tucked into one corner of the café. The manager put the keyboard right there, and encouraged the customers to play it. Naturally, this was the duo's favorite hang-out.

"Are you excited?" Lovino asked Maan as he handed her a steaming plastic cup filled with hot chocolate and a pastry. They had a table near the window, and Maan was watching the cars driving by when Lovino arrived. She smiled at him as she accepted the chocolate and the pastry.

"Well, of course I'm excited," she began, twiddling the stirrer idly. "It's my dream school." Maan looked up and saw Lovino staring at her. "But I'm really nervous," she added honestly. "I mean, it's wonderful and exciting and all that, but I'm going to be all alone."

Lovino scoffed at her. "You're being melodramatic, Maan. You're going to love it there, I'm sure of it. You're going to fit in just fine and you're gonna make a lot of new friends."

"But I don't want to go there alone!" Maan whined. "We were supposed to go together! We've always been together. We're the dynamic duo. We're Mickey and Minnie, Bonnie and Clyde. Mermaidman and Barnacleboy, Phineas and Ferb, Mary-kate and Ashley…"

Lovino raised his hands to stop her. "Alright, alright, I get the picture. Jeez!" He also frowned at her last couple. "Mary-kate and Ashley? Really?"

Maan chuckled at him. "You know what I mean." Then she smile disappeared. "But seriously, I had no idea why you didn't get accepted! We auditioned at the same time! You were really good. And I know the teachers think you were good. So why didn't you get accepted?"

The Italian just shook his head, gazing out the window for a moment before looking back at his best friend. "I had no idea too. Let's just drop it, okay. The important thing is, you got accepted. At least one of us gets to 'live the dream'". She opened her mouth to protest, but Lovino cut her off. "Look, you're good too. I know you're going to kick butt out there. And I'm happy for you. Really." He finished with a smile.

Maan sighed and took a sip of her hot chocolate. "But I'd feel so much better if we went to the school together…" she leaned towards the table and plopped her chin into her hand. "So what do you plan to do? You have to audition again. I'll be on the lookout for schedules so you'll be prepared…"

"Maan, it's okay," he said, cutting her off. "I don't think I'd be able to get a scholarship anyway. And besides, I've got jobs, remember. I can't let those go. Not now."

The raven-haired girl looked disappointed, but she didn't push the issue. She took a bite of her pastry and changed the subject instead. "I heard Roderich flew to Austria and closed down Duniani."

"Yeah, he went back to his homeland and won't be back for a long time. I'm actually free in the mornings. I think I'll ask Elizaveta to increase my hours at the diner. Feli needs new shoes."

Maan pouted at her best friend. "Oh come on Lovino. Don't you have time to do the things that you want for a change? Ever since we graduated from high school you did nothing but work. You're wasting your talent, dear."

"Look, I don't have a choice. Feli needs to be enrolled in kindergarten. Mom's too busy doing God-knows-what to pay attention. It's actually a miracle she stayed home today. I don't have time for music school right now"

Lovino said it nonchalantly, but Maan could sense the bitterness in his tone. She ached for her best friend, who shelved his dream and chose to take care of his family instead.

The Italian noticed Maan's melancholic expression. "Oh come on, don't go dramatic on me now!" We won't be seeing each other for almost five months. We're supposed to be having fun right now!"

Maan shook of her sadness and smiled at him. "Fine." She glanced around the café, and noticed that nobody was playing the keyboard. "How about the opening theme from Howl's Moving Castle?"

Lovino followed her gaze to the keyboard, then smiled broadly. "No problem."

The manager of the café stepped outside his office for a moment and went to the dining area the moment he heard his two favorite musicians work their magic. Lovino was at the keyboard running his fingers through it, almost as if they were dancing. Maan on the other hand was standing beside him, violin propped under her chin and gracefully sliding her bow through the strings. The music coming from the two talented young people flowed beautifully, just like always.

A/N: Sorry for this chapter! No Spamano yet, but soon.

Maan is my OC, and she's supposed to be Philippines. Or something like that.

Thanks for reading!