AN: HOLY MOTHER OF GOD SHE DIDN'T TAKE A MONTH FOR AN UPDATE! Yes that's right dear potential reviewers, and I'm almost done with the next chapter too. In layman's terms, I'M BACK BABY!

I should warn you, there will be intense homophobia in less this and more the next chapter. Elizaveta's parents are very old-fashioned, and it's one of the reasons she got into yaoi to rebel against them. But they're nice people who don't know any better...

Duck: Good to hear~! And don't worry, I do love denial. (Soda at 3 am? Tsk tsk. )

It's not Francis.

Grey: Well sensei, I'm hoping you continue to review even though I HAVE MESSAGED and look at this you said you wanted Roddy in the beginning.

Yes, Lukas is amazing.

*heartstimesinfinity*

Warning: This chapter and the next contains mass angst of the family drama variety.

Disclaimer: I own Prussian things, but not Prussia.

Enjoy!

(Edit: This chapter is being slightly rewritten, (much gratitude to Miss Macabre Grey, who put her utmost into helping me.) so if you notice small changes, worry not. )


Her name was Emma, but Vash called her mother and Lili called her mom. She was fairly short, taller than her daughter but about the height as her son, with the same hair as her children. Choppy, short, and blond with light tan hues. The mother was still young, having given birth to Vash at only seventeen, but you could sense her age from the wrinkles on her brow and creases around green eyes. She had gotten pregnant with Vash while she was still in high school, and had dropped out to live with the man she loved; Vash and Lili's father, who was five years older than her. After finding out their daughter was pregnant, her aristocratic parents had kicked her out of their house, called her a disgrace, and the young woman never saw them again. She had no regrets at the time for her decisions, because she had been able to have beautiful and wonderful children from her seemingly bad choices, but things would not last. (Mostly copy-pasted, hope you don't mind.) After a tiny blond boy was born, they moved to Liechtenstein; away from the permanent presence of their parents. Later, when her daughter Liliane asked why she was a citizen of Liechtenstein when they lived in Switzerland, Emma would say they were traveling at the time of their birth.
Emma never told her about what happens on their 'travels.' About when the denial finally drifted away and all that was left was comprehension, but she could only take the newborn baby who couldn't walk yet.
Lili didn't see her brother or father until three years later, when they were sent to Austria to live together.

Vash hadn't seen his sister either, but he remembers tiny palms and precious smiles and something from a long time ago. And while they sleep together on the train, in everyone's eyes a perfect family, the Swiss dreams the first fond dream since the day he saw half his family leave their home.


"For the last time, no, Mathias, I am not going to switch my partner." Lukas snapped, glaring at his boyfriend.

"But you're my boyfriend, you should want to! Come on, we can even do something in Swahili if you want!" Mathias pleaded.

"One time! One time!"


Vash dreamed of his mother that night. Or rather, flashes of memories that somehow twist themselves into a single seamless story.

First he sees a young girl, about his age, clinging onto a long white skirt swaying in the wind. He sees a hand stroke the girl's hair, and his eyes travel up the hand through the arm until it reaches a smiling face of a sad woman. The woman leans down and hugs the girl, whispering in German words of love and sorrow and 'you'll like it here.' and he decides he likes this woman very much and he hopes he sees her again.

Suddenly the woman's young, pale and untouched face contorts into an older, morbid variant. She's grimacing and her hair is bedraggled, locks pulled out from an elegant bun and flying through the air. She's gulping down tall glasses of clear liquid, but he knows it isn't water. She turns as if only just noticing him.

"Oh. What are you doing here?"

"I've been here the entire time, Mother." He whispers, eyes wide and drawn to her face.

She sneers and sets down the glass, making a small clattering noise, and when she notices she's put it on her keys and the glass is about to fall, she lets it, watching as glass shatters and spreads across the floor, like a barrier between her and her son. "Let me tell you something Vash. Don't ever fall in love. And don't let Lili either." She slurs her words, snatching the bottle to replace the cup, and takes a full swig, pure alcohol dripping down her chin and seeping into her expensive evening gown.

Vash nods, even though he's old enough to take the bottle away now, to take Lili away, but he knows it's just a bad day. They're normally not like this. It's not like she's bad to them.

The next memory was of the day he finally made the call. Fourteen years old, he calls the number on a pamphlet he found in the street. Lili is next to him, and she stays silent even as he whispers into the phone that his mother needs help. The next day, a van comes to pick them all up, and he puts the luggage in the back while his mother screeches that she doesn't need help. Her nails pierce two employees like daggers, leaving scars that will take a month to fade away.

And then he dreamed of the flight over on the plane the center organized for them, where he reads about the on-campus dorms and the nearby town, about how breakfast and lunch are both prepared by the school and everyone's like a family.

Funny thing about memories. We never remember them as we see them, through our own eyes, and we remember them as we recite them, not as they happened. But Vash has never told anyone about these memories, and he woke up with tears in his eyes because he knew they were true.


Lili dreamed of her mom that night. Or rather, she remembers a sunny day on a hill in Switzerland overlooking a lake in a valley.

She was eight years old, and had finally begun to wonder why the other children had daddies, and she didn't.

"Lili." Her mother said quietly. "You have a wonderful Daddy. He's just caught up in something at the moment." She smiled and turned to her daughter, stroking the newly cut hair. "Did you do this?"

Lili blushed and nodded, fingering her short hair. "Y-yes, but someone said I looked like a boy..."

Emma frowned, kissing Lili's forehead and pulling her in for a hug. "Anyone who says my beautiful daughter looks like a boy obviously doesn't know what he's talking about." And Lili smiled and murmured something and fell asleep in her mother's arms.

A year later, her brother overheard someone accidentally call his sister a boy, and bought a simple blue ribbon that he tied in her hair.


"Whatcha~ thinkin'~ bout~?" Alfred drawled, lazily moving his finger in either an eight figure or an infinity sign.

"Satan." Arthur replied bluntly.

"Well that's... worrying."

He shook his head in response. "No... I mean, is it six six six, or six hundred and sixty-six?"

"I think this is the first time I've ever seen you high." Alfred whispered in amazement, his eyes drawn wide.

Arthur scowled and whacked him softly (with a special first edition 'The Hobbit') on the back of his head. "I am not high you twit. It's for a presentation in mythology."

"Oh..." the American nodded solemnly "By the way, who did you get for your duet?"

"Not that it matters to you, but I got Tino. I'll probably be switching with Berwald, anyway." He peeked over at Alfred who was pulling a face. "Why?"

"Nothing nothing. I got Mathias." Alfred replied airily, trying and failing at being inconspicuous.

Arthur took his attempt to heart and pretended not to notice, saying, "Why don't you switch with Lukas?"

"Yeah, I guess." Alfred pouted as his hand slid off the table. "God I'm tired..."

"Then go to sleep."

"But I don't wanna."


Elizaveta had dragged Roderich, who had dragged Gilbert ("Why do I even have to go? My dad's already here."), to the airport, and they were waiting outside customs for Linda and Magnus Hedervary to arrive.

They had been waiting a fair half an hour when Roderich pulled Gilbert aside, and whispered, "I need to go to the bathroom. You know her parents, you'll know what to do."

"What?" Gilbert pouted, yanking back his arm. "Why should I have to do anything?"

"Just do it Gilbert."

"Fine." He finally replied, sighing and wondering why he didn't just tell Elizaveta himself. But after all, if it gave him good credit with Roderich...

"There she is." Elizaveta whispered urgently, interrupting Gilbert's thoughts, biting her lip, and not turning around.

Linda frowned, her eyes batting and cropped brown hair swaying to the side. "Oh, sweetie, did you and Roddy-kins break up?" She had somehow reached the conclusion from the mere fact they weren't together, and it was why Elizaveta had dragged him to the airport in the first place. She put her hand on her chest, and if anyone else saw her they would think she was faking. "Why don't we go out and buy ice cream? We can ta-"

"No!" Elizaveta quickly cut in, grabbing the arm next to her. "We're still together!" She turned to glare at Roderich, silently asking where he had gone, only to find these were not the eyes she was looking for.

Her shock must not have conveyed, because Gilbert smirked in the most evil of ways, and held his hand out to her mother.

"Gilbert?" Said mother asked. She ignored the hand and pulled him into a hug, ruffling his silver hair until his perfectly tousled look went down the drain.

"That's right Lin." He replied, eyes darting to where he could see his hair falling into his eyes. He smiled and added, "We got back together a few weeks ago." He looped his arm around Elizaveta's shoulder and squeezed her, which drew a growl from her throat.

Linda frowned and she quickly turned the growl into a cough, before pushing Gilbert off. "Yeah, what can I say." She grimaced in a terrible imitation of a smile. "I... just... love... him... so... much."

Her mother smiled and fawned silently over the darling thought of them together again. "Oh dear," she said fretfully, looking exaggeratedly at her watch. "Magnus has been with the luggage a long time. I'll make sure he's okay." She decided, kissing her daughter on the forehead and trotting back from whence she came.

Elizaveta watched after her as she rubbed the lipstick off her forehead like any other teenager, and the moment she couldn't see her mother's blue sundress anymore, she glared at Gilbert. "What are you doing?" She hissed, her back arched defensively.

Gilbert, the sonova, was still smiling, and he murmured back, "So I was right. You didn't tell her I was gay." He gave a quick glance at her, and the smirk only widened at the sight of the frenzied and red-faced Hungarian.

She blushed even more furiously at the comment, her mouth gaping open and shut while she searched for words. "I- I never got the chance." She said lamely.

"Really?" He scoffed, "She never said, why'd you break up? Seems like the sort of thing she'd do."

"You know it isn't like that." She said, shaking her head.

"I know."

They both stayed silent until they saw Linda coming trotting back with a slightly overweight man rolling along a large suitcase.

"Gilbert!" He practically guffaws, huffing as he pulls up next to them. "Glad to see you two close even after all these years. I remember when you two first met!" He turned to his wife who was smiling with immaculate teeth and nodding to everything her husband said.

"While we were in Austria, yes that's right." She looked at her husband for approval, and he nodded. "Yes, and you also met Roddy-kins there."

Gilbert restrained a snort at the nickname, but apparently not well enough as Elizaveta kicked him in the shin, and said, "Well, I still thought she was a boy back then."

Linda's smile seemed almost strained before she recovered and Magnus replied, "That's our Liz."

Elizaveta nodded and quickly interrupted with a "We should get going now?" before Gilbert could do any worse.

Linda nodded and they set off to the car, just missing Roderich step out of the men's bathroom and look around the crowded area. Well, there went his ride.

And then he remembered his parents weren't coming until the next day.


Feliciano ducked his head through the window, his small giggle echoing through the empty halls and reverberating over the lockers back to him.

"Ludwig!" He whispered, his quiet voice still noticeable in the extreme silence of the hallway.

"What?" Ludwig asked gruffly, looking nervously side to side.

"There's no one in here!" Feliciano pouted and turned to examine his boyfriend. "I don't think you'll fit... I'll climb through and open the door from inside."

Ludwig nodded nervously, worried about the way Lovino had told his brother about how to sneak into the school. He knew the Italian didn't like him very much, and wouldn't hesitate to get him into trouble. "Okay, but do it quickly..."

Feliciano nodded and, showing a much larger than usual courage, wriggled through the small window, his legs popping out of sight after a few squirming movements. "Ve~ I'm in, Luddy, I'll open the door a little to the left."

"Your left or my left?"

"Um... my left."

Ludwig nodded and began moving to the right, until he reached a green, heavyweight door. Seconds later, he heard a click and Feliciano popped his head out, pulling Ludwig in and closing the door.

"Isn't this fun, Luddy?" He chirped, bouncing around the stairwell.

"Come on Feliciano, let's just get my stuff and go." He responded, leading the way to his locker on the other side of the school.

"Yessir!"


The little Gerita snippet at the end will be important in the next chapter!

I've decided Switzy will either end up with Romano or Austria for the duet, so come one, come all! And place your votes!

The Swahili bit is of course a reference to Eurovision. Haba haba!

Next chapter contains more angst! And homophobia! And standing up against homophobia! And kissing! But who with who...

Also, although I have regained my enthusiasm for this story, I'm going on another trip (to Paris this time, be jealous B] ) so even if I finish typing, it may be day or two until I can update regularly again.

(For questions, comments, suggestions and votes)

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