A/N: So why have I been so inactive?

Long story short (since I already scared away people with my angsty note on Getting to Lovina), I suffered extreme stress and depression for a long period of time. It was horribly debilitating, and I just did not have the strength to write anything. But I'm mostly recovered now, and I intend to get farther with my fics.

Chiara = fem!Romano

Disclaimer: I own this as much as I own the moon.

And in case you didn't know, the italics are usually the texts. I hope it's clear who wrote what.

Chapter 4: In Which Different Talks are Held

Jing Mei returned home that day from school with a great deal of Algebra and another load of Chemistry, feeling disgruntled and irritated. The feelings only grew more pungent when she entered her room. She was not pleased to find Xiang, Mari, and Yong Soo all lounging there. Her eye twitched slightly as she set her things down in their designated spots. The trio in her room simply gazed at her blandly. A vein popped in her forehead.

"What happened to personal privacy?"

"That's an illusion da ze! And illusion originated in…"

"NO," the other three interrupted loudly. Yong Soo pouted like a child deprived of sweets. He even teared up a little when they continued to disregard him.

"But seriously. Why are you here? Don't you have homework to do?"

"Have you texted Tina or Berwald yet?" asked Xiang, ignoring her demands. "You really should get some of the blackmail out of them, you know."

"No. I just got home. Speaking of which, how did you get home before me?"

"What have you been texting Anders lately?" continued Xiang, as if Jing Mei had said nothing.

Jing Mei sighed, blowing her abnormally long ahoge out of her face. "It's only been the third day since you've given me his number. And I've still been sending him creeper texts, so stop bothering me."

"Maybe you should stop with the creeper texts," suggested Xiang.

"I thought you wanted me to freak him out. Why are you suddenly telling me to stop?"

Mari smirked. "The big Danish idiot is getting too concerned. I'm afraid that he might notify the authorities or change his number. Of course, I've gotten his parents in on it too, so they're doing their best to keep him calm. Nora's beside herself with glee, so my parents are also in on everything that's going on. Oh, if Nora has to do with anything, then so does Arthur. Based on the events of today, I will assume that 'Ber-Bear' and Tina are in full support. He won't be able to figure exactly who you are, but there's still a chance he might become desperate."

Jing Mei blinked. Mari did not usually enjoying chattering, so the long speech from the other girl was a bit of shock for the Asian. Her infuriatingly smug twin, of course, was smirking at her with great amusement. Jing Mei turned crimson, trying to think of an intelligent response.

"And of course, your Yong-Soo oppa is in full support too!"

Jing Mei sent Yong Soo a look that could curdle dairy within a nanosecond. The Korean boy shrank behind Xiang. Mari simply acted as if nothing had occurred.

"Anyhow," continued Mari, "I think would be best that you send him a few more creeper texts today, and then Xiang will give you the plan layout for Plan B."

"And of course, if you don't follow along, you might find your favorite hoodie missing," finished Xiang.

Jing Mei gasped. "You wouldn't. Not the panda."

Xiang nodded. "You bet I would."

Internal conflict ensued within Jing Mei for five minutes as they all sat around in awkward silence.

"Ugh. Fine. But you need to get OUT of my room right now."

Hello again.

lort ur that one creeper

It's not exactly nice to refer to me like that.

then what am i supposed to call u

Uh…We can figure that part out later.

Jing Mei's phone buzzed again. She tore her eyes away from the Algebra problem she was attacking. Wearily, she picked it up and flipped it open, expecting to see a reply from Anders. Instead, she got a reply from Berwald.

'ello Jing Mei. Do not let Anders know that I told you this: He still has a entire set of Viking plushies from his childhood and he has a shrine for them

Thank you Berwald

Don't mention it…It was a favor for Tina.

Jing Mei chortled. Of course. The stoic blonde was a gigantic teddy bear when it came to anything concerning Tina. No wonder the petite girl referred to him as "Ber-Bear." Just as she was think it, her phone buzzed again.

Oh, and by the way, this is a little bit of revenge for myself. In his sleep, he used to droll and mumble about how jealous he was of Arthur.

I'll keep that in mind.

Just as Jing Mei was about to pick up her pencil to begin on the accursed Algebra, her phone buzzed once more. She started at the noise, but once she realized what it was, she just groaned into her arms.

if i cant call you creeper then imma call you…wait, r u a boy or a girl?

That is a good question. Considering that you have a shrine of Viking plushies, it's very funny that you ask.

"妹妹! 吃饭啦!"

"好! 我马上来!"

Jing Mei massaged her cramped hands. Just as she was about to leave her room for dinner, her phone buzzed again.

waldo? this isn't funny man

Sorry Anders. I am not Berwald. I've also heard stories about how you droll in your sleep. Try not to sleeptalk. You let out many secrets that way. Like your jealousy of Arthur.

Jing Mei stretched, placed her phone in the pocket of her sweats, and then headed down for dinner. Yao had already set the table, and Xiang was already sitting down. She offered her brothers a half-smile.

"How goes?" he greeted.

Jing Mei shrugged indifferently.

"Moving on the Plan B soon?" she asked. Xiang shrugged and reached across the table for some bok choy.

"Maybe. I think you should creepily bid him good-bye tonight and then we'll move on."

Jing Mei had sat down now, and she was also chomping on the delectable vegetables. Yao was still bustling around the kitchen, putting pans in the sink and replacing unused ingredients. He hummed as it worked, completely oblivious to her troubles. Jing Mei thought he looked hilarious with a pink frilly apron on as he worked merrily. It made her think of their cheery old grandmother. Jing Mei wasn't always on the best of terms with her elder brother, but she was still fond of him, in a way.

"好吃吗?"

Yao had finished in the kitchen and was now sitting down at the table with them. He smiled brightly at his younger siblings, expecting them to agree.

"当然咯. 哥哥还是一个好厨师," she obliged.

"哈哈. 谢谢."

'I might as well just take life as it comes,' thought Jing Mei as the three siblings ate together like every other night. 'At the very least, I should stop feeling so nervous about this whole pranking thing. We'll all forget about it soon, and Xiang, Mari, and Yong Soo will leave me alone.'

Lars stared glumly at the wall of his room. Said room was, at the moment, occupied by two blonde juniors sitting on the floor: one being Lars himself, and the other being the most frustrating human being on the surface of the earth. As the human being continued to whine indignantly, Lars fiddled with the bottom drawer of his desk.

"I'm telling you man, totally NOT AWESOME!"

Anders had just finished his entire "There is a creeper texting me" rant and was not looking at Lars expectantly. The scarred blond sighed visibly and rubbed his temples. He did not feel like dealing with Anders today. Chiara was mad at him (again), and Lars was more interested in making up with his temperamental girlfriend than in hearing about Ander's stalker. He finally just stopped up and stretched.

The hyperactive Dane began to bounce in his seat, anticipating some form of sympathy.

"Densen. You're overreacting."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?"

Lars rolled his eyes as the other boy began to whine and flash him puppy eyes.

"But Lars, this so serious! How can I be overreacting?"

"Shit, man. Relax. Just stop texting them back and they'll stop."

"I…I didn't think of that."

The Dutch boy's eye twitched in annoyance. Trust Anders to completely overlook the easiest solution.

"Hey bastard, you forgot this."

Speak of the devil. Chiara Vargas had just stuck her head into the doorframe of his room. In her outstretched hand lay his house key. Specifically, his house keep which had gone missing two weeks ago.

Without missing a beat, he took the key from her hand and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thanks, Bunny. I guess I owe you one," he smirked, his expression still mostly stoical.

Chiara blushed and punched his shoulder. "Sh-shut up, idiot. I'm not going to care next time. I have to go home and take care of my idiot sister and my stupid old grandpa. Ciao, bastardo."

Anders watched in confusion as the irate Italian girl left.

"Dude, are you guys seriously a couple?"

Lars's quirked a wry grin. "Each to his own. She takes care of me, and I take care of her. Win-win."

Anders tilted his head slightly, still not comprehending Lar's words. The Dutch boy rolled his eyes and gestured towards the door.

"Get home, Densen, and stop freaking out."

Tonight is the last time I speak to you. Don't wilt under your pretty red blankets. You'll wake up to a new experience tomorrow. Without me, regrettably. But I have found a new target.

A/N: Annnnnnnnd they are changing tactics very rapidly. In the next chapter, you'll experience more new characters. ^^ And poor, poor Anders.

Does anyone want a Magic Trio cameo?

I hope I didn't make Yao too OOC. I picture him as being the sort of matronly oldest brother, and he really loves his siblings. To be honest, I think he even has a soft spot for Yong Soo.

And yes. fem!Romano is dating the Netherlands. I said there would be uncommon pairings.

SO I hope you enjoyed this!

Here are translations:

"妹妹! 吃饭啦!" – "Little sister! Time to eat!"

"好! 我马上来!" – "Ok! I'm coming right away!"

"好吃吗?" – "Does it taste good?"

"当然咯. 哥哥还是一个好厨师." – "Of course. Big brother is still a good cook."

"哈哈. 谢谢." – "Haha. Thanks."