Author's note: Hey there!

... Well, this was meant to be the last chapter, buuuut the paranoia arc just dragged on for too long. So! Next chapter will definitely be the end. Look forward to it! Future fic options will be presented at that time.

... Also, the previous chapter's title has been changed to fit in with the aforementioned paranoia arc.

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Reviews create friendship rainbows.

Chapter Ten: Low Tide

Locking the front door behind him, Ludwig set off on his usual walk to school. As per his routine, he would leave early, so as to be the first in class. Gilbert used to walk with him at the start of the year, until he'd befriended Francis and Antonio. These days, he'd wait around to catch the bus with them, instead.

Ludwig sighed. Francis and Antonio. The biggest troublemakers that could've possibly befriended his big brother. Not that he wasn't a nuisance by himself, of course, but having them as friends only served to fuel the fire.

Before starting high school, Gilbert hadn't had many friends. Quite like himself, actually, he thought with a wince. His brother had always been keen to brag about how 'awesome' it was to be alone, but Ludwig had often wondered if that was true. He hadn't said it as much after getting himself some friends, but he still said it occasionally.

Brothers...

"Hurry up, ya bastard, or we'll miss the bus!" Lovino called as he strolled out of the house.

"Coming, coming!" Feliciano replied, hurrying out after him. "Sorry, fratello!"

"Tch. Idiota." Lovino passed him and closed the door. "You forgot to close the door." He locked it.

"Oops, sorry!"

"Tch. Let's go."

"Okay."

Together, they walked in the direction of the bus stop. Silence descended upon the duo and Feliciano felt his gaze slip towards the floor.

After about a minute, Lovino sighed. "What's-a wrong?"

Feliciano looked up at him in surprise. "Huh?"

Lovino looked away grumpily. "Your sorry face has been dragging on the floor all morning."

"Oh, it has?" Feliciano forced a smile. "Sorry~!"

"Tch. Well, whatever it is, it better not-a be about that German bastard! Oh, crap, it's the bus!" Lovino went running to the bus stop.

As he followed him, Feliciano went back to staring at the floor.

Feliciano, seated somewhere in the middle of the bus, gave a quick glance backwards. Yep, just as always, Lovino was sitting at the back. Far away from him. Turning away, he sighed. It had been like that for most of freshman year, ever since his brother had decided to go on his 'independence' crusade. He was lucky that Lovino still allowed him to sleep in the same bed with him. Although, that was usually because he'd beg and plead until Lovino let him do it, just to shut him up.

Maybe he really was annoying. It would certainly explain why even his own twin brother didn't want to be around him anymore...

He turned to stare blankly out the window, barely registering the trees and cars that were zooming past his vision.

Ludwig. He'd spent most of the night thinking about him. It was a miracle he'd gotten back to sleep, honestly. At one point, he'd considered calling him, before remembering that they'd never actually swapped phone numbers. Then he'd considered running over to his house in the dead of night, but he'd ultimately decided against it. If Ludwig lived alone, then he probably would have, but the thought of either the German's father or grandfather answering – and yelling at him in angry German that it was three in the morning – terrified him enough to make him stay put. Especially his grandfather. The father had already proven himself to be nice, but he hadn't spoken much with the grandfather. The long blonde hair that flowed past his shoulders didn't make him any less terrifying.

Making a whining noise, he continued to stare out the window. Just what was he going to do?

Ludwig nodded a greeting to another smiling student as they took their seat. Things had calmed down a lot, ever since the incident with Ivan and the chaos that had followed. He was mostly left to himself these days, although, since no one was afraid of him anymore, his classmates no longer had any issues with smiling at him in a morning.

"B... Buongiorno, Ludwig!" a familiar voice called out.

Raising an eyebrow at the stutter, Ludwig turned to his friend. "Guten tag," he replied.

Observing Feliciano's face, he noticed that the Italian looked oddly on-edge today. He was fidgeting and glancing away from him.

"... Are you alright?"

"Si... Si..." There was a pause. "No."

"Uh?"

There was another pause. Suddenly, Feliciano looked him straight in the eyes. "Ludwig, do you like me?!"

Ludwig stared at him. His brain had trouble processing this question. "... Huh?"

"Do you like me?!"

He blinked. This question had come out of nowhere. It was so random, too. Just what had possessed him to ask it?

Taking a quick glance around the classroom, he noticed that everyone was staring. It took him all of five seconds to realise why.

His eyes widened in horror. Oh, scheisse. This probably sounded like... They probably thought that...

"Ludwig, why aren't you answering me?!"

He turned to his friend, still wide-eyed. He knew very well that wasn't what the Italian meant. They'd already established that his feelings didn't go beyond friendship. Yet the way this must look to everyone else...

"F-Feliciano..."

"Do you like me?!"

Whispers broke out around the classroom. Trying to piece together whatever shreds of dignity he had left, Ludwig placed a hand on his face.

"Feliciano, please... Vhy on Earz...?"

"Do you like me, or not?!"

"Ja, vhatever. Now, just go sit down!" Just why was he asking him this?!

"L... Ludwig..."

"Feliciano," the teacher said as she walked past him, "please take your seat."

"... Yes, miss."

As Feliciano slowly shuffled across the room, Ludwig watched him incredulously. Just what was wrong with him today? He'd have to ask him about it later.

Once homeroom was over, Ludwig placed his bag on his shoulder and left the classroom. There wasn't really enough time to talk to Feliciano about his strange behaviour while on the way to class, but he'd be sure to mention that he wished to discuss it.

Halfway to his class, he paused in the middle of the corridor. The students around him had to swerve at the last moment to avoid him. He turned, wondering why Feliciano hadn't said anything the entire way here, only to notice that he wasn't there. He stared at the empty space. Why wasn't Feliciano following him? He always followed him, whether or not they had the same class.

He continued to stare for a few moments longer, something beginning to ache in his chest. Frowning, he shook it off and headed to class. If his friend was going to be awkward, then fine. Whatever.

After an agonising morning, recess rolled around. So far, Feliciano had successfully avoided Ludwig, though he wasn't sure how long he could keep it up. He really couldn't face him right now, though! Not after what had happened in homeroom!

He was midway down the corridor when he suddenly stopped dead in horror. Oh dio, he was heading straight for the usual hangout spot, wasn't he? He couldn't go there!

What was he going to do?! Should he just go anyway and talk to Ludwig? A tight knot formed in his chest. No, he couldn't do it! He just couldn't! So, what was he going to do?!

Glancing around desperately, he paused as he caught sight of various students. Berwald, the Swedish student, was hovering menacingly over the petrified Finnish student, Tino. The Norwegian student, Lukas, was strangling the Danish student, Simon, by his tie. The Icelandic student, Emil, was chatting pleasantly to the Hong Kongese student, Chun.

... That was it! He could do what he used to do! Find some random student to hang with, instead! Nodding to himself, he headed for the cafeteria.

Feliciano looked around him at the sea of blue blazers. The area was filled from floor to ceiling with chatter, most students either eating or drinking. It had certainly been a while since he'd last come in here. Ever since joining Ludwig in his special spot outside...

He shook his head. He needed to find someone else! Glancing around, he tried to find a target. It was strange doing this again... He never thought he'd ever have to again, after befriending Ludwig. He whined, then shook the thought away.

Looking around, he spotted the cute Liechtensteinian girl, Erika, chatting to her Swiss cousin, Basch. As much as he'd love to hang out with her, her cousin could be downright terrifying, so he'd rather not.

Looking elsewhere, he saw the Hungarian girl, Elizabeta, sitting with her Austrian friend, Roderich. She also seemed to be having a discussion with Ludwig's brother, Gilbert, who was standing by her chair. He contemplated going over to sit with them when she suddenly stood up, face like thunder, and smacked Gilbert with her bag. He cried out, still laughing, as she chased him around the table. Feliciano quickly decided against sitting there. Elizabeta could be really scary when angry.

Looking elsewhere, he spotted the Chinese guy, Yao, chatting happily to the Taiwanese girl, Mei, and her Vietnamese friend. He contemplated going over to them, but, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Ivan on a table near them, occasionally glancing at Yao with an oddly sad expression on his face. Sitting around him were his two female relatives, the large-chested Ukrainian girl, Iryna, and the Belarusian girl, Natalya, whose chair was so close to Ivan's that they almost looked glued together. Feliciano found her terrifying. She was the type who looked like she'd stab you if you looked at her wrong. He didn't really want to get involved with any of them, so he decided against going over there.

Looking elsewhere, he spotted the Greek guy, Heracles, taking a nap while his Turkish sort-of friend, Sadik, grinned wickedly and poked him in the side.

Figuring this was his best bet at the moment, Feliciano smiled and walked over.

"Hey, Jerkules!" Sadik taunted in his loud, lilting voice as he continued to poke Heracles. "You know it's rude to sleep when you have company!" He gave him a light punch on the arm.

Heracles groaned in response, his eyes still closed. "You're such a pain..." he replied in his quiet, sleepy voice.

Sadik scowled. "Who you calling a pain, you lazy bum?!"

"Hey, guys!" Feliciano said, planting himself on the chair opposite.

Sadik looked up at him in surprise. "Oh, hello, Feliciano!"

Heracles actually opened his eyes at this, lazily looking in Feliciano's direction. "Oh..." he said, "hey..."

"So, what's up?" Feliciano asked.

"Not much..." Heracles slowly glanced around. "Where's Ludwig?"

Feliciano's back stiffened. He chuckled awkwardly. "Oh, well..."

"Yeah, where is he?" Sadik asked. "Don't you usually hang out with him now?"

"Well... I did, but..."

"Did something... happen?" Heracles asked, slowly sitting up straighter.

Feliciano's smile dropped. He lowered his gaze to the table. "I don't think he likes me anymore..."

There was a pause. "What the hell?" Sadik asked.

"What... makes you say that?" Heracles asked.

"Well..." Feliciano replied. He paused a second before launching into a rapid-fire explanation. "I used to think-a we were friends and that he cared about-a me, but, now that he has Kiku, who has so much more in common with him and doesn't get on his nerves all the time, I think he might-a be realising that I'm not as good a friend as Kiku is, so he wants to get-a rid of me!"

The duo stared at him. They held this pose, blinking every couple of seconds, until Sadik burst out laughing.

"Gee, aren't you the little bundle of paranoia?" he asked, waving a hand in dismissal.

"I think... you're over-exaggerating..." Heracles said.

Feliciano deflated. "But..." he replied.

"Has he ever even said any of this to you?" Sadik asked.

"Well... no..."

"How sure... are you of this?" Heracles asked.

Feliciano sunk further into his chair. "I don't know... I mean, he does always get annoyed at-a me... and never at Kiku..."

"Hmm..."

Sadik paused a moment. "Well, if that's really the case," he said, "then he really doesn't deserve your friendship, does he?"

Feliciano made a whining noise in response.

"I can't say I know the guy..." Heracles said, glancing up at the ceiling, "but maybe... it's not as bad as it seems?"

"I don't know..." Feliciano replied.

"You're best off finding this stuff out for yourself!" Sadik said. He turned to Heracles with a toothy grin. "Ain't that right, Jerkules?"

Heracles cast a half-hearted glare back at him. "Yes..." he replied, "quite right..."

Feliciano made another whining noise. Now he was more confused than ever.

Sitting at his desk, Ludwig was taking notes with a furrowed brow. Feliciano had been strangely absent at recess. That was really unlike him. He'd thought that morning had been weird, but this was just getting ridiculous. What was he doing? Was he avoiding him, or something? It had been very quiet with him not there and Kiku off doing something else. He'd gotten so used to the constant noise that it was just weird without it.

Racking his brains, he tried to think of a reason why Feliciano would avoid him. Offhand, he couldn't recall saying or doing anything to offend him, so maybe that wasn't it? Maybe there was something else going on in the Italian's life. Hell, maybe it was private and he wanted to sort it out himself. That also seemed rather unlike him, but his friend had been full of surprises today already.

He shook his head. He just didn't get it.

Feliciano had done his best to avoid Ludwig, though it was getting increasingly harder. The couple of times that they'd locked gazes that morning had been the toughest on him. Where had this fear come from? He hadn't felt this kind of crippling fear since the days before he'd talked to him! It was almost like reliving them all over again!

He couldn't help it, though. Every time he saw him, the blood would freeze in his veins. He couldn't take knowing that he didn't like him. That he didn't want to be his friend anymore. If only he had more courage, he'd ask about it again. Since the rejection that morning, though, all bravery had left him.

He whined to himself as he traversed the crowded corridor, the sea of students mostly heading for the cafeteria. He couldn't take this. He really couldn't take this! He didn't want to go back to the old days. Since finding that one true friend that he'd spent so long craving, he'd been happy. He'd felt complete. Now, though, he just felt empty again.

As he glanced around him at the other students, none of which seemed to be looking in his direction – too absorbed in their own thoughts or the excited conversations they were having with others – he began to wonder if he'd ever experience that again.

He recalled his late Valentine's Day present, which had flustered Ludwig and sent him the wrong signals. He recalled his birthday party, where Ludwig had bought him kitty stationary and offered to study with him. He recalled Ludwig standing up to Ivan, the scariest guy in school, purely to protect him. Then he started to recall the small things, like when they'd arranged to meet at the beach one weekend. Or April Fools' Day, when he'd stuck a paper fish on Ludwig's back. True, it hadn't been as impressive as Alfred's prank, which had left the Cuban guy soaking wet, but it was Italian tradition.

... Well, it was also French tradition, now that he thought about it. Hence why Francis had done the same thing to Arthur. However, whereas Ludwig had merely rolled his eyes and peeled his off once he'd noticed it, Arthur had thrown a hissy fit in the middle of the corridor. Francis hadn't been able to stop laughing.

He lifted his head in realisation. Big Brother Francis. If there was anyone that could give him advice about something like this, it would be him. Granted, he tended to have an... interesting thought process most times, but he could be counted on when it really mattered. After all, 'Big Brother' wasn't a title he bestowed upon just anyone.

He could also ask Big Brother Antonio. It was likely they'd be spending lunchtime together anyway, so he could easily kill two birds with one stone there.

His face lit up in a small smile. Yes, now was not the time to give up on his friendship with Ludwig! If the German didn't like him, then he'd just have to find a way to make him change his mind! He'd certainly need some help, though.

Nodding to himself, he set off in search of Francis.