Disclaimer: I don't own it, I just ship it
Warning: AU, strong language, boy x boy pairings, violence (more so bullying in the beginning), and because this was inspired by the manga Iris Zero, there may be some minor spoilers for it.
Thanks for all the support from the last chapter! It motivated me to finish editing this chapter a little sooner than I expected. I guess it also helps that I have strep throat and can't exactly leave my place too…Good excuse to update lots of stuff all at once! Rawr! …hack, cough, wheeze…^^
oOo
"Hi, Lovino!" Alfred cheerfully greeted the brunette as Lovino walked through the main school gates.
"W-What, bastard?" the tsundere was caught off-guard. It wasn't often that people initiated conversations with him that didn't end in complaints or threats. "Oh. Hi."
"I take it you're not a morning person?" the blonde laughed. "Do you want some of my coffee?"
Now, Lovino was really thrown through a loop. He stared at the hand holding a cup of hot coffee extended towards him as if it was some kind of trap, while his brain tried to process where to go from here. Moodiness won out in the end.
"No thanks. Not thirsty."
"Oh, okay," Alfred shrugged, taking a sip of it for himself. He had to stay at the main gates for a little longer, so he waved to his new friend. "Seeya later, then!"
Not bothering to return the wave, Lovino picked up his pace. He could feel his face heat up for some stupid reason. He was probably just warm from his walk to school. Yeah, that was it. Alfred's greeting was nothing special. He probably greeted everyone he knew the same way. Lovino didn't care. He couldn't care. He had bigger problems.
His desk in Homeroom was cluttered with crumpled paper, candy wrappers, and other assorted trash. Lovino mentally sighed. He knew there'd be something after yesterday's…incident. It was nothing he hadn't seen before, though. Wordlessly grabbing the wastebasket, he continued over to his desk, casting a few glares on the snickering students in the corner. He easily swept the papers into the garbage, revealing the scratched-up top of his desk.
YOUR A CURSE! DIE!
The engraving was new. Lovino raised his eyebrows. The laughter behind him grew.
"If you're going to try to threaten me, at least use the proper form of 'you're' you dumb bastards," he sneered right back. "Did you expect to scare me off with your lack of grammar skills?"
Ignoring the grumbling behind him, Lovino turned around and sat in his desk like nothing had even happened. Like hell, he'd let the jackasses get the best of him.
oOo
"Hi, Lovino!" the blonde greeted his friend the following morning.
"You're out here again?" the Italian asked, momentarily forgetting his brother was standing next to him.
"Yep! I'm looking for the next Student Council President, remember?"
"Knock yourself out…"
"Have an awesome day!"
"Yeah, whatever…" Lovino grumbled and continued on his way.
"Aww, that was sweet of him…" Feliciano nudged his brother.
"Shut up, you're annoying," Lovino growled back.
"Ve~! Fratello's blushing!" the amber-eyed boy poked his brother's cheek.
"I am not! Get the hell away from me!" the tsundere swatted at him.
"You're finally making more friends!" Feli sighed wistfully, pulling out his phone. "I gotta tell Toni!"
"Idiota! You put that thing away or I'll break it in half!"
"Ve~! Fratello's scary!"
Feliciano would later apologize, citing their little scuffle as the reason he 'accidentally' hit the send button. Any further exchanges about the subject matter of the texts was simply to be polite. Yes, it was for the sake of having good manners that Feli and Antonio spent the rest of the day texting back and forth about their little Lovi growing up and making fun, new friends. There also may or may not have been several emoticons used to indicate the cuteness level of Lovino getting worked up over the whole thing.
oOo
The next day was rainy. Lovino woke up and glared outside his window as if that would somehow help. He hated the rain.
"Loviiii!" his younger brother called to him from downstairs. "Toni's here!"
Lovino picked up his bookbag and made his way down the staircase. He mentally tried to wake himself up more. It was too bad he didn't get up earlier and make himself coffee or something. He would need caffeine and lots of it to deal with Antonio this early in the morning.
"It's so nice of Toni to always take you to school on stormy days, fratello!"
The surly Italian grunted in response.
"I know exercise is important and all, but I miss the days when you'd ride to school with me…"
"I prefer walking."
He didn't have the heart to tell his little brother that he stopped because of all the threats he was getting from Feli's fans. Apparently, they were worried his imaginary Iris Zero bad luck would somehow transfer to the vehicle he was riding in and cause Feliciano to be in a car crash. However, Lovino truly didn't mind walking ten minutes to school, so it wasn't a complete lie
Lovino pulled up his hood and jogged out to his cousin's parked car.
"Buenos dias, Lovi!" Antonio chirped as the brunette sat down.
"Chupas mis huevos, tomato bastard."
Needless to say, Lovino's Spanish lessons were coming along nicely. The rest of the drive to school consisted of Antonio telling Lovino all about the cute raincoats with little animal ears they made for kids now and how he passed a class of preschoolers all wearing them and how cute that was and how cute he remembered Lovino was back when he was little and wore raincoats to school, so it was too bad they didn't make cute raincoats with animal ears back then, not that Lovino's any less cute without them, of course. Cute. Cute. Cuuuuute.
The Italian really, really wished he had made that batch of coffee.
"Hi, Lovino!"
Alfred cheerfully welcomed the tsundere to school by the gates again, bringing him out of his daze. Lovino grunted in return, but Antonio happily returned the greeting for his cranky cousin.
"Sorry, Alfred! Lovi gets grumpy when he doesn't get his morning coffee!" the Spaniard laughed.
"I know!" Alfred grinned. "Just yesterday he—"
"Standing right here, assholes!" Lovino reminded them, then punched his older cousin in the arm. "Camminare, bastardo."
"But, Lovi! You know I don't speak Italian!" Antonio whined, but complied and began walking.
"Shut up! I can learn Spanish, you can learn Italian!"
"Oh, here! Before you go!" Alfred pulled out a second to-go cup of coffee and offered it to Lovino. "You looked really tired yesterday, so I made sure to pick you one up for today. I hope you like cappuccinos. You seem like a cappuccino kind of guy!"
"Ch-Chigi!" Lovino shouted, exasperated and embarrassed. He tore off in the general direction of his locker, leaving the two guys in the dust.
"Something I said?" Alfred questioned, looking at the coffee and trying to think of where he went wrong. Why would Lovino run off like that? Maybe he didn't like cappuccinos?
"Don't worry," Antonio took the coffee in his cousin's stead, taking a sip. "That means he likes you!"
After running the majority of the way to his locker, Lovino slowed down and caught his breath. He wasn't sure why he got so embarrassed by that situation. It really was just coffee. Alfred probably got coffee for all his dumb friends. It wasn't special treatment or anything. Sure, it was the first time someone who wasn't related to him got him coffee, but that's irrelevant. Lovino opened his locker door and frowned as more garbage spilled out.
Maybe I should have taken that coffee…
He pulled out the textbooks to find they were scribbled over with permanent marker. Several pages were torn out and strewn about his locker. Trying to ignore the damage the best he could, Lovino grabbed the books he'd actually need for today.
Sadiq is going to be so pissed at the end of the year when he finds out I swapped our books…
Lovino learned how to pick locks and break into lockers around the same time his bullies did. He was just better at it. And he certainly didn't have time to deal with paying damage fees when he had to return textbooks at the end of the year. A bright yellow paper caught his eye with red paint still seeping everywhere.
They're upping their game again, I see…
He flipped over the large paper to read it better. It was written in bold, red ink. How uninspiring.
Who do you think you are?! You freak of nature! Zeroes like you should mind there own business! If you curse Alfred Jones we'll kill you!
They still can't spell to save their own lives…braindead bastards.
oOo
The school library had become Lovino's sanctuary of sorts. True, the librarian was kind of a bitch who bit off anyone who so much as whispered around her, but it meant that all the assholes who liked to scream their opinions of Iris Zeroes at him were forced to shut up too. It was the only place in World Academy that he could get some peace and quiet.
Finally…
He dropped his bag onto a table half-hidden by bookshelves and collapsed into a cushioned chair. Running a hand through his hair, Lovino closed his eyes and tried to relax a bit. It had been a long day…
"Hi, Lovino!" an unmistakable voice greeted him brightly.
"What the fuck are you doing?" the Italian nearly jumped out of his seat.
"I was in the library and saw you come in, so I figured I'd drop by and say hi," Alfred smiled brightly.
"Well, stop talking to me. It gets attention…" Lovino inclined his head towards a group of students shooting both worried and angry glances their way.
"Huh? I guess I didn't notice."
"Of course not. You live for attention, don't you?" his green eyes flashed as he slammed his book shut. "Let me make this perfectly clear for you – whenever an Iris Zero stands out, we get beaten. Standing out is a matter of life and death…that's why I made 'Low Exposure' my policy. Don't get in the way of that…"
"W-What…?"
"You heard me, dammit," Lovino glared at him. "Stop hanging out with me so I can go a fucking day without getting death threats and garbage in my locker."
A pang of guilt flashed over Alfred's bright blue eyes. He hadn't meant to make things difficult for his new friend.
"Well, you don't have to worry about helping me find the next President. Today was the last day I had to look. This afternoon I gotta report that I didn't find anyone." Alfred sighed. "The Hero has failed, but I did my best!"
"Yeah, good for you."
"I was hoping I could've convinced you to help me…" the American pouted.
"Sure, a lot of good I would have done not being able to see anything," Lovino waived off his claim. "You were better off without me."
"I don't think that's true," replied Alfred, in complete honesty. "Unlike us, you can see the world without filters, right?"
Lovino could only stare.
"Crap, there I went running my mouth again. I didn't mean to offend you or—"
"No…"
"Heh. Truth be told, I'm a little jealous of you," Alfred stood up. "Well, I better get going. Seeya around, Lovino!"
The brunette watched him leave in confusion. Most of the time it seemed like Alfred was running around with an empty head and then he had to go and spout out things like that. Not that he was impressed or anything. He was just making a simple observation is all.
oOo
The Student Council meeting was called to order by Roderich, one of the senior student class representatives. The large room was filled to capacity. Each row of chairs was occupied at the long white tables outlining the floor. Laptops, computers, and tablets whirred in the background, even as the chatter died down. As this was the meeting in which the next President was going to be announced, all of the Class Representatives had been invited.
In World Academy, the Class Reps were two students chosen from each class to help oversee things in general. Above them were the Student Council members (consisting of a Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer) who were appointed by the President. The Student Council President had been chosen by a vote in the past, but after the emergence of Iris abilities, the school relied on students with Irises similar to Alfred's to make the best choice. For the last two years, it had been Alfred's job to select the President and each choice had been successful.
"Thank you all for coming today," the Austrian boy tried to get everyone's attention.
"Hmph, some 'meeting…'" Arthur complained. "All we're doing is appointing the person the git saw as 'qualified.'"
"Shh! It's starting, mon ami!" Francis shushed him, earning a glare.
"So, Alfred, please tell us the 'qualified person.'" Roderich continued.
"…Actually, guys…Sorry. I couldn't find anyone," Alfred admitted.
A rush of surprised whispers tore through the meeting room. Nothing like this had ever happened before. What were they supposed to do now? Randomly appoint someone? Take a vote?
"Even though you stood out in front of the gate each morning and visited every classroom in our school?" Roderich did little to hide his annoyed tone.
"Yeah…I'm sorry," the blonde scratched his head.
"Are you sure you mean 'I couldn't find someone' and not 'I couldn't see anything?'"
"What do you mean?" Alfred asked.
"…" Antonio narrowed his typically cheerful eyes. He had a feeling he knew exactly where this was going.
"You've been getting along quite well w/the Iris Zero lately," Roderich shrugged casually. "And seeing an X or an O above someone's head seems a little farfetched, even for you."
"What are you trying to say?" Alfred was getting offended. "That I'm lying? That all my other choices have been lucky?"
More whispers floated across the room.
"I did see him talking to the Iris Zero earlier!"
"No, way! Seriously?"
"Maybe he's cursed now? How awful!"
"Why would you say that?" was quick to defend his new friend. "He was just helping me out!"
"What a bad atmosphere…" Kiku frowned.
"B-But Lovi's not cursed!" Feliciano insisted. "And Alfred wouldn't lie! Tell them, Lud!"
"But he still couldn't find a qualified person…" the German gave him an apologetic look. "I don't think my word will have much weight here…"
Suddenly, when the room couldn't get any more tense, Lovino strode in. He walked in as if he owned the place, not paying any mind to the cat-ear headband perched on his head, courtesy of the Shinatty Superstore sale. The majority of the room could do nothing but stare. Feliciano cracked a smile and Kiku quickly snapped a picture. Only after he was certain he had their undivided attention, did Lovino pretend to notice the room full of people.
"Shit, I got the wrong room…" he rubbed his head, doing his best not to blush.
"What's that on his head?"
"Cat ears?"
"The Iris Zero is so weird…"
"I like the ears, man!" Alfred burst out laughing, no longer feeling the weight everyone's accusing stares.
"Ears?" the Italian raised an eyebrow, acting surprised. He then pulled the headband off. "Oh, I guess I didn't even notice. I can't see what's above my own head, after all."
Lightbulbs seemed to flash around the large room. Lovino merely spun on his heel and exited the room as casually as he entered.
"Later, bastards!"
"Above…your own head…"
"Omigawd! Alfred's Iris!"
"Yeah, it only shows him the X or the O above a person's head!"
"So the person most qualified must be…" Feliciano smiled brightly and stood up, directing everyone's attention to the blonde in the center of the room.
"Me?" Alfred blinked and pointed to himself.
Lovino walked away as the room started cheering and congratulating Alfred.
"Hmph. Not two minutes ago they were ready to chase him out of town with torches and pitchforks…now they're pledging their undying loyalty…" he sighed. "That only proves my point about Motto #2…Humans are Bastards."
But a small, minuscule, often and quickly denied part of him was secretly happy Alfred got the job.
oOo
A/N – Hope you enjoyed the second chapter! From here on out, I'll start deviating from the manga's plot, but there still may be some spoilers (mostly in terms of powers) from the original manga. I'll try not to call attention to them as they pop up, but wanted to let you know ahead of time :)
Lovino picked up the cat-ear headband from the Shinatty Superstore after remembering that a random passerby used her Iris to tell her friends they were having a sale from chapter 1. The boy has some crazy hearing. I'm not at liberty to reveal what happened to the headband after.
Next time we'll see what kind of crazy things Alfred tries to get away with as President…okay, that's a lie. We'll be seeing that the entire story. ^^
-Rajikka
Translations
Fratello – Brother (It.)
Tsundere – A type of character seen in anime or manga known for appearing cold or hostile, but having a hidden sweet side. "Tsun Tsun" is the aloof or irritable side, while "Dere Dere" is the lovey dovey side. (Jp.)
Buenos dias – Good morning (Sp.)
Chupas mis huevos – Suck my balls (Sp.)
Camminare, bastardo – Walk, bastard (It.)
Mon ami – My friend (Fr.)