Hey everyone! This is Christina, and her derpy ways. xD I volunteered to do this weeks Author's Note for one main reason: I want to take a poll/vote/...thingy. We allllll know Kiku and Anya are gonna end up together (lets face it. No one can deny the adorableness.) BUT. Who is Holly gonna end up with? THe Flirtatious Spaniard Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, or the Gentlemanly Brit Arthur Kirkland? WHAT DO YOU THINK?

...Maya and I alraedy have an idea, but we wanted to see what you guys think! ^^ So after you read this week's update/chappy/chapter/thingamabobber, click the little link that says "Review" or "Leave a review" or SOMETHING like that and let us know what you think! Enjoy this weeks chapter, and hope you enjoy!

~Two Random Otakus do not own Hetalia. Cause if they did, it probably just be all about pirates and seafarrers and twins (oh my!) They only own Anya and Holly, which belong to Maya and Christina respectively, yo.~


Holly awoke to the sound of bacon grease and off-key Gaga. She yawned quietly, the quilt slipping from her shoulders as she sat up and stretched her stiff arms.

When did I get home? she wondered. She remembered leaving Toni's house, whining about the walk... Holly's cheeks burned when she remembered Arthur crouching down and letting her climb onto his back.

He actually carried me home, she trilled inwardly. That's so cute!

After quickly changing clothes and pulling her crazy bed-hair into a haphazard ponytail, Holly bounced into the kitchen, where she found her sister jamming out by the stove.

"She's not broken. She's just a ba-by," Anya sang. "But her boyfriend's like a dad, just like a- Aw crap, the bacon!" She hurried to flip the sizzling meat before it crisped.

"That smells great," Holly chirped, giving Anya such a fright that she burned her hand on the stovetop.

"Owowowowow," she hissed through clenched teeth. Holly rushed forward and turned off the heat while Anya ran cold water over the burn.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. "It's not like third degree or anything, is it?"

"I think I'll live," the older twin laughed. "It's what I get for actually trying to cook. This, dear sister, is why they invented Jimmy Dean." She pulled her hand out of the sink and inspected it carefully. The heel of her hand was red and angry looking, but she was otherwise unharmed. "Anyway, Happy Your-half-of-the-Birthday, Holly!"

"My, aren't we cheerful today?" Holly grinned back. "What could have possibly happened to make you sing Lady Koo-Koo and make a burn so insignificant? Oh, sorry. Should I say 'who'?" She hadn't missed the presence of the peridot heart.

"Shut up and eat your bacon." Anya forked over a plate with eggs, bacon, and toast, as well as a big glass of milk.

"Yes, ma'am!" The younger twin sat at the table and promptly started stuffing her face. Anya joined her with her own plate, using the toast to make a sandwich. "So really; what happened last night?" Holly was dying to know.

"Kiku gave me a necklace." Anya smiled dreamily and twirled the chain around her finger. Seeing her sister so happy and wishy-washy was almost a shock for Holly. She could even see a light blush cross the older girl's features at the mention of her very first boyfriend. It was so cute!

"And then," she continued. "We watched..." she trailed off, giving Holly a slightly hurt look. "Oh, Holly, how could you?"

The younger twin frantically shoveled more food to occupy her mouth so she wouldn't have to answer right away. "I'm sorry, sis, but I couldn't stop myself. I knew you'd be okay because Kiku was there, so..." Holly looked up with beseeching eyes. "Don't kill me?"

"Well, it is your half of the weekend," Anya sighed. "So I won't murder you. As long as you got home before eleven last night. It's too dangerous to be out that late, even with the guys."

"You don't know?" Holly said, wide-eyed. She rubbed her arm gingerly. "Didn't you let us in last night?"

"I-I think I fell asleep..."

"Me too!"

The twins looked at each other, and then around the apartment. Anya flew over to the door and jiggled the doorknob. It opened without a struggle, meaning that someone without a key had left the apartment.

"So if you weren't awake and I wasn't awake..." Anya gasped, mortified. "Oh my God, Holly!"

"You actually fell asleep during A Nightmare on Elm Street!" was all Holly could think to say.


"So what are we doing here?" Holly asked. The mall wasn't very crowded, seeing as it was Sunday. Anya had instructed her to dress semi-nicely, vetoing her desire for jeans and a sweater. She felt out of place in the casual shopping center.

"You'll see," the secretive girl smiled. "We'll be leaving soon, anyway. I just need to see Lili."

"But sis-!"

"No buts, Holly," Anya chided. "You dragged me around all day yesterday. Let me run one errand. Trust me; by the time the day is over, you'll be singing my praises as the best sister ever."

So Holly waited patiently outside the jewelry store while her sister and Lili giggled and whispered.

She must be getting something for Kiku, Holly frowned. But what could he want from here? She soon forgot her thoughts as Anya emerged from the shop and led her, smiling all the way, out of the mall and into the street.

Although daylight made a huge difference, Holly recognized the route almost right away. "Hey, Anya! Did you know that Toni lives near here?"

"Really- does he?"

"Oh, that's his street!"

"Uh-huh."

"Why are we turning here?"

"Gosh, you're dense. Just follow me." They walked in silence until a familiar house came into view. A sudden banging shocked the tranquility of the neighborhood.

"Carriedo! Open up, da?" Anya craned her neck to see a young man in a trench coat smashing his fist against the front door of Antonio's house.

"Who the heck is that?" she wondered aloud. "Holly, is he friends with-?" She broke off when she realized that Holly had stopped walking, and was already a few paces behind her. "What is it? Do you know that guy?"

"That's Ivan Braginski," Holly whispered, turning pale. "I met him last night in the park."

"He's Natalia's music-prodigy brother?" Anya whistled. "He looks more like a boxer. What's he doing here?"

"W-Well, at the park... He was sorta... Drunk." She winced, waiting for Anya to blow up.

"What did he do?" she asked instead, surprisingly calm and patient.

Holly blinked. "I don't really know. Toni and Artie were talking- they didn't leave me alone, they were behind some tree- and he came up to me. I freaked out, so I tried to run and he grabbed me." It still seemed unreal, as if she was describing a dream instead of an actual event.

"Duck!" she squealed, pulling Anya behind a rhododendron bush. She peeked over the top and quickly bobbed back down. "I hope he didn't see us."

"Belt up, Holly," Anya sighed, standing up again. "We're too old to be skulking around in bushes. We're sixteen now. So if you want your party, we're going across. Just... Wait a minute, okay?" She brushed the dirt from her knees and simply crossed the street to tap Ivan on the shoulder.

"What?" he snapped. A strange look crossed his face, and his bloodshot eyes narrowed in recognition. "I... I know you, da? Were you with Carriedo while I was...?"

"Under the influence?" she offered. "Maybe. That depends on what you remember."

"I think I was totally plastered~" Ivan smiled serenely. "And then a couple of high school bastards jumped me. But you told Tonio not to hit me, da? Thank you."

"Sure thing," Anya smiled back. "But do you remember anything before the fight?" From the corner of her eye, she saw a doe-eyed boy peeking at her over the windowsill. He looked terrified. Anya automatically shifted so that Ivan would have to face away from the house to address her. "Something about me?" she prompted.

"That's right!" Ivan exclaimed. "You were alone in the park. That's very dangerous, you know. I never let my sisters stay outside alone when it's dark."

"So you set an example for them by getting stoned and grabbing at defenseless girls in the middle of the night?" Anya snarled, taking the Russian by surprise. "What kind of big brother are you? Do you know how much Natalia idolizes you? It would break her heart if she knew about this."

"You wouldn't tell her, would you?" For the first time, Ivan looked scared. "Please, I'm not in control of myself when I'm like that!"

"I won't tell," she promised, keeping eye contact. "But you leave Antonio Carriedo and Arthur Kirkland alone. And please, tell your charming little sis to be a little nicer to Holly Michaelis, won't you? She'll do anything for you, so watch what you do from now on."

"I am not used to being lectured by a child," Ivan glared.

"Children aren't used to being assaulted," she shot back. "Now please go. You've disturbed the peace long enough, and I have a previous engagement."

The Braginski boy left, grumbling, and hyperactive siblings seemed to pour from every direction. Holly scampered across the street, and two very similar boys flung open the door to the Carriedo household.

"Ve~" One of the boys latched onto Anya's arm, crying. "Thank. You. An. Ya. I. Did. Not. Want. To. Die!"

"Yeah, you run away!" the other boy jeered. (As soon as Ivan was out of sight.) "Suck it, you vodka bastard! You just got it handed to you by a freaking girl!"

"Lovino, stop it!" Holly wailed, terrified.

"Fratello, he'll come back!"

Both younger siblings of the group tried to quiet Lovino, but it was Anya who eventually restored order to the conversation.

"Lovino!" she shouted. "Where's your bastardo of a brother? I told him we'd be here at three."

"He and Arthur went out to get some stuff," Feli answered brightly, instantly putting away the crocodile tears. "He said to watch the house and let you in when you got here, but then scary Mr. Ivan came and started yelling, ve!"

"I totally could have taken him," Lovi cut in. "But my stupid little brother started crying and I couldn't do anything."

"Of course," Anya sighed, patting Feliciano awkwardly on the head. "Do you know when they'll be back?"

"In about three seconds," a cheerful voice laughed. Toni and Arthur cut across the grass, each loaded down with bags and boxes.

"We got everything, Anya," Arthur grinned, hefting a big white box. "Sorry we're late, but we had to take a little detour."

"It's okay, Artie." Holly opened the door for the guys to go in. "We saw Ivan; don't try to hide it from us."

"What happened?" Antonio demanded instantly. He dumped his bags on a chair and waved everyone into the living room.

"Ve~ Fratello, Anya told him off and he left! But he was banging on the door really loudly, and my ears were-!" Said twin gently shushed Feliciano and explained it in a much more calm and efficient manner.

"I don't think he'll bother you guys again," she predicted confidently. "I used sibling guilt; no matter how big of a jerk they are, any big brother or sister will do anything for their hermanitos." Anya looked extremely pleased with herself.

Feliciano got a little misty-eyed and suddenly switched from clinging to Anya's arm to crushing the breath out of Lovino. "Uwah~" he cried. "I love you, too, Lovi!"

"Let go of me, you idiot!"

"A-Anya, can we talk?" Arthur asked quietly. He nodded to the next room, which happened to be the kitchen. When she followed him in, he wouldn't meet her eyes. "Anya, I am so sorry about Ivan. We shouldn't have been out so late, and we left her alone over a stupid argument."

He looked over into the living room wistfully, where Holly was looting through the bags of things the boys had brought. She laughed at the various decorations, and gasped hungrily when she saw the cookie cake. All in all, she looked about six years old instead of sixteen. It made Arthur's heart ache to ask his next question. "She isn't hurt, is she?"

"There're only a few bruises, I think," Anya whispered. "She doesn't know I noticed, but there's a huge bruise on the inside of her arm. And she looks stiff when she walks, like her side hurts."

"I think Ivan grabbed her by the arm," Arthur explained ashamedly. "And when Antonio knocked him away, I caught Holly when she fell. I bet that's why she's sore." He discreetly rolled up his sleeve to reveal light bruising up and down his forearm. "It was a hard fall. If it did this to me, I can only imagine what it's like for her."

"He remembers her face," Anya growled. "And he remembers fighting Antonio. I think Ivan just wanted to know why they were fighting, you know?"

"I'm so sorry," Arthur said again. The dejection in his voice drew Anya's eyes to his, and she was struck dumb to see sincere tears forming there. "When I think about what could have happened…"

"But it didn't," Anya soothed. Arthur started, and figured that he must look like the most miserable person on the planet for Anya to be the one comforting him. "Ivan wasn't your fault. And you know what? That man terrifies me, and I've only seen his hangover. I know you guys must have been scared, too, and you could have run away. But you stayed and protected Holly, so I guess… Maybe you guys aren't so bad."

"I'm in love with her," Arthur said suddenly. He wiped the back of his hand across his eyes to get rid of the unwanted moisture. When he met Anya's eyes again, he was gravely serious. "I feel more at home with Holly than I ever have before." He blinked, abruptly shy again, and inspected his shoes intently. "J-Just thought you ought to know my intentions."

Anya bopped him over the head with a rolling pin from the counter.

"Ow!" he howled, clutching his skull. "Bloody-! What the bugger was that for?"

"Quick, what did you just tell me?" Anya demanded.

"I-I love Holly," he said dumbly. Anya lowered the pin, surprised and a little bit impressed. She apologized politely and walked away to find Holly's present. She knew it was around there somewhere…

"Women are insane," Arthur concluded, amazed.


Anya smiled to herself as she pulled the box out of its hiding place. Other boys who had tried to ask Holly out through her had received the same treatment as Arthur, although this was the first time she had used a rolling pin.

The second the boy admitted his intentions, Anya would quickly cause some sort of intense, sadly nonlethal pain. Always, the offended party would rant and rave and call her every name imaginable. When she asked the unlucky soul, "What did you just say to me?", he would refuse to answer and storm away, never to darken their doorway again.

That was what made Arthur different. Although he had, by all rights, been angry, he had answered the question immediately with only a single stammer. He had looked Anya straight in the eyes and repeated his confession. He had stayed, which meant that Holly was actually worth more to him than a simple shot at a date.

"Well what do you know?" Anya hummed in amusement. "He just might be the real deal." And although she was still wary, she was gradually becoming accustomed to the idea of Arthur Kirkland courting her baby sister.


"Happy Birthday!" Feliciano crowed. "Now can we eat cake, Tonio?"

"Seconded!" Holly chimed. "You're the best, Toni! How did you convince them to put a viola on it?"

"I know a guy," the older boy grinned, draping an arm across her shoulders. "But I think your hermana wants to give you something first." Antonio steered her over to a chair and gently pushed her into a sitting position.

"Oi, Anya!" he called. "They want cake! Save your heart-to-heart with Artie for later!"

"Shut up, we're coming!" Anya shouted back. "Control your brothers for five seconds." Her tone was harsh, but she was smiling as she approached her sister. She dropped a small package in her lap and hugged her tightly. "Happy Birthday, Hollybells," she whispered.

"I love you, Sis." Holly hugged her back tearfully. "But you still can't call me that!" She pushed Anya away with mock anger and tore into the little box. The hastily applied tissue paper floated to the floor in pieces to reveal a familiar store brand.

"I sort of stole your idea," Anya admitted. "Lili helped me find it."

"It was my idea, too," Arthur complained softly. He eyed the locket around Holly's neck, as well as the ring on her right hand.

"Kirkland," the older twin said warningly.

"Yes, mum?"

"It's beautiful!" Holly exclaimed. The elated sparkle in her eyes broke the squabbling into tender grins. She was holding her gift up to the light, letting it catch on the vermillion surface. It was a bright red viola, inlaid with rippling black stone, (Sardonyx, Anya pointed out. It was another August birthstone.) dangling from a silver chain. "You're amazing, Anya! Thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah," she scoffed, but Arthur could tell she was pleased.

"Okay, so you got some jewelry," Lovino quipped. "I want cake."

"Lovi, don't be rude," Toni frowned in disapproval. "Apologize right now."

"I'm not four, and neither is Holly," Lovino snapped. He crossed his arms and turned away, but looked over his shoulder at Holly. He instantly regretted it; he had always been a sucker for a cute girl with a hurt face. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's alright, Lovi~" Holly skipped over to the cookie cake and quickly sliced out a piece with lots of chocolate chips. "Here you go; the first piece!" She held the paper plate out as a peace offering.

"G-Grazi."

"You're welcome," Holly laughed. She started getting pieces for everyone else when a knock sounded at the door.

Everyone froze. The knocking was barely audible, but they couldn't be sure that it wasn't Ivan.

"I'll get it," Anya said weakly.

"Cariño, I-"

"No one is fighting," she glared. "So I'll see who it is." She felt every eye on her as she made her way over to the door and opened it slowly.

"Matthew!" she beamed, relieved to see her quiet friend instead of Ivan. "What are you doing here?"

"Arthur told me and Al to come over if we had time," he explained. "Happy late birthday. Can I come in?"

"Oh, of course!" Anya led him into the living room, making sure to lock the door behind them. "It's alright, guys. Look who's here!"

"Ah, Mattie!" Antonio grinned. "Where's Alfred?"

"He got the new Call of Duty game." Matthew shook his head. "He won't come out of his room for anything but food and the bathroom. He's been playing nonstop for about twelve hours."

"I told him to go to bed," Arthur groaned. "Honestly; when mum hears about this..."

"...Saywhaaa?" Anya said, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"My brother, Alfred," the Brit said slowly. "Who is also Matthew's brother? Remember? I told you about the time he made Alvarez- Wait. You didn't know? I thought I mentioned that I had two brothers..."

"And I told you I had a brother in junior year," Matthew added.

"Well, that could have meant anyone!" Anya retorted hotly, mortified that she hadn't figured it out sooner.

"Huh..." Matthew mused. "Oh, so the girl that Arthur was talking about all weekend was-!"

"Just shut up and eat your cake, you bloody git!"

"Fine, fine!" the younger boy laughed. "Just pretend I'm not even here."

"Indeed."

"It's alright, Matthew," Anya said loudly. "It's not your fault that you're related to the British twat."

"He gets it from dad's side," Matthew chuckled. "So you won't hold it against me? Promise?"

"Of course not."

"I can hear you, you know," Arthur growled.

"We know!" they said in sync, grinning.

Holly glared at her sister while everyone else laughed. "That's not nice," she chided. "Don't pay attention to her, Artie." She leaned over and gave him a consolatory peck on the cheek. Arthur blushed and mumbled his thanks.

Toni frowned, but quickly put on a smiling face to cover it up. "Hey," he cut in brightly. "Weren't we doing something?" He gave Arthur his best look.

Holly's eyes widened and she ran back to his side. "Cake!" she exclaimed. "Here, Mattie! You've gotta try this stuff; it's better and Oreos and ice cream!"

"Smooth," Anya snickered under her breath. Antonio and Arthur tore out of their glaring contest to give her shocked looks. "You're being so obvious, idiota."

"Um, Holly? We're going to borrow Anya for just a minute." The younger nodded her assent, more focused on helping Matthew not choke on the cake. Maybe she shouldn't have force fed him such a big slice...

"Pleasedon'tsayaword," Antonio pleaded as soon as he and Arthur had steered Anya back into the kitchen. "I don't want her to know yet."

"Why not?" Anya frowned. "You're head over heels, bastardo. I'm sure she already..." She trailed off, thinking. "No, I'm almost positive that she doesn't know your intentions. Holly isn't dumb; she's just blind to love. Especially romantics like you who wear their hearts on their sleeves." Toni rolled his eyes, but didn't comment. He knew it was true. "So why don't you want her to know? She's not gonna figure it out unless someone tells her."

"He's just mad because she kissed me," Arthur groaned. "Honestly, Antonio. Just tell her; it isn't fair to any of us."

"And what do you know about playing fair?" He hissed back. "You made a move on her on her birthday."

"What was that?" Anya's hand twitched toward the rolling pin, and Arthur instantly jumped clear.

"N-Nothing," he stammered. "I just told her that I loved her!"

The eldest twin relaxed a little. That wasn't really a big deal. She didn't know how, but somewhere along the line she had lost her absolute loathing of the boys before her. It was probably her sisterly instincts reacting to the fact that they had protected Holly the night before. Now, they were merely annoying, and more amusing than she had anticipated. "Listen close, you two; you both like Holly, right?"

"Right"/"Definitely"

"And you both know that I can kick your butts?"

"Yes, ma'am"/"Of course"

"Then we understand each other," Anya smiled sweetly. "It's Holly's decision to make, and I'll respect that." Her tone became threateningly serious. "And if either of you forget to respect her choices, I'll be right there. Remember that." With that, she pushed them back into the living room to continue the celebration. Although everyone had fun, the boys mulled over what Anya had said. From where they stood, they knew five things to be true.

One: They both liked Holly.

Two: If Holly chose either of them, their friendship might be in jeopardy.

Three: Anya would kill both of them if they made Holly sad.

Four: Anya had a boyfriend with a grudge against Antonio, and would be happy to help her kill them.

Five: They were royally screwed.


The twins dragged their feet to school the next day. They were exhausted- a byproduct of Holly's late night sugar rush- but the weekend had been the best that either could remember.

As they reached the front gates, Anya's annoying ringtone went off, signaling a text message. "Who would be texting me at this-?" The older twin cut off, blushing, when she read the first line.

Come to the garden? There's something I need to ask you. And you need to see the red rose bush; it's doing well. Kiku.

"I know that look," Holly teased. "Is the love doctor making a house call?"

"Shut up," Anya said dreamily. "I'll meet you in math for tutoring, okay? I need to check on a rose bush."

"Sure you do~ Just go see Kiku, already! I have to meet Toni at the soccer field, anyway. He said he wanted to tell me something." Holly ran off, calling, "Give Kiku a big kiss for me!"

"Slap that bastardo Antonio for me!" the older girl shot back. She shook her head at her little sister's antics and practically skipped to the courtyard, eager to see what Kiku wanted to ask her.


Holly ran down the hill to the soccer fields, sliding in the dewy grass. Antonio waved to her, calling her over. He had already finished his practice, and was packing his things into his bag.

"Hola, Holly," he grinned. "I hope you had a good time yesterday."

"Best sweet sixteen ever," she promised, dropping her bag next to his. "So what did you want to talk about, Toni?"

To her surprise, Antonio turned bright red and wouldn't meet her eyes. "Holly, would you-?"

Holly didn't hear the rest; a pair of arms wrapped around her and poked her sides, making her convulse in laughter. "A-Arthur!" she gasped. "Don't do that! I'm w-waaaaay ticklish!" The Brit finally stopped tickling her and let her catch her breath.

"Hey, Artie!" Antonio said cheerfully. Only Arthur himself knew the Spaniard well enough to catch the underlying menace in his tone. "What brings you down here so early?"

"Anya sent me," he answered breezily. "Holly, you're going to be late to tutoring, and your sister is about to hit something. Namely me, but still."

"Oh, no!" Holly groaned. "She's gonna kill me!" She grabbed her bag and started sprinting across the field. "I'll talk to you later, Toni! Bye, Artie!"

"You're a real arse sometimes," Antonio growled. "You know that?"

"I'm not giving up," said arse murmured. "And I do plan on asking her before you do."

"Over my dead body."

"Gladly."

"Go make some of those bricks you call scones."

Arthur gasped. Even in their worst arguments, Antonio had never been mad enough to insult his mum's old recipe. "Well you-! You're a-! Go eat a tomato, you wanker!" He stormed off, too angry to form a plausible insult.

Antonio fell back onto the bench, his face in his hands. When had everything gotten so bad?


After everything at the soccer field, Arthur dragged himself to his first class; Trigonometry. He entered the class and groaned; why did the highest math class an eleventh grader could take have to start so early?


"Ah, chica!" The Spaniards voice filled the air as he ran towards the shorter brunette, who was waiting by the math building.

"Tonio!" Holly jumped up and hugged him tightly as he greeted her. "There you are!"

"Yea, yea." He grinned and patted her head. The younger released her grip on his neck to look up at him.

"I got away from Anya for a minute so I could wait for you," she explained sheepishly. "What did you need to talk to me about earlier?" She twirled a piece of curly hair around her finger.

"I wanted to tell you about this thing the school does every year. They have this da-" Toni started off excitedly until he looked up. Across the short walk was the school building, a row of windows, and a very angry Brit staring out the glass. Holly couldn't see him, but Antonio was getting the full brunt of Arthur's 'angry face'.

And to top it off, Anya had burst out of the building to get her sister.

"Holly, what have I told you about running away from me?" The older twin growled and poked her shoulder with a glare that could rival Natalia's.

"…To not to?" The younger asked innocently and turned back to the Spanish teen. "Heh, uh, I have to go…I gotta go to math tutoring until class starts…and Anya's kinda forcing meeee….sooooo…..tell me later, okay?" She flushed slightly from embarrassment, and walked off slowly with Anya, leaving the flabbergasted Toni just standing there.

Toni looked up at the window where Arthur was, expecting another glare, only to be greeted with a cocky smirk. They knew each other too well.

Hijo de puta.

Wanker.


"Holly, you aren't skipping math tutoring. I won't let you fail." Anya groaned as she shoved her twin along. She kept getting distracted by small things like butterflies.

"I know, Anya! I don't want to fail." She pouted slightly as she walked to the class door. "I'll come meet you in Chemistry, okay?"

"Fine. But you better be there on time." Her twin walked off in the direction of the class. As soon as she was sure that Holly was actually going to learn something, Anya's scowl melted into a reluctantly bright grin. They had a lot to talk about in Chemistry.

Holly sighed and walked in, greeted with the smiling face of her teacher. "Mr. Smith? I need help with this week's chapter…"

After half an hour spent on parabolas, "y=4", "y=-6", and "x=-6.4", Holly smiled her thanks and walked her way to the chemistry class. But just as she was about to leave the math pod, she heard a familiar voice.

"I really want to ask her to go, but I don't know how!" A British accent groaned as it's owner's head slumped against the wall. The trig class was on a short break, and Arthur was discussing his problem with Alfred.

"Just ask her, dude! The worse she could say is like, no, or something!" The other voice was unfamiliar to her, and made her furrow her brow in wonder. What were they talking about? She shook her head and kept walking, her shoes tapping by as she pretended to not have heard anything at all.

As she passed the adjacent hallway, Holly paused to smile and wave at Arthur, who stood there and blushed darkly, only able to barely wave back. His brother grinned and elbowed him in the side after she walked by and was out of sight.

"Dude? Was that your babe? 'Cause, like, she's totally in my Mexican class!"

The Brit groaned. "Alfred, you're in Spanish. She is not my, or anyone's, 'babe'. And no, her twin sister Anya is in your class. You would have known this if you hadn't spent the weekend glued to that stupid machine."

"Whattttever, man. Let's go back to class."


Chemistry that day was completely pointless for the twins. They were working on projects, which they had finished on Friday. The other students scrambled to put together their last minute preparations, leaving them to sit there and talk.

"Sooo," Holly smirked. "What did Kiku want?" She was instantly rewarded by a yelp and the brightest blush she had ever seen.

"W-Well, the school has this… fling every year to celebrate the beginning of the school year," Anya explained sheepishly. "Okay, so it's more of a dance… type thing…"

Holly gasped. "Oh my gosh, he didn't!"

The purple eyed sister smiled softly. "He did. I'm going with Kiku. He asked me about it this morning while we were in the courtyard." She fiddled with the green crystal around her neck.

"How was it?"

"Huh?"

"How did he ask you?" Holly exclaimed. Someone shushed her, and she lowered her voice. "Was he unbearably romantic?"

"You know Kiku doesn't go for that kind of stuff," Anya giggled- actually giggled! "He just asked me if I wanted to go, and I thought, why not?"

"That's it?" Holly wasn't convinced. Anya shouldn't be this worked up over something so small.

"It was really sweet, idiot." She smacked her sister's arm lightly. "Now, if you're going to freak out-"

"AWHHHHHHH! SISSY'S GOING TO A DANCE~" Holly gushed and flailed.

"So, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Has Antonio or Arthur asked you to the dance yet?" Anya clarified, not bothering to include any others. If any boy within a mile even looked at Holly, those two were always the first to run to her side. They had had enough competition without others joining in, and they actually made Anya's job a little easier. If they weren't so irritating, she might just let Antonio and Arthur stick around as part-time babysitters.

Holly's ears perked up from the pink rabbit she had been doodling on her paper. "O-Oh, no, they haven't. I think I overheard Arthur talking about it to this really obnoxious kid who looks creepily similar to Matthew during their trigonometry break before I came to class," She sucked in a gulp of air. "But that's it. Nothin' more than that."

"…Okay. A guy who looks like Matt? Really obnoxious? Yup, that's Alfred," Anya deduced, smirking. "Well, if one of them does ask you, just tell me so I'll be able to prepare myself. Do it slowly though, or I might kill whichever one it is."

"Yeah, yeah~"

After the class was over, Holly headed to her orchestra period. The block simply consisted of Arthur's many failed attempts at trying to ask her to the dance.

"H-Holly, I know this is sudden, b-but-"

"Oh, hey, Feliciano!"

"Ve~ Bella!"

"Holly, would you like to-?"

"Ah! N-Natalia?"

"Just because big brother said to be nice to you, that doesn't mean you're off the hook, got it?"

"Got it…"

"C-Can I talk to you for just a moment-"

"Lovi! I'm coming to visit you at work tonight!"

"Don't bring the tomato bastard with you."

"Holly-"

"I'll be right back!" And thus, the sister ran off to talk to Mr. Bieldschmit.

She won't listen to me! Arthur typed out angrily on his phone to send to Alfred as he walked out of the music building. Students flooded the hallways to his left and right as he strode to lunch.


"Guess what! Mr. Bieldchmit wants me to play an electric viola for my solo in the concert!" Holly gushed and flailed her arms.

"That sounds…interesting." Anya sighed as she sat down at the concrete table they shared with Matthew, Kiku, and Feliciano.

"…No, I want to take her! You need to back off, Antonio!"

"Me? Back off? No! She'll pick me before she even thinks about going with you!" A couple of voices interrupted the twins' discussion as the bickering flooded the air around them from behind a line of trees.

"Is that…?" Anya trailed off. "Yeah…that's definitely them."

The hazel eyed sister excused herself. She carefully crouched under a branch until she was in the center of the pine, and climbed to about three feet above the duo, observing the bickering friends with curiosity.

"Toni, you know she likes me better! There's no argument about it, you git!" Arthur was throwing insults left and right to the Spaniard.

She inched closer, and closer, and closer, until…

"Ah!" A curly haired brunette fell out of the tree, falling face down, sprawled out, and light headed.

"Holly?"

"Cariño! Are you okay?" Toni rushed over and picked her up.

"That was dumb," Holly groaned.

"What were you doing up there?" Arthur asked incredulously. What did she hear?

"What possessed you to climb in those scrawny trees?" Toni asked with undisguised concern. What will she say?

"Umm…" Holly searched for words that wouldn't make her sound like an idiot. "What's up?"

Idiot.

"Well, you were," Arthur smiled tenderly, relieved that she was okay. "We were just talking."

"What's wrong?" Anya demanded. She and Kiku came around the trees to see what the noise was about.

"I fell," Holly grimaced. Anya shot her a look, and Holly nodded just enough for her to see. Anya mentally facepalmed. What was she going to do with these idiots? She thought quickly, and found a solution.

"So, do either of you guys have plans for the dance on Friday?" she asked cheerily. The others stared at her in shock, Holly looking the most surprised.

"I-I didn't really…"

"You see, cariño, I was going to-"

"Why didn't you tell them, Holly?" Anya asked with mock disapproval. "If you're going to fall on top of them, you might as well be useful."

"Tell them what?" Holly was truly bewildered. What was her sister talking about?

"That you had the amazing idea of the five of us going to the dance as a group," Anya winked.

"I did?"

"She did?" all three guys groaned, all for different reasons.

"Yes, she did," she pressed, shooting Kiku a purely apologetic look. His eyes widened in understanding, and he nodded quickly. He had been hoping to take her on a proper date, but if this was what she wanted… Well, he knew that it was for Holly's sake.

"Anya," Arthur started, slightly miffed. "I don't really-"

"This is going to be so fun!" Holly gushed, little hearts and sparkles practically visible in the air around her. Bless you, Anya! "Artie, you've got to dance with me. Promise?" She looked up at him with her big eyes, reacting exactly as Anya had expected.

"O-Of course," he sighed, ruffling her hair. How was he supposed to say no to that? "I promise."