Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia!
Chapter Nine- To Be or Not to Be
"There is no fucking way I will ever wear that," Lovino growled when Feliciano presented him with the design he had come up with for his costume. Feliciano, who had been so sure of his genius mind, looked as if someone had told him there would be no Christmas this year. He whimpered pathetically, shoving the drawing into Lovino's face just in case looking at it more closely would make him realise what a brilliant idea it was. The shading in particular was excellent.
Lovino took the drawing and tore it in half. He wasn't normally one for raining on his little brother's parade, but of all the ideas he had ever had, this was one of the worst. "No. Fucking. Way," he reiterated.
"But I thought you liked those… Ve…" Feliciano mourned the loss of his beautiful picture.
"That doesn't mean I want to dress up like that!" Lovino spluttered. "I don't want to dress up at all! I'll feel stupid, especially looking like that. You know I hate being stared at!"
Feliciano tried again, waving the two halves of the drawing wildly. "Everyone else does it!" Actually, Lovino had done a very neat job of tearing the paper in half. The two pieces were almost equal. He made a mental note to ask his brother to fold his homemade cards from now on- he never could get it quite right.
"And they all look stupid," was Lovino's final word on the subject. Oh, how he hated Halloween. He loathed dressing up; he couldn't stand how random brats would turn up on his doorstep and demand he share his candy, although he wasn't allowed to give out candy ever since he had decided to trick them all that one year- now that had been a good Halloween!
Most of all, he hated the big fuss that the school made every year. He didn't appreciate being scared in the slightest. Yet every year he was forced to help out with the preparations, and just looking at some of the props made him want to crawl away to his special corner. He joined everyone else for the Scare Fest, yes, but he always managed to slip away from the group. He would be damned if he was ever going to scream in front of all his peers, or worse, cry. But he wasn't a fear-crier. Where would anyone get that idea?
And so, he refused to enjoy Halloween. It wasn't like Christmas or any other holiday. That didn't stop Feli from trying to force him into all kinds of bizarre costumes, however. He didn't really mind Feli making a fool of himself, but he wasn't going to do it. Ever since he had been forced into a dress that one time, many years ago, he swore he would never go through such embarrassment again.
Feli stared at Lovi with the best 'I will get you' look he had, which wasn't that impressive, and slunk out of the room. He vowed to return and stuff Lovino into that costume if he had to knock him out first; who knew the little Italian was capable of such dark thoughts.
It had been another tough day for Antonio. His day had been spent wandering around town, calling into all the corner stores, all the greasy takeaways, every shop he had seen with a 'HELP WANTED' sign in their windows and even some that hadn't been asking for help. It didn't matter where he went or who he asked, the answer was always the same: "I'm sorry, but you're just too young."
Screw that. He was thirteen already. He was perfectly capable of working. He needed the money badly, but not for silly things. He didn't want a PlayStation like Gil, or a new bike like Francis. He didn't even have a TV, so something like a PlayStation was as useful as a chocolate teapot to him. He just needed to get Marcos and himself out of here.
The stench of alcohol and vomit made Antonio's eyes water as he opened the front door. He kicked past the mountain of unpaid bills and final notices that had accumulated around the front door, ignored his father who had drank himself into unconsciousness yet again and was lying comatose on the couch and into the kitchen, where he sunk down onto a rickety chair, grateful that someone had at least washed last night's dishes.
"Toni!" A chirpy voice called out to him. Marcos smiled cheerfully at the big brother he revered. The two could have passed for twins, only Marcos was a little shorter than Antonio and he had coffee eyes, whereas Antonio's eyes were as green as they came. "No luck today? That's too bad. I'm afraid it'll be tinned beans for dinner tonight. I meant to go shopping earlier, but there was no money left… Sorry."
"It's okay, beans are good for you anyway," he assured the smaller boy, trying to cheer up for his sake. He knew who was responsible for the missing money, but they had stopped pointing fingers long ago, realising it was better to just get on with the struggle that was daily life.
Marcos giggled mischievously, his warm brown eyes shining with humour. "They make you fart though."
Antonio thanked whoever was up there every day for Marcos' naturally positive disposition. If he didn't have his younger brother, he highly doubted he would have lasted this long.
A father who consumed so much alcohol, he hadn't seen straight for the past two years. A mother who was barely there. Oh, he knew what she did to get by. He felt nothing but pity for her. You could say that he and Marcos had not been especially blessed in the role model department.
He wished it was a joke. But it wasn't. Reality wasn't funny in the slightest.
"…io…Tonio… Antonio!" Antonio jumped in the air as Yao entered the office and derailed his train of thought by shaking him rather unceremoniously.
"¡Sí!" he said in a much louder than necessary tone.
Yao studied him worriedly. "Are you feeling okay, aru? You were staring at that book shelf like you wanted to kill it. And you're very pale."
Antonio brushed his concerns off easily. "I'm fine, but gracias. You don't have to worry about me!" He gestured for the Asian to take a seat, something that felt a little weird considering Yao was the headmaster. "Did you want to speak to me?"
Yao took the seat gratefully, adopting a business-like posture that made Antonio shift nervously. Could Yao have identified his little crush on Lovino? But he had hardly seen the man at all this week! "Yes. You know that next week is Halloween, and it's tradition to throw a kind of festival every year. There'll be a haunted tour of the school and its grounds and a party in the main hall, aru. We need teachers to help out with things like monitoring the party for alcohol and fights and also for taking groups around the school. I know you aren't a teacher, but do you mind, aru? I should warn you that students like to target the teachers."
"That sounds fun~! Bring it on," Antonio grinned, immensely relieved that Yao hadn't called him out on his fixation with Lovi. Yao returned the Spaniard's infectious smile, assuring him that the annual Scare Fest was something that everyone looked forward to. "I'd be delighted to help."
"Great! There'll be a meeting next week, so I'll tell you all the details then. Xiè xiè!"
Antonio was very excited about the approaching Halloween celebrations. He had always loved Halloween when he was younger, mainly because it was a chance to get out of the house and also because he, Gilbert and Francis played the best pranks. Gilbert, feeling lazy one year, had wanted to simply lie in wait and jump random kids, then take their candy. Antonio hadn't approved of that idea at all, so he had managed to convince Gil to trick the adults instead.
That opened up a can of worms which was probably best left untouched, but it was too late now. It was Francis' idea to prank the grouchy old man on the street who never gave out candy. It was Antonio's idea to do something that involved his precious goldfish pond. It was Gilbert's brainchild to kick things up a notch, which somehow led to emptying a canteen of petrol into the pond and setting it alight. Antonio was glad he had moved the fish into a bucket before Gil burnt them to a crisp.
It had been a spectacular display at first. They made sure to admire their handiwork from afar, lest they get caught. Gilbert and Francis shuddered when they thought of the horrible punishments their parents would subject them to. Antonio just shrugged.
It was truly a beautiful sight to see the flames dancing in the night, licking around the decorative statue that stood in the middle of the pond. Unfortunately, the trio had not taken into account the wind. It was a clear, dry night, yes. But though the wind was quite gentle, it was just strong enough. Gilbert face palmed when he saw how the inferno grew and how the wind nudged it ever so slightly. The ever so slightly was enough. The nearby hedge went up in flames. Think of the burning bush on a much grander scale.
Of course they flipped shit when they saw it happen. Gilbert was convinced they would be arrested and spend their adolescence in juvie. Francis had protested at that, claiming he was too beautiful to be treated in such a way. Looking back on it, Antonio put it down to a miracle that they had gotten away with it. It seemed the old man was so grateful his fish were unharmed that he didn't care about the state of his hedge.
Antonio remained nervous around fire. Gilbert maintained that he had not been scared in the slightest; he had known it would happen since the beginning. The fire simply couldn't help but be attracted to his awesomeness (the hedge had actually been in the opposite direction, but nobody mentioned it). And Francis? Actually, they weren't sure what Francis had taken from the experience. Antonio never saw him eating fish, if that meant anything.
So Antonio was no longer the pranker, but was probably going to end up the prankee. He was the best for the job- being friends with Gilbert for all these years had taught him a couple of things. It was going to be extremely difficult to pull the wool over his eyes, so good luck to whoever wished to try. He was no fool.
"Are you looking forward to the Halloween party next week?" Antonio asked Lovino on Friday afternoon as he watered the plant in the corner. Lovino was trying to drag his traitorous eyes from the Spaniard's form. It wasn't working all that well.
"Like hell I am," Lovino scoffed. "I hate Halloween."
"¿Qué?" Antonio looked up in shock. "I thought that all kids loved Halloween! You get to dress up-"
"I hate dressing up."
"Free sweets?"
"Do I look like a five year old to you? You can't fob me off with sugar!"
Antonio shook his head sadly. It was truly a tragedy that Lovino was not in the holiday mood. "So have you always hated it?"
"I liked it when I was younger," Lovino said thoughtfully. "But it's stupid now. Feli still tries to rope me in every year. You know what he wanted me to be this year?"
Antonio leaned closer in anticipation. A mental image of Lovino wearing cat ears plagued him. It wasn't as cute as the image he got of him in a tomato costume. Damn, he needed his head examined.
"A turtle," he said in a mortified whisper. "A fucking turtle. He drew a picture and everything."
What Antonio wouldn't have given for that picture. "I like turtles~!" he beamed. "I think you would make a very cute turtle Lovi."
Lovino blushed, secretly pleased that Antonio thought he could be cute. It was a compliment he hadn't received since he was a child. He had forgotten how it made him feel a little better about himself, even if 'cute' was a word more suited for girls. "Just because I like turtles doesn't mean I want to dress as one," he groused. "How do you even make a turtle costume?"
"I don't know," Antonio replied, sitting down. "I think it's nice that Feli would do that for you. He must really care about you! Not a lot of brothers have that kind of relationship." In a way, seeing Lovino and Feliciano together had reminded him of Marcos and himself. Marcos wasn't as happy-go-lucky as Feli, and Lovino was perpetually cantankerous compared to his own glass-half-full outlook, but the sibling bonds were similar.
"Feli is important to me," Lovino admitted. "I'll go to the party to make him happy, but there is no way I'm dressing up."
Well, that was disappointing. Antonio didn't want to be weird, but he would have liked to see Lovino dressed as a turtle. It really would have been adorable. Lovi was still sweet by himself though, or at least Antonio thought so. If you looked past the grumpiness, the barbed wire tongue and the almost constant frown, that is. He liked to think he could do it.
"I was going to dress up," Antonio said. Getting into the spirit of things was always one of the best parts. The day the Bad Touch Trio (or rather just Antonio and Francis, and Gil said it wasn't half as fun without them) had resigned themselves to the fact that they were getting too old to be playing practical jokes on the neighbourhood had been a sad day indeed.
Lovino harrumphed grumpily. "Do you think I'll look out of place?" Antonio asked worriedly. He was an adult now, albeit barely. Things could have drastically changed since he had left for university. What was cool then may not be so cool now.
"You'll look like a fucking idiot," Lovino said very matter-of-factly. He cringed when he saw Antonio sigh dejectedly. He cursed himself for being such a buzz kill. "If you pick a stupid costume," he added, hoping he had salvaged the Spaniard's peppy mood. "Unless you want to look like a dickhead, pick a really good outfit. I think you'll look okay like that."
It wasn't hard to make Antonio happy. It was easier than handing a lollipop to a sulky child. "I'll pick a really, really good one! Like a zombie!" he gushed excitedly.
"Don't choose a zombie," Lovino warned him. "That idea will either be hit or miss. So many people dress up as zombies and most of them end up looking like hookers with lipstick smeared all over their faces and ketchup over their clothes."
Antonio crossed his arms and nodded contemplatively. Halloween was serious business, not to be taken lightly. "Do you have any suggestions?" he inquired hopefully, wanting to pick his brains on the subject. Italians were supposed to know what looks good, weren't they? If the stereotype was anything to go by.
"I think a pirate would be good." Lovino said firmly. He congratulated himself on sounding so confident. Of course he remembered to pause for a moment before he answered. If he had said it too fast, it would sound like he had been picturing the scene in his head. Now it was like the idea had cropped up randomly.
An avid fan of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' films, it was all so clear to Antonio now. It fitted in with his Spanish heritage too. "¡Esa es una idea fantástica! Lovi, you're brilliant!" He slapped his hands off the desktop eagerly and bounced in his chair.
Lovino sat up a little straighter, filled with pride. "Che cosa ti aspettavi?" he gloated. If Antonio could speak his native tongue, then he was going to do the same.
"You've saved me from a disaster," the older man said dramatically. "I guess it's true that all Italians have an excellent taste in fashion."
"That's a stupid stereotype," Lovino told him. He was no Alexander McQueen. Clothes shopping for him normally just meant going into a shop and buying the first piece of clothing he didn't hate.
"It was a very good idea and I will be eternally grateful. Although, it would be much better if you dressed up too~! I would like to see it."
"It wasn't that good, idiota," he mumbled. He enjoyed the appreciation, though it was a little embarrassing. He wasn't used to taking compliments and he never felt like he deserved them. Antonio really meant it, and that was nice. "And I don't care if you would like to see me in costume; it's not happening."
"You can't blame a guy for trying," Antonio shrugged.
The bell rang, signalling the end of the school day. Voices poured from the classrooms and into the hallway, a bombardment of unintelligible conversations. Lovino grabbed his schoolbag and threw it over his shoulder. "I'll see you later," he said awkwardly. It was weird saying goodbye in the normal way. It made a change from storming out of the room.
"Hasta luego," Antonio returned cheerfully. Lovino rolled his eyes as the Spaniard waved enthusiastically. Antonio's positivity could be annoying sometimes, but he couldn't deny it was also infectious.
How odd it was. Lovino found it difficult to think of Antonio as a counsellor. Before meeting him, offices had always been associated with awkward interactions, patronizing adults, unhelpful advice and the lie that someone cared. Dare he say it, Lovino was finding it easier to call Antonio an acquaintance, at least. It was a little too soon to call him a friend, though he couldn't say that he didn't want that.
A friend, he thought. He would have laughed at the idea not so long ago. Would Antonio laugh at it now?
No, he wouldn't. The voice was considerably kinder recently. He suspected Antonio had something to do with it. He could no longer deny that he was glad of the Spaniard's presence in his life. In little over two weeks, he had become a comforting constant. It wasn't hard to imagine them as friends anymore.
Little did Lovino know, he would soon want more.
Feli waited patiently at the school gates for his older brother. He would have liked to walk home with Ludwig, but he had spent most of his time with the German lately. He loved being together with Ludwig, but he didn't want Lovi to think he had forgotten about him. His fratello meant a lot to him.
"I wonder where Lovi is…" he sighed to himself. He was dying for a bowl of pasta.
Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear. Lovino walked around the corner and Feliciano launched himself with an unbelievable strength. Feli could probably leap across the Grand Canyon if there was someone he wanted to hug on the other side. "Ciao!" he sang joyfully.
Lovino pushed him away embarrassedly and tried to tune out the titters coming from other pupils leaving the school. "I've told you not to do that, idiota."
"Ve~ Sorry Lovi," the pocket rocket replied, not really meaning it. He was always going to hug his brother, with or without his consent.
"Whatever," Lovino said gruffly, knowing he would be forever assaulted by surprise hugs. "Let's go home already." He grabbed his younger brother's hand just as he was about to walk out in front of a speeding car. Feli just stared in awe as the car zoomed by at the speed of light. "Let's get there in one piece."
When he was younger, Feli had been told the phrase 'step on a crack, break your mother's back', which had led to him developing a habit of avoiding cracks in the pavement. His mother was long gone, yet the tendency remained. It kept him quiet, so Lovino had never called him out on it. "Have you thought about the Scare Fest?" Feli asked, sticking out his tongue in concentration.
"A little bit." Lovino steadied his brother as he tripped on a crack – so much for avoiding them.
"Are you going to dress up?"
Pause. "Maybe."
As he bent down to pick up a pretty leaf, Feliciano inhaled in excitement. He refused to look at his older brother in case he saw the joy on his face and chickened out. "I saw some material in the shop over the weekend. I can make you a costume if you like."
Oh, the dilemma Lovino was faced with. As much as he hated making a spectacle of himself, he had an inexplicable urge to impress Antonio. "Maybe," he repeated. He yelped in shock as Feliciano sprang up with a cry of triumph. Despite the vague answer, he had taken 'maybe' as 'yes'.
A new sense of determination took over Feliciano. "This will be the best costume ever, ve~" he muttered under his breath. Lovino eyed him nervously as the quiet nonsensical rambling continued. Surprisingly, Feliciano was very capable of accomplishing things when he put his mind to it. The only thing was, when he did put his mind to it, he really put his mind to it. It looked like he would be cooking dinner alone tonight.
"Don't forget about your homework," he reminded him. Feliciano nodded furiously, and Lovino knew he had lost him for the weekend.
Feliciano was undoubtedly the most harmless person you could ever meet. He was kind, sweet, and an airhead. He couldn't hurt anyone if he tried. He had once dedicated a whole afternoon to getting a cat down from a tree, and when he finally reached it, it nearly scratched his face off. Feli just carried the squirming beast down, placed it on the ground, and waved it off happily. There was not a single malicious thought in his head.
However, unknown to most, Feliciano could be positively terrifying. Not in a loud, angry way. It was a crafty kind of scary. Lovino had seen his mother like this on occasion. It was scary because there was no way to tell what kind of thoughts were floating around in that very strange mind of Feliciano's. Trying to delve into the abyss is what frightened Lovino the most.
Lovino did not enjoying the waiting.
Turtle Lovi :3 Nobody guessed it, but I guess it was a strange enough idea. I thought it was really cute! I saw a picture once, and the image has plagued me ever since. I could not pass up on this chance to use it.
So next chapter, you'll be treated to my pitiful attempt at writing horror. You lucky bunch! The hedge prank that the Bad Touch Trio pulled was actually something that my dad did when he was younger. It can safely be said that my nana has never found out!
I've also decided on all the costumes for the next chapter. I never expected so many suggestions! I loved them all :D I can't use them all, but thanks for letting me know your thoughts guys. Your input is appreciated! Thanks to my beta and to all those who added this to their alerts/favourites!
Happy Monday to you all :3
